KELOWNA – From improper occupancy permits to B.C. building code infractions, a Kelowna landlord has been fined so many times, it’s already cost him thousands of dollars.
“Well yeah, that’s basically it,” says landlord Heinz Strege.
Strege used to own a rundown property on Mayer Road, but last week someone else bought it in a foreclosure sale. It housed 10 low-income residents, but Strege didn’t have the proper occupancy permit in place. Now it looks like the same scenario is unfolding at his other property on nearby Graham Road.
When asked how many people live on the Graham Road property, Heinz says, “around six”.
But last week, Strege told Global News it was eight.
“Yeah and then we lost them,” he says. “They are leaving tomorrow.”
Whether the property houses six or eight people, it’s a number that exceeds what his permit allows.
“There should only be five in the original house,” says Doug Patan, building and permitting manager for the City of Kelowna.
The number of people living on the Graham Road property is not the only problem. Strege only has an occupancy permit for the original house and not the attached structure. But when Global News paid Strege a visit, there were at least two tenants living in the attached portion. Patan says an inspection was done at the home about a month ago and while it looked fine then, that can change very quickly.
“People can sit in their car and we leave, then they come back in and we don’t know,” says Patan.
The city has ordered Strege to fix all of the home’s deficiencies and bring the building up to code before allowing any more renters to move in.
When asked why it takes a Global News story to bring the issue to the city’s attention, Patan admits it’s a good question.
“We do 24,000 building inspections a year,” he says. “We do our best. We don’t catch them all”
Strege admits he’s bending the rules.
“I am breaking the bylaws a little bit, a little bit,” he says.
But he suggests it’s for good reason.
Whatever the reason, it looks like Strege’s property is once again on the city’s radar.
“The owner can expect bylaw enforcement to pay him visit,” says Patan.
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