Rental Horror Stories

[Mr.C]

Originally Posted by SilverT

Here is my story from a renter's pov. Currently renting a basement suite. A month later a single mom moves in along with her bf. They leave their bike in the middle of the walkway. The landlord son comes down and tell them to move it as it's in the way. They were like what I don't understand what you're saying because of your accent. They also keep puppies at the place even though the tenant agreement clearly states that this is not allowed.

I personally don't talk to these guys but for some reason they continue using the laundry every single day even on our assigned days. They leave dirty shit in front of our door way for some reason even though we don't deal with them at all as we're usually working. They tend to have sex loudly with their door left open. We complain to the landlord about the laundry situation and he tells us we should talk to them as they're nice people too. The very next morning both my gf and my car windows were smashed. They messed everything up in the cars but nothing was stolen even though I had cash and other valuables in there. The other renter's cars was parked on the same street but nothing happened to their's. We would of moved out already if we didn't sign a 6 month lease and now it's gonna be a hassle finding a new place.

I'd be setting cameras up.

[Death2Theft]

I never rent to single moms. More often then not they expect special priviledges that no one else gets, just because "it's so hard"

[Gridlock]

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[Everymans]

Hey gridlock. Curious if you can inform me of the average rental prices for a 1 bedroom apartment in
Vancouver
coquitlum
New west minister
Surrey
Richmond
and
burnaby

[sonick]

Richmond in the old (15-20 year old) wood-frame low-rise apartments start at $900 (sometimes you'll find them from $850). In the new concrete high-rises starts at around $1100.

[dinosaur]

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[dinosaur]

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[taylor192]

Not a horror story, yet maybe a glimmer of hope for those looking to rent.

I am moving out of my unit this month, and my landlord has thus far been unable to rent it for the same price as we've been paying for 2 yrs (no increases). There's been 3 open houses, and I can count the number of people that have come to see it on one hand.

This is very strange, even for January which can be a slow month. The norm used to be open houses receiving several applications.

The identical unit across the hall was up for rent in the past year and had the same issue. They had to reduce the rent $100 and it still sat empty for a month before being rented. Glad to see this trend is continuing, and would like to see it escalate as more condos are built and there's more excess condo inventory becoming rental properties driving the vacancy rate up.

[Gridlock]

...

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by taylor192

Not a horror story, yet maybe a glimmer of hope for those looking to rent.

I am moving out of my unit this month, and my landlord has thus far been unable to rent it for the same price as we've been paying for 2 yrs (no increases). There's been 3 open houses, and I can count the number of people that have come to see it on one hand.

This is very strange, even for January which can be a slow month. The norm used to be open houses receiving several applications.

The identical unit across the hall was up for rent in the past year and had the same issue. They had to reduce the rent $100 and it still sat empty for a month before being rented. Glad to see this trend is continuing, and would like to see it escalate as more condos are built and there's more excess condo inventory becoming rental properties driving the vacancy rate up.

Yeah... I started looking for a tenant mid December. This is for a one-bedroom at King Edward Village in Vancouver. I already started the listing as the best one-bedroom deal in the complex at $1300. There was one other listing at $1300, but it was a bit smaller, and a similar unit as mine for $1400. Had one person come to take a look at it in two weeks. I lowered it to $1250 after that, and fortunately found someone that seems like he could be a very good tenant. I had two others call to ask about it, but that was about it.

[dinosaur]

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[Gridlock]

The 3rd bedroom probably dropped a lot too. Cuts down on a lot of potential renters and places straight in "room mate" territory.

[vitaminG]

this news storey seems relevant to this thread

[bold] Surrey woman ordered to sell condo over strata complaints [/bold]

In what’s believed to be a first for B.C., a judge has ordered a condominium owner to sell her suite because of an avalanche of complaints from other owners.

The strata council for a condo complex on Guildford Drive in Surrey took an owner to court after hundreds of complaints had been made about her and her 20-year-old son.

The concerns about Rose Jordison and her son Jordy included excessive noise, abusive language, the uttering of threats and harassment that took place over several years.

Jordison, who moved into her suite in 2006, was fined $20,000 by the strata council over several years but failed to pay up or change her behaviour, so the council took her to court.

In a ruling released Friday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Richard Blair said it was a “draconian†measure to order Jordison to sell, but necessary.

“The Jordisons’ actions amount to an assault upon those residents,†said the judge.

“I specifically conclude from the evidence that the Jordisons’ conduct, including their obscene language and gestures, their interference with the activities of others, their spitting at other residents, the unacceptable loud and unnecessary noise they in their unit created, have unreasonably interfered with the rights of others who are entitled to enjoy in peace the common property, the common assets and their own strata lots.â€

Affidavits filed with the court include complaints about loud banging, pounding on the floor, doors slamming and screaming and yelling coming from the Jordison unit. Among the incidents described, two pictures were dislodged from the walls of a neighbouring unit, nails started to loosen in one ceiling and some water leaked from the unit.

One neighbour complained the son was making sounds like a pig, which she concluded were directed at her, and another reported that she’d been called a “fat cow†and given the finger.

Another resident said she was called a “f-----g b---h,†a whore, a “ho for a show†and another profane word for a woman. The resident reported that water was thrown at her as she was passing the Jordisons’ suite. Police were called but were reluctant to become involved in the dispute, according to the ruling.

“In some ways this was the death of a thousand cuts, because they’re individually just juvenile,†said Philip Dougan, a lawyer for the strata council. â €œBut over the course of time, [there have been] hundreds and hundreds of times where youâ €™ve been intimidated or sworn at . . . We just couldn’t believe what we were hearing.

“So we wanted to be sure that this wasn’t a couple of people who had it in for Rose.â€

The Jordisons, in their responses to the strata council over the years, denied the complaints and called the fines illegal, threatening legal action.

Last year, Jordison filed a complaint with B.C.’s human rights tribunal, alleging discrimination based on a disability because, she said, the objectionable activities were caused by her son’s autism. But she withdrew the complaint without providing any evidence.

Dougan said he believes it’s the first time in B.C. a strata owner has been ordered to sell their unit over complaints of bylaw infractions.

“There are so many situations just like this one. In our office we call them the strata nazis, the troublemaker in any given building who is just making life miserable for everyone,†said Dougan.

“We think this could be a tremendous precedent for stratas to be able to deal with that type of person,†he said.

Tony Gioventu, a strata advocate who writes the weekly Condo Smarts column in the Sunday Province, said he’s aware of other situations where the strata council effectively forced the owners to move by banning them from the property.

“Collectively, these rulings do send the message that strata councils have the authority to protect the right of the owners to the quiet enjoyment of their homes,†he said.

But, he noted, such legal action is prohibitively expensive — Supreme Court cases cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The judge ordered Jordison, who did not appear in court to defend herself against the legal action, to list her unit for sale within 30 days and sell it within 90 days after that, or the strata council can sell it for her.

She could not be reached for comment Friday.

One resident of the building told The Province people living in it were relieved, but said she preferred not to comment further or to be named while Jordison was still living in the building.

Phone messages left with other residents named as complainants weren’t returned.

— With a file by Susan Lazaruk

Surrey woman ordered to sell condo over strata complaints
Posted via RS Mobile

[Gridlock]

Thanks!

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

In a strata you are fucked! You can go after them financially but you are trying to kick someone out of something they own. Brutal up hill battle.

Yep... I have a story for this exact scenario as well that I'll recant later. I'm the president of a strata right now, and there has been one problem resident that we've wanted to get out of the building for over two years, but because he's an owner, we had our hands tied. The property manager said there's never been a case where a strata had successfully gotten rid of a unit owner, and it would take huge money to even try to have something done in court.

After this latest case in Surrey though, I guess a new precedent has been set, and it's not impossible...

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

Our personal mission is eradicating weed from our buildings.

That explains why you get bent out of shape on other topics concerning drugs.

We have a couple in our building that have a personal mission to get rid of dogs, and would probably ban children if they could. Damn strata nazis.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul

After this latest case in Surrey though, I guess a new precedent has been set, and it's not impossible...

Still gonna cost a fortune and take years. The precedent is "death by 1000 cuts" so I hope you've been documenting each issue.

[SpuGen]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

We screwed up with one guy recently. He didn't present all that well to me at all, but Dino felt he might be a good guy that looked hard around the edges. We were getting reports of partying and the hall constantly smelled like weed. Our personal mission is eradicating weed from our buildings. Talk to him and all you get is, "dude, it isn't me-must be my neighbors" Then gives the classic answer, "you know, its BC, everyone smokes weed-you can't really stop it" Which is code for, "I'm a stoner"

Anyway, just an unpleasant situation.

The point is, we had him out in 4 months. We didn't need to negotiate this time-no deals.

I recently had a tenant who was smoking up with her friends on Christmas Night.

I'm usually pretty cool about it, and my mother turns a blind eye to it (as long as they pay rent on time, and it's outside) but we had a Pregnant woman in the house who was almost due. I went down and told her that if she was going to do it, to take it outside.

She told me it was incense.
I took a long pause, and held it in. I reiterated the fact that there was absolutely ZERO smoking anything in the house, but it was fine if she was outside, and left.

She moved out less than a week later, with a 2 day notice. The problem basically solved itself. My mom found a tenant at Church the next day.

I've never been so lucky. hah. That suite is like a curse.
Bullet. Dodged.

The last tenant that was in there was an older Vietnamese guy who was clearly a drug dealer. I didn't really care for it, since he always paid rent on time, and was generally a nice guy. I don't care what they do in there as long as they don't make it my problem. (break stuff, excessive noise etc) He eventually moved out on his own accord, and found out that he was dealing to my neighbours. They kept coming by one by one a week after he left asking if I could sell.

What.

[Gridlock]

It was fun.

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by taylor192

Still gonna cost a fortune and take years. The precedent is "death by 1000 cuts" so I hope you've been documenting each issue.

Well, his file with the VPD probably fills a drawer by now, and it got to the point where VPD refused to come anymore.

[Raid3n]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

I'm going to say this as it directly relates to the thread topic, but would ask that this not turn into a drugs yes/no thread. Been there, done that...

I don't give one sweet fuck if my tenants want to smoke themselves into oblivion. I really don't. They're right...its BC, it happens.

Here's my deal on the issue. I don't want to smell it, and I don't want to see it and I don't want any of the other crap that goes along with it. My job is to maintain the building for the enjoyment of EVERYONE.

I personally don't enjoy the smell of weed when I walk through the halls. I know there are others that agree. I know that there are others that disagree. The thing of it is, the people that disagree can live without the smell of it, where those that do, can't live with it-or shouldn't have to.

So, I think my policy is pretty fair. Go away with it. I see a couple different apartments worth of people marching the same little path. They come back smiling. Good for you. The thing is, we tell everyone BEFORE you sign paperwork. Hell, we give everyone the speech before they even fill out the application. You CANNOT say you were not warned. When they sign the lease, there is a written item outlining the "weed laws". You initial that you have read and understand that term. Those that don't like that policy? There's the door man, no hard feelings. Think you can outsmart the policy? I take your house. It's that simple.

So yes, our mission is to eradicate it from the buildings, but be fully aware that I'm not trying to eradicate those that use it. Actually 2 of our best tenants march the little path. I didn't even know until Dino told me that's what they were doing. Now I laugh a little any time I see them walking in at 11 at night.

for the reasons you listed, i don't know why more people that live in multiple dwelling buildings that want to smoke weed, dont just get a vaporizer...

relatively odorless, relatively smokeless... sure the unit is a tad expensive.. but whats 3-600$ compared to homelessness...

[BrRsn]

Originally Posted by Raid3n

for the reasons you listed, i don't know why more people that live in multiple dwelling buildings that want to smoke weed, dont just get a vaporizer...

relatively odorless, relatively smokeless... sure the unit is a tad expensive.. but whats 3-600$ compared to homelessness...

People need to use common sense. Wet towel under washroom door + shower on hot + washroom fan on = odourless. Spray some febreeze after for good measure and no one will know the difference. People who can't do that much are just fucked up beyond belief.

[Gridlock]

Originally Posted by dhillon09

People need to use common sense. Wet towel under washroom door + shower on hot + washroom fan on = odourless. Spray some febreeze after for good measure and no one will know the difference. People who can't do that much are just fucked up beyond belief.

Yeah, we have a chick that tried that in our slummy building. Funny thing...the vents are apparently connected because it would waft into her neighbors bathroom at 11pm every night.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by Raid3n

for the reasons you listed, i don't know why more people that live in multiple dwelling buildings that want to smoke weed, dont just get a vaporizer...

relatively odorless, relatively smokeless... sure the unit is a tad expensive.. but whats 3-600$ compared to homelessness...

My friends in Ottawa have one, its fantastic. There's still a strong smell, afterall you still exhale, yet it doesn't linger as long.

[Raid3n]

like i said "relatively" haha. it's considerably less than if you were smoking a joint/pipe