A Vancouver landlord was served notice in the worst way possible after he says his latest tenant left a trail of destruction behind her.
The landlord — who only gave his first name of Tom in fear of being further targeted by the tenant — posted video to social media Saturday of him touring through the suite on Granville Street and West 57 Avenue, surveying the damage.
The video shows cement poured down all of the suite’s drains and the toilet, holes kicked into the walls, and food left to rot inside the fridge, which had been unplugged.
The key to the front door of the one-bedroom suite was super-glued into the lock, while glue was also found on the floors.
On Sunday, Tom said there was even more damage than what the video showed.
“There was cement in the washing machine, in all those little holes,” he said. “She tried to super-glue the toilet seat down. She super-glued the dryer door, so I don’t know how I’m going to get into the dryer. It’s a nightmare.”
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Tom says the tenant, who has not been named, moved in this past June and “seemed like a good person” when he first met her.
As they went over the contract, Tom told the tenant no pets were allowed in the suite, which she agreed to.
Three weeks later, Tom says he was called to the suite over a noise complaint and found the tenant with a small dog “who wouldn’t stop barking.”
Tom says he offered to help the tenant find a new place that was pet-friendly. He also said she could stay if she found someone else to take care of the dog.
“I mean, rent is rent, I have to pay the bills somehow,” he said. “And she was totally fine with that, and I thought end of story.”
Two days later, Tom says he got a text message from the tenant threatening to sue him. He says she sent other messages blaming him for the end of her marriage, which mystified Tom.
After a phone call, the tenant agreed to move out by the end of August.
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A short time later, Tom says the tenant contacted him again to demand her damage deposit back. Tom said he needed to check the unit first and get an address to send the cheque to. The tenant didn’t agree.
“Now that I think about it, she might have been planning this the whole time, because she was demanding the deposit so early,” he said.
On Aug. 31, Tom went to the unit to ensure the tenant had moved out. That’s when he saw the key glued into the lock.
Global News has reached out to the tenant, but did not receive a response.
Tom says he’s already repaired most of the damage at a cost of at least $2,000. But he’s been told it could be more if it’s found the cement made its way into the pipes.
While he plans to talk to his insurance provider after the long weekend, he says he doesn’t plan to sue the tenant, opting instead to just move on.
“She stopped taking my calls a long time ago,” he said. “To be honest, after this I don’t want her to.”
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