Tenants often deal with intimidating or inappropriate landlord behaviour -- but it isn't always renters who grapple with these issues.
In January 2023, a B.C. landlord filed an application to have one of their tenants vacate the rental unit early due to some significantly disturbing behaviour that included lewd sexual comments and threats of violence. The tenant allegedly also entered the landlord's property when she wasn't home.
The hearing was held in a teleconference and the landlord, her agent, and her witness attended but the tenant did not. As such, he was unable to provide a statement.
The landlord said she feared for her safety, highlighting an incident on Dec. 21, 2022, when the tenant entered her home and "gave her a drink and told her to drink it." She added that he was "forceful and aggressive" and told her "he is the man, she is not going anywhere, and she is spending Christmas with him."
The tenant allegedly called the landlord the following day while she was driving, and told her that she "was going to die, my car will crash, and I will die in a ditch.” She promptly hung up and he called again. In other instances, he made inappropriate comments, such as saying he "likes to date older women" and comments about having sex with other women. He also asked her for a hug.
Landlord calls the RCMP after inappropriate renter remarks
After reporting these incidents to the RCMP, the landlord was issued a police file number and they told her to keep her phone with her and call 911 if he approaches her. While the lewd comments tapered off after that, the downstairs tenant was "instrumental" in preventing the tenant from entering the landlord's unit when she wasn't at home.
The landlord believed the renter had entered her home when she wasn't there and used her hot tub when he wasn't permitted to do so. He also reportedly said he would "trash her property" and she later discovered gas containers lined up in front of his place; the security system had also been "tampered with." Additionally, the water pump had been turned off and the landlord's reserve water tank was drained.
The other tenant who occupied the downstairs unit, who is also the witness, was also bothered by the renter's behaviour and saw him on the landlord's deck 10 or 15 times.
The landlord's witness said they'd seen roughly 50 threatening texts from the tenant that said things like, “I want you to die, you need to stay home, you can’t go out, he sends her love letters," adding that the landlord was disturbed when she receives them.
The landlord’s agent stated that she feels like "a prisoner in her own home where she is unable to live, relax or survive while the tenant remains on the property."
The Residential Tenancy Branch sided with the landlord, noting that her evidence was undisputed because the renter failed to attend the hearing. They ruled that the landlord could end the tenancy early as the renter had "significantly interfered with or unreasonably disturbed" the other tenant and herself.
