A West 麻豆精选 mom and her five-year-old daughter were forced out of their rental home after the power was turned off and the landlord reportedly didn鈥檛 pay the hydro bill.
Kristal Hunter said electricity to the two-bedroom home she was renting in the Lakeview Heights neighbourhood was shut off Oct. 11.
She said the utilities are included in the $1,200 a month rent she was paying to the landlord.
鈥淎fter contacting her she said she didn鈥檛 have any idea what I was talking about,鈥� Hunter added.
Hunter contacted BC Hydro, and although they wouldn鈥檛 provide specific details due to privacy reasons, they did tell her it was a billing issue.
Hunter said the landlord did offer to return October鈥檚 rent amount.
鈥淚 said I don鈥檛 have any place to go, what am I to do?鈥�
She reminded the landlord that utilities were included in the rent.
鈥淚 went out of town for a week and I came back and the power was still not taken care of.鈥�
Hunter then asked for the return of October鈥檚 rent which the landlord had originally agreed to. However, she allegedly didn鈥檛 have the money.
Hunter said the landlord indicated she would send someone to look at the house and check the power on a specific day.
She waited all that day but no one showed up. It would be two more days before someone arrived and spoke with the downstairs tenant.
鈥淚 guess what happened is her associate turned on the taps and drained the hot water. I wasn鈥檛 home so there was no way for them to get upstairs and do the same thing.鈥�
She said the downstairs tenant has since moved out of the property.
Hunter has been in contact with the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) and is filing a dispute resolution, seeking the return of one month鈥檚 rent, as well as damage and pet deposits, a total of $2,400.
She has been renting the home since April 2020, and this is not the first time she has experienced difficulty in getting the landlord to address issues on the property.
鈥淟ast winter the furnace broke鈥t took her two weeks to finally agree to have someone come in and take care of things,鈥� Hunter said.
The winter before that a large snowfall broke several large tree branches which were left in the yard for months because the landlord didn鈥檛 have them cleaned up, she added.
Hunter said her brother-in-law finally cleared them away the following spring.
The most recent incident involving the power being cut was the final straw for Hunter.
She moved out of the home and has been staying with friends and family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tough relationship to have with her. I don鈥檛 want to live there anymore. Mentally and emotionally I can鈥檛 deal with her anymore.鈥�
Black Press has tried contacting the landlord and left messages on her voicemail asking for her side of the story.
She has yet to respond to a request for an interview.
In its 2023 housing market outlook, published earlier this year, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation stated rising rental demand combined with limited supply will create tighter conditions and lead to higher rent costs across the country.
According to market rental website Zumper.com, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in West 麻豆精选 is $1,720, and $2,075 for a two-bedroom.
READ MORE: 鈥楶retty much screwed鈥�: B.C. tenant slams lack of pet-friendly rentals
