B.C. renter evicted for not doing chores wins thousands in legal fight
An interesting wrongful eviction dispute popped up in a Civil Resolution Tribunal hearing between a B.C. renter and their acting landlord.
The dispute, which was posted online on Dec. 19, includes claims from the renter that the landlord wrongfully evicted them without proper notice, kept the deposit, and also kept a cell phone.
In response, the landlord said the renter scared them and would not participate in doing chores.
The applicant in the case responded to an online rental listing for a bedroom in July 2023. The respondent agreed to rent the room for $1,000 per month, plus $100 per month inutilities, and a $50 fee for furniture use.
According to the decision, the applicant moved on July 17, 2023, and agreed to pay a $500 deposit.
Sometime in August 2023, there was a dispute about the distribution of household tasks.
The applicant claims that the respondent demanded that they pack all their belongings and drove them to a temporary shelter service. The applicant provided the tribunal with an audio recording featuring the respondent telling them to pack their things.
“It can also be heard in the recording that the respondent drove the applicant to a nearby location they described as a park and told the applicant not to contact the respondent for 3 days. The applicant says they immediately contacted police for help with the return of personal items, including the phone, security deposit, and September rent,” the tribunal decision notes.
Texts submitted as evidence show messages between the applicant and a police officer. The applicant asked the officer for assistance in retrieving their phone, but the officer could not find it.
“The respondent says that they ended the rental agreement because the applicant would not help with chores such as watering the garden and cleaning the kitchen. The respondent also says that the applicant had an aggressive demeanour as they would flare their nostrils and turn their back on the respondent, and also broke a laundry basket,” the decision says.
The respondent also said that in August 2023, they were scared because the applicant “pushed a coffee table.”
The tribunal said that the respondent asking the applicant to leave immediately on Aug. 29 resulted in a wrongful eviction.
According to the decision, the applicant sought $500 for the return of the damage deposit and the $1,150 they paid to stay in the bedroom in September 2023. The tribunal awarded the applicant damages on both claims.
The applicant also claimed $600 for the lost cell phone, but the tribunal instead ordered the respondent to pay $200, as that is a reasonable amount for a “used phone of unknown age or condition.”
Ultimately, the respondent was ordered to pay the B.C. renter $2,158.31, which included $,1850 in damages and the rest in tribunal fees.