A North Vancouver townhouse that was once converted into a 15-bed hostel is now in the hands of a court sheriff.
In a phone hearing on Thursday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies ordered the sale of the unit owned by Emily Yu.
The operator of the Oasis Hostel has been embroiled in a lengthy court battle with her strata for violating a bylaw that prohibits short-term rentals.
During the legal process, Yu was found in contempt of court and also ordered to pay around $90,000 to the province and $50,000 to the strata in fines and legal costs.
Yu will be able to remain in her home as long as she remains cooperative throughout the sale process.
A court sheriff will list the property and select the best offer based on current market values.
“The court ultimately decided that Yu had had enough time to pay the judgement amounts owed to my client and because she hadn’t paid the amount she was ordered to sell the property through a sheriff,” Stephen Hamilton, the strata corporation’s lawyer told Global News.
“The sheriff will find a buyer and enter into a contract and that contract will be approved by the courts sooner or later.”
Neighbours told Global News that they were happy to finally have some sort of closure to an ongoing issue that has lasted more than two years.
“It’ s probably not going to be real until we see, actually, not just a for sale sign on the outside of her house but a sold sign and money in our strata’s bank account,” neighbour Erin Wasney told Global News.
“You have to be a good neighbour. You can’t run a 15-bed hostel and expect that you’re not going get shut down from someone, somewhere.”
Global News has reached out to Yu for comment.