Kayla Holmes and her husband Carl Marchtaler, along with their three kids and five pets, have spent the month of May without a place to call home.
The family of five moved from Kitimat to Peachland, arriving on May 2 at a residence on Sutherland Road in Peachland to find the four-bedroom house they had signed a lease not as expected, for including locked doors and curtains for bedroom walls.
The Facebook Marketplace listing was for a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house in a nice neighbourhood for $3,600 per month. Holmes toured the house via a video call, unable to see the place in person ahead of their move. Holmes was told by landlord Sally Song that rooms were still being painted and the backyard was being worked on, therefore a full tour of the house wasn't possible.
Upon arrival at the rental, the couple found the inside of the home to be unfinished. Holmes said the master bedroom was locked and another "bedroom" was a makeshift room with curtains for walls and exposed wires on the ceiling.
"She locked two rooms and wouldn't let us in without paying extra," Holmes told Black Press in an email. "We ended up calling the police after she refused to unlock the doors and pay us our money back."
Black Press confirmed with RCMP they responded to the property, but police would not provide any details on the call. Holmes said the couple was able to get almost half of their security deposit and first month's rent back from Song after police attended.
With the place unsuitable for their young children, Holmes and Marchtaler have since been living in a friend's camper while saving and searching for new accommodations. Holmes said her husband travels the province for work, and the family is now considering purchasing or renting an RV to travel together instead of finding a rental home.
The rental listing for the Sutherland Road home was taken down but has since been reposted. The new listing specifies the master bedroom is not included in the price and that the home can either be rented with access to three bedrooms for $3,000, four bedrooms for $3,600 or five bedrooms which includes the master bedroom for $4,000. The post also stipulates the landlord would prefer no pets.
Black Press placed multiple calls and emails to the landlord asking for more information but received no response.
The Residential Tenancy Branch keeps landlords and tenants accountable. As per Section 32 of the Residential Tenancy Act, landlords "must provide and maintain residential property in a state of decoration and repair that (a) complies with health, safety and housing standards required by law, and (b) have regard to the age, character and location fo the rental unit, makes it suitable for occupation by the tenant."
In an email to Black Press, the branch outlined what someone should do if a rental unit isn't what was agreed upon.
Tenants who find the rental unit not as advertised or in need of repairs or maintenance should submit their issues and concerns to the landlord in writing with a reasonable deadline to fix the issue. Should the landlord not meet the deadline, tenants can file for dispute resolution and provide all evidence to prove the unit was not as promised. Tenants can also ask for a rent reduction in response to the landlord not resolving the matter.
