B.C. landlord changed locks on tenant after she raised some issues | Daily Hive

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In a residential eviction case, a landlord changed the locks on a tenant to force her out after she raised some issues with her townhouse rental.

Andrew Muller was the townhouse owner, and He Lyu was the tenant who agreed to rent a room in it. Lyu claimed that Muller evicted her with just one day’s notice and did not return her deposit or the remaining rent she paid for the month.

In a B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal dispute, Lyu also alleged that Muller caused her emotional damage and claimed $400 for the deposit, $800 in rent, and $3,800 in damages.

Muller said he evicted Lyu under the terms of the contract between the two of them.

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Before Muller bought a townhouse, he and Lyu lived in a rental house. After he purchased the townhouse in November 2023, Lyu agreed to move into it in December 2023. After she moved in, she was the only person living in the home.

Due to various reasons, the relationship between the two parties broke down, and Lyu gave notice to move out by Jan. 31, 2024. However, Muller forced Lyu out by changing the locks on Dec. 14, 2023, just 12 days after she had moved in.

According to what Lyu told the tribunal, she was evicted after complaining about issues in the home. Muller claimed that the contract between the two parties allowed him to take action and keep that month’s rent and deposit. The tribunal’s final decision would ultimately disagree with Muller.

Why the renter was unhappy

There were several reasons that the relationship broke down, and Facebook messages reveal exactly what transpired.

Lyu had complained about several issues in the home, including wi-fi not working, no access to the laundry room, and her bedroom door not having locks. Lyu gave her notice to move on Dec. 5, 2023, just three days after moving in. If Lyu had it her way, she would’ve moved out the following mouth.

An issue with painting the walls in the kitchen escalated tensions between the two even more.

Lyu told the tribunal that on Dec. 13, 2023, Muller was painting the kitchen and his bedroom, and she was concerned. While the tribunal decision doesn’t go into detail about what the specific issue was, she told Muller that she was going to report the situation to the health authority.

After this, Muller gave Lyu two choices. She could live at home till Jan. 31, 2024, as long as she didn’t interact with him, or move out within 24 hours and receive her deposit if she didn’t “cause trouble.”

Lyu said she would contact the police if Muller locked her out.

“Mr. Muller changed the locks on Dec. 14, 2023, and said Ms. Lyu could collect her possessions on Dec. 15, 2023,” the tribunal said.

Muller told the tribunal that Lyu’s communications were abusive and hostile, but the tribunal disagreed and found that nothing she did violated the terms of the contract, meaning that Muller had to give her reasonable notice for eviction.

While the tribunal didn’t award the tenant emotional damages, it did order the landlord to pay back the deposit and the remainder of the rent for the month she was evicted, which totalled $1,021.08, including tribunal fees.