Stolen utensils, cleaning shoes in the sink, a ripped comforter: these are all things that Emily Yu accused Oasis Hostel tenants of doing after they announced they were leaving the 1,700-square-foot North Vancouver home she has turned into a hostel.
“She started saying I was stealing stuff, starting rumours. Started yelling at me. It was very stressful. Started to get to the point where I was getting physically sick,” said Darien Horwood. “She started saying I was stealing stuff. I was still living there; there was nowhere I could bring the stolen stuff.”
WATCH HERE: North Vancouver strata blames city for failing to crack down on Oasis House Hostel
Horwood stayed at the home — where Yu offers up to 15 beds in dorm rooms and private suites — for five months. He said that over time the space devolved, with more and more people getting jammed into rooms. Horwood said he had no real choice on where to live, opting for Yu’s hostel over living on the streets.
“It was either here or a homeless shelter. I didn’t have the choice. It was cheap,” said Horwood.
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Yu declined to do an interview on Monday but did send an email to Global News. The landlord wrote that, during Horwood’s stay, she helped him more than she should have because she wanted to “make a difference to this young person’s life.”
However, Yu also sent Horwood a letter from a lawyer, listing the damages she said were caused during his stay.
“I have no choice (but) to keep his damage deposit. However, the total damage amount is about $3,000, and his damage deposit won’t cover the cost of the damage,” Yu wrote to Global News.
Josh Reilly also stayed at Oasis Hostel for five months. He said he read the advertisement online describing it as a private place and was shocked to see multiple bunk beds jammed into one room.
“You barely get any sleep. It’s a nightmare,” Reilly said.
“Housing here is pretty difficult. Once you are there and settled, it’s hard to get out and find somewhere else.”
Reilly said he finally had enough and sent Yu a message saying that he was going to leave. Reilly then received a long list of items that Yu claimed had been damaged in his living space. She told Reilly that he owed hundreds of dollars and was not going to receive his damage deposit back.
WATCH HERE: Former tenant of illegal hostel speaks out
“She essentially bullies people into submission because we can’t pursue it legally,” said Reilly. “I tried pursuing it through the rental tenancy association but because she lives there it is not a thing. We did a mediation but nothing came of that.”
Neighbours say they have spent tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours trying to shut the operation down but to no avail. The strata had to raise everyone’s fees to take owner Emily Yu to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, a case which the council won.
Now, neighbours might have to do it again to legally enforce that ruling and collect more than $6,000 in fines.
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