Some East Vancouver tenants say they are being evicted so their landlord can make more money during the 2010 Winter Games.
Susan Brown is one of eight tenants at a Mount Pleasant house who
received eviction notices two weeks ago. When she moved into the house
in July, Brown said, she signed a lease that was to end Jan. 31, with
the understanding it would be extended when it came due. Instead she
got a notice saying she would have to be out by the end of January,
just two weeks before the Vancouver Olympics begin on Feb. 12.
The notice also said the owner needed the house for immediate family.
But the tenants' quick search of the web found the house listed as
an Olympic rental, with the owner asking nearly $12,000 a week in rent.
In comparison, the tenants have been paying about $500 a month each for
rent.
Brown, who is studying for a master's degree at Simon Fraser University, said the eviction has thrown her life into turmoil.
"What it means right now for me is I'm just in a really precarious
position. ... I'm having to put some of my research and plans on hold
in order to find a good place to live," she said.
Brown and the other tenants say they believe the eviction is
illegal, because the owners appeared to have lied to them on the
official eviction notice.
Laura Track, a lawyer with the Pivot Legal Society, said it is
unclear if the eviction was illegal, but the tenants could fight it
through the provincial Rental Tenancy Branch.
"What's disturbing about this is the reason given for the eviction is so clearly dishonest," Track said.
She said it is also likely the owners are violating the city's own
rules on Olympic rentals, because the home will be occupied in the
month leading up to the Olympics.
The tenants said they need to get on with their lives and find places to live, and they don't plan to fight the eviction.
"I'm just feeling really vulnerable, violated, lied to and really stressed out," Brown said.
The situation shows why the B.C.'s residential tenancy legislation
needs to be strengthened to protect renters from evictions in these
situations, Track said.
"My sense is this is just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "Here
we are at the beginning of December, and this is when I imagine these
situations will really start to ramp up."
The homeowners did not return calls for an interview.