Tony Gioventu
Province
Dear Condo Smarts:
We live in a small 18-unit bare-land strata complex on Vancouver Island.
All of our units are owner-occupied, except the middle unit, which has housed a number of excellent tenants over the years.
The current renters, however, are a serious problem in our community. There have been late-night parties, a backyard fire that got out of control, domestic disputes that have required police intervention and now a drug bust.
The owner refuses to do anything, and our residents are now afraid to leave their homes and go on vacation. Is there anything we can do to force the landlord to get better tenants?
— The Bennets
Dear Bennet Family:
People in strata corporations are the root of most struggles in community living.
Landlords don’t have a right to rent to irresponsible tenants and leave the mess to a strata. If the strata executes their authority properly it can be very expensive for the landlord, and result in an eviction for the tenant.
The strata corporation has the right to act in place of the landlord if he refuses to take action.
The strata may evict the tenants if they continually contravene a significant bylaw or seriously interfere with another person’s use or enjoyment of the strata lot or the common property.
The process of eviction can often be accelerated if the contraventions are placing property and other persons at risk. Make sure you document all the contraventions, police incident reports and proceedings to ensure you have reasonable grounds for the eviction.
The strata should provide written notice of the violations to the tenants and the landlord, and should contact the Residential Tenancy Branch to obtain the proper forms for eviction. Go to: www.rto.gov.bc.ca to download the forms.
© The Vancouver Province 2007
