Renter sues after her roommate asks his girlfriend to move in

May 11 2023, 9:53 pm

An interesting tenancy dispute made it to the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, which ended with the renter taking her roommate to court after he asked his girlfriend to move in.

The dispute was between the renter, Alexis Vij, and the roommate she was renting from, Ashley Richardson.

Vij claimed that Richardson gave her two months’ notice to move out by September 1, 2022, and said she wouldn’t have to pay her last month’s rent. Vij agreed to that arrangement but noted that Richardson asked her to pay rent for August. Vij thought that implied that she could stay until October, with September being free of charge.

Vij claims that Richardson “reverted” back and demanded that she move out by the end of August, which she did, but only after she paid $930 for August’s rent.

Vij asked the tribunal to order Richardson to pay her back the $930, including $900 for rent and $30 for the internet.

The roommates seemed to have a working relationship until June 2022, when Richardson texted Vij that he wanted his girlfriend to move in with him, “ideally for August 1.”

He also said he didn’t think the three would work together in the apartment. Vij was hoping for three months to look for a new place, but Richardson suggested 70 days was reasonable.

Richardson then found an RTA form called “Two Month Notice to End Tenancy,” which both parties filled out.

The agreement stated that Vij would have to move out by September 1, but one of the conditions said she would not have to pay rent for August.

In July, Richardson discovered that the notice didn’t apply to the roommates’ situation and claimed that Vij agreed, but Vij denied those claims.

Things got quiet during August, with Vij refusing to communicate with Richardson. Based on the initial notice, Vij thought Richardson would refund her August rent payment if she moved out by August 31. Vij moved out on August 31 but didn’t get the money she expected.

The tribunal agreed with Vij that even though the RTB couldn’t enforce the agreement, that didn’t mean that Vij and Richardson had a binding agreement.

Therefore, Richardson was ordered to pay Vij $1,076.44, including $930 for the rent and internet, $21.44 in pre-judgement interest, and $125 in CRT fees.

Amir AliAmir Ali

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