Court in Alberta upholds rights of retired tenant
The court ruled that the landlord's decision was unfair.
The good news is that there is a solution for particularly greedy landlords. Recently, a court in Alberta was able to uphold the rights of a retired tenant. The blind man, who lives on his pension and personal savings, had his rent increased from $870 to $1,500 CAD. That's a 72% increase. The landlord based his decision on inflation and an increase in the cost of living.
The pensioner reasoned that he would have to live on bread and water to pay for such housing. He found a cheaper option and moved there. Before he did so, however, he went to the Alberta Rent Dispute Board to see if the landlord had the right to inflate the price so much.
Now they have found there that the tenant's decision was due to whims and considerations of profit rather than objective circumstances. The landlord was ordered to pay the former tenant one month's rent, return the deposit, and reimburse the costs of the trial and the hasty move.
The man himself is happy. At last he can relax. Before that, he was worried that his greedy landlord would win the case and he would have to pay him again. Fortunately, justice was served.
Lawyers say such cases are not uncommon, but the provinces are strictly enforcing them. In Canada, there is a special clause in tenancy agreements — if the landlord is going to renovate, he must give the tenant time to move, pay him the rent for that period and return the deposit. In addition, landlords must give the former tenant a chance to move back in on reasonable terms after the renovation. Many landlords cheat and try to get rid of tenants by raising the rent. If the tenant can't stand it and moves out, they won't have to compensate them for anything.
The provincial authorities are going to take control of the situation by building more social housing. Then landlords won't be able to push vulnerable people around.
