SURREY (NEWS1130) – The Residential Tenancy Branch has made an unprecedented ruling, protecting a Surrey family from a ‘renoviction.’

The family will be allowed to return to their suite at Kwantlen Park Manor on 106 Ave. after renovations are complete.

Usually in cases where repairs are needed, landlords simply evict tenants, then increase the rent before new tenants come in.

But a Dispute Resolution Officer has ruled a vacancy for repairs does not mean Sue Collard has to leave the suite for good.
    
“I think it’s the correct thing to do because otherwise he’s telling every landlord out there, ‘Hey, you can forget about doing any repairs until you’re burdened so bad that you get engineers coming around saying there are safety issues, so you better issue tenants eviction notices,’” Collard says, after two years of dealing with the landlord over her leaky suite.

“It’s a relief for any tenant who is worried about the condition of their suite, who thinks if they complain, they’re simply going to get evicted.”

It’s not a total victory for Collard yet, as she doesn’t know if her rent will be increased. She argues that it shouldn’t be, given the suite is just being made livable once again.

Collard suspects her landlord will fight the landmark decision in court.