West End renters get to keep pets, stay in building

By Kent Spencer, The Province March 8, 2009 6:01 PM

June MacGregor and Clouseau, Photograph by: Arlen Redekop, The Province

The Residential Tenancy Branch has found that seven cat owners have not breached a material part of their tenancy agreement in Vancouver’s West End, despite having verbal rather than written permission to keep animals.

“The notices to end tenancy are cancelled, with the effect that the tenancies continue,” dispute resolution officer S. Okada wrote in a March 4 judgment.

The dispute arose in December, more than a year after Hollyburn Properties bought the apartment block located in the 1200-block of Nelson Street.

Tenants said Hollyburn knew about the cats because the landlords’ agents inspected suites several times to install new devices.

They said the manager under the previous owners, Ethel Bergen, had given them verbal permission to keep the pets.

In December, Hollyburn’s agent Allan Wasel said written permission was required to own pets. Eviction proceedings were commenced after owners refused to get rid of their animals.

In the decision, Okada found Wasel must have known about the pets but did nothing to remove them.

“The landlord did not even begin to issue warning letters to the tenants for more than a year after they took over the building,” she said.

Watch for more on this story in Monday’s print edition of The Province.

Source: The Province