Tensions erupt between B.C. landlord and tenant requiring RCMP intervention
Things got very testy between a landlord and his tenant, according to the details laid out in a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal dispute.
The landlord accused the tenant of breaking locks, breaking his reading glasses, and bending a screwdriver. He claimed damages of $906.
In defence, the renter denied all of the allegations, asking the tribunal to dismiss the claims.
Details from the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal decision suggest that tensions were already high between the landlord and tenant before they boiled over on March 8, 2024, ultimately leading to the legal dispute.
“The parties agree that their relationship was very strained by this time,” the tribunal notes.
According to the decision, the landlord accused the tenant of not paying rent for that March. On March 6, 2024, the landlord discovered that the tenant’s family embarked on what the tribunal refers to as a “midnight move,” abandoning the rental suite.
The landlord submitted a video of the suite from that date, showing it to be mostly empty of furniture. On March 8, the landlord and his wife attempted to sweep the suite and remove the tenant’s remaining belongings. The landlord also wanted to change the locks.
While that was happening, the tenant’s wife showed up and called the RCMP. The tenant submitted a video into evidence that showed the tenant’s wife and landlord accusing the other of trespass. The two parties and their wives met with the RCMP outside the home, where officers informed the landlord that they couldn’t take any action and that the landlord would have to take it up with the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch.
The landlord agreed to leave but requested that officers retrieve his glasses and screwdriver.
At this point, the landlord claimed that the tenant ran back into the suite and locked the door. Around 15 seconds later, the tenant threw the landlord’s glasses and screwdriver into the back of the landlord’s truck. A photo submitted as evidence shows the glasses were broken in half, and the screwdriver was bent.
The landlord also asked if the RCMP could return and retrieve one of the locks he was going to install. The landlord claimed that the tenant had gone in and hidden one of the locks.
After this, an officer arrested the tenant for allegedly stealing the lock, saying, “he stole right in front of my eyes.”
The tenant denied stealing, asking, “How do you steal in your own house?”
“I find it likely that he intentionally broke the glasses and bent the screwdriver when he went to retrieve them. I note that the screwdriver appears to be old, cheap, and rusty. In other words, it looks easily bendable,” the tribunal noted, adding that the tenant’s anger towards the landlord was obvious.
The tribunal preferred the landlord’s version of events and awarded damages of $219.30, which included reimbursement for the glasses, screwdriver, locks, as well as tribunal fees.