Tenants of cheap West End housing complex in fight with owners

Antonia Allan understands that her monthly rent of $460 is incredibly cheap for Vancouver.

“It’s a crazy good deal, and I totally admit that,” she says while sitting in her suite, one of seven in a converted family home in Vancouver’s West End.

“But I can’t fix the plumbing, and I can’t fix the furnace, and I certainly can’t fix the electrical myself.”

Allan says she’s been given an eviction notice – the latest development in a months-long conflict between the tenants of the building and its owners, Huntly Investments.

In October, all seven suites in the building were given eviction notices. Dorset Realty, which manages the property, said it was so they could convert the suites for a caretaker, as Huntly owns four different properties on the block.

Last month, an arbitrator ruled in favour of the tenants, saying it was impossible for a house to have a caretaker but no tenants. At the same time, the arbitrator said the house’s electrical system, which hadn’t been fully upgraded in decades, was a safety hazard and needed upgrades.

Allan sent multiple formal requests to the managers inquiring about the electricity. On January 22, she was given an eviction notice.

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Then, residents were notified the electrical hazard would be dealt with. Today, a contractor reduced the maximum voltage to 15 amps – not enough, says Allan, to even run a refrigerator or kettle.

“It’s a bully tactic,” says Rob Andow, another resident in the house. “They’re not able to push us out with the eviction, they know we’re going to dispute any evictions, so they’ll just try and make life uncomfortable enough that we’ll leave on our own.”

Because landlords are only able to increase rent to current tenants by a small amount per year, Andow and Allan believe they’re being unfairly targeted.

“It doesn’t sound like they’re trying to develop, they just want the house vacant, and I can’t see why other than trying to charge more.”

Global News asked the director of Huntly Investments, Brent Wolverton, to comment, but initially was not available. While interviewing Allan, the operations manager for Dorset requested Global News leave the property.

For now, Allan says she’ll fight the eviction. She has an arbitration date on March 11, and says there’s no chance of reconciliation.