Renter gets evicted and has the locks changed on her by roommate

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A woman from BC says she was unlawfully evicted and had the locks changed on her in a suite she was renting from a roommate, and now she’s suing the roommate.

Jasmine Kaur Cheema had rented a room from Amber Devlin. In the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal hearing, Devlin said she gave 30 days’ notice to end the rental agreement, but a short time later, Cheema was evicted without warning.

Cheema claimed $1,650 in the case for the return of one month’s rent and the damage deposit.

However, Devlin suggested that she was entitled to end the agreement because she felt threatened.

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Cheema and Devlin entered into a rental agreement for October 1, 2022. Cheema moved her things in two days prior, on September 29. For some reason, on September 30, Devlin sent Cheema a 30-day notice to end the rental agreement.

Then, on October 5, Devlin changed the locks on her roommate, preventing Cheema from having access.

The agreement that both parties signed was on a month-by-month basis.

Devlin claims she needed the room because her daughter asked to move back in, which she told Cheema. Devlin says after giving Cheema notice, Cheema became angry with her. Devlin also said that she began to feel threatened and was concerned about becoming a victim of rental fraud, so she thought she was entitled to end the agreement without 30 days’ notice.

The tribunal did not agree with that take.

Text messages shared between both parties showed that Cheema did not make any threats toward Devlin, nor did she intimidate her. Furthermore, the tribunal found that Devlin breached the agreement by evicting Cheema without notice and changing the locks.

The tribunal ultimately found that Cheema was entitled to her claims and awarded her $1,674.77, including the damage deposit, one month’s rent, and over $160 in tribunal-related fees.