The evictions unduly favour the landlord's personal preferences, advocacy group says
A Canadian community advocacy group has sharply criticized what they called “fraudulent landlord-use evictions” in New Westminster, British Columbia.
In its recent rally, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) said that evictions of multiple long-term tenants at properties owned by Sangha and Harron Investments were made in “bad faith”.
The group alleged that the evictions were made “over claims that their apartments are needed for the landlord’s son.”
“Landlord Ron Sangha owns over a dozen apartment buildings across the Lower Mainland through his company Harron Investments Ltd and frequently exploits the gap in BC’s eviction laws that allow evictions if the landlord personally needs the unit,” ACORN said, as reported by Global News.
“ACORN has uncovered the eviction paperwork used to force another former resident of Mandalay Terrace from his home in 2021 so that his apartment could be occupied by landlord Ron Sangha’s son. Instead, the apartment was renovated and rented again at a higher rate to ACORN member Ava Mah.”
Residents of Montreal's Park Extension warn that evictions are on the rise amid gentrification in the province's poorest neighbourhood.https://t.co/zvNca3Wmez pic.twitter.com/Kfx4uh9QO0
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) September 4, 2019
Such “landlord-use evictions” represent a regulatory loophole that evolved from renovictions, said New Westminster ACORN chair Monica Bhandari.
“What Harron Investments is doing here is revolting, and is a prime example of the practices predatory landlords are using to get tenants out,” Bhandari told Global News. “There is a lot of money to be made at the expense of tenants… They’re putting the value of their profit at the cost of real people. This isn’t basement suites we are talking about here, it’s a purpose-built market rental building.”
An unnamed Sangha and Harron Investments spokesperson maintained that the allegations are unfounded.
“The issue relates to the eviction of one tenant from this building in order to allow a member of the owner’s immediate family to move into the space, which is permitted,” the spokesperson told Global News via email.
“The company had offered the tenant the choice of compensation or relocation to another local property. In terms of the claim that our company is using collaborative landlord use evictions to get new tenants and higher rents, we can assure you that this is not our practice.”
