New Westminster tenants rally against eviction

A New Westminster man has been living in his home for 27 years, but he says he’s being unfairly evicted.

Gary Rodden and other tenants of Mandalay Terrace apartments protested on Saturday morning over what they say are unfair no-fault evictions by their landlord.

“It makes me feel highly stressed. When I first got the first eviction notice, I had to get sleeping pills because I couldn’t sleep…all you get is two months’ notice to find another place to live,” he told CityNews.

Tenants protesting against wrongful evictions outside the Mandalay Terrace apartment building in New Westminster on July 29. (Sarah Chew, CityNews)

Rodden says his landlord told him his longtime home needed was needed by his son and that he would have to move out. However, Rodden says the landlord used the same excuse to evict a tenant in 2021, which has been confirmed through emails shared with CityNews.

“They renovated his apartment, a new tenant moved in and it wasn’t his son. It was a woman,” he explained.

Peggy Mrazek, another tenant who took part in Saturday’s protest, says the Residential Tenancy Act – the BC law that allows landlords to evict their tenants if they or their close family member wants to live in the unit — needs to be reviewed.

“I feel incensed that this underhandedness and loophole in this particular part of the Tenancy Act is not being revised,” she told CityNews.

Peggy Mrazek has lived in Mandalay Terrace apartments for 17 and a half years, and questions part of the Residential Tenancy Act allowing landlords to evict tenants for their family members. (Sarah Chew, CityNews).

The protest’s organizer says the tenant advocacy organization ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is calling on the B.C. government to investigate Harron Property Management and the family that owns the properties – claiming the landlord has served 12 units with similar eviction notices.

“It’s just their word – if they don’t provide proof – that’s treated like gold, but someone loses their home and then they have to scramble to find other housing,” said Monica Bhandari, ACORN’s New Westminster chapter chair.

In a statement to CityNews, Harron Property Management, which operates Mandalay Terrace, said in part, “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 and the allegation is unfounded.”

Mandalay Terrace apartments in New Westminster on July 29, 2023. Tenants of the building protested against what they’re calling wrongful evictions by the landlord. (Sarah Chew, CityNews)

B.C.’s housing minister, Ravi Kahlon also provided CityNews a statement, saying he is looking into these types of situations.

“We know evictions initiated under false pretenses continue to happen which is why Ministry of Housing staff are exploring other options on how to cut down on bad faith evictions due to landlord use. I encourage anyone who finds themselves in this situation to contact the Residential Tenancy Branch.”

Rodden says he has brought his issue to the tenancy branch, with a resolution hearing scheduled for the end of September.

“I want my eviction cancelled – that’s what I want,” he said.