Property management company offering each unit $1,000 in ‘compassionate assistance’

• Shalu Mehta
• Aaron Guillen
• Jan. 16, 2020 1:30 p.m.

Tenants of Langford’s Danbrook One building have been told to vacate the premises immediately, as stated in a letter from the building’s owner.

On Jan. 16, Centurion Property Associates Inc., Danbrook One property management, released a letter to residents saying their contract with the building owner has been frustrated as of Dec. 20 – meaning the contract is incapable of being carried out due to an unforeseen event or events and without fault of either party. Citing laws of the Residential Tenancy Act and Frustrated Contract Act, Centurion said both parties involved in the contract are relieved from fulfilling their obligations to it.

“Therefore, your tenancy has ceased, and you are required to vacate the unit,” the letter said.

https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/news/remaining-danbrook-one-tenants-ordered-to-vacate-immediately/

That is all they are offering?!?!?!??? I think they should at a minimum return all the rent that was paid for a building people could not live in, 100% of all costs related to moving in and moving out, and then $1,000 as a bonus. Anything else is bullshit. The tenants did nothing wrong, they should not be one cent out of pocket

There are thousands of people currently living in illegal suites in our region that are not up to code and, well, illegal.

And in most cases the landlords know the suites are not up to code and illegal.

In this case the building owner did not know there was an issue. The tenants were also not in any actual danger.

The state and condition of the building is a responsibility of the owner. This is part of the risk of being in business. Risk means costs.

As to illegal suites, a tenant is in their rights not to pay the rent until the suite is made illegal. The only recourse the landlord has is declare the space unfit for human habitation and the end the tenancy but they can not claim any rent that has not been paid. The landlord would also not be able to rent out the illegal suite again until it is legal and their would be a notice on their title that the house has not been permitted and this has to be disclosed if the house goes up for sale.

The state and condition of the building is a responsibility of the owner. This is part of the risk of being in business. Risk means costs.

As to illegal suites, a tenant is in their rights not to pay the rent until the suite is made illegal. The only recourse the landlord has is declare the space unfit for human habitation and the end the tenancy but they can not claim any rent that has not been paid. The landlord would also not be able to rent out the illegal suite again until it is legal and their would be a notice on their title that the house has not been permitted and this has to be disclosed if the house goes up for sale.

You mean, until the suite is made legal?

And what you describe above is what happened here. The building was deemed unfit for habitation, and tenants were not required to pay rent from that point forward. Anyone who missed prior rent payments got lucky, I guess.

The whole illegal suite thing is just a bunch of bureaucracy. Nobody cares at City Hall unless a tenant files a complaint. And if they file a complaint and the space is deemed uninhabitable, they need to move.