Vancouver renter calls for change after roommate’s departure forces him out

A Vancouver renter who says he’s being ousted from the suite he’s lived in for nine years because one roommate moved out says he’s devastated by the lack of recourse and options available to people like him in the city.

Michael Ianni says while he understands his situation is legally above board, he tells CityNews his landlord had never enforced the legal clause in the past when other roommates had left.

The ordeal all started when a recent flood due to a broken water sprinkler system left a couple of rooms unusable and needing repair. Ianni says his roommate issued a notice to end tenancy upon an email request from the property manager — enough to end the rental agreement for the remaining tenants.

“After nine years, I received a message from my landlord saying that because a tenant — my roommate — moved out and officially provided notice to leave, effectively that terminates our contract there and that all the tenants have to leave. When I asked if we could reenter into a new contract, he had said that would be denied. When I asked why, he responded it was because it was in his right to do so,” Ianni told CityNews Thursday.

“I’ve been here for nine years and clearly the landlord knows that they can get more for it based on the market value right now. That makes sense to me.”

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Knowing the suite’s rent would likely be higher for the next tenants, Ianni says he offered to pay more but the landlord told him they wouldn’t be able to do that.

According to the Residential Tenancy Act, in the case of multiple tenants in a unit, “if one or any of the tenants on a tenancy agreement serves the landlord notice to end the tenancy, the tenancy ends for all of the tenants in the rental unit on the effective date of the notice.”

It goes on to say that “a written agreement with the landlord is required for any tenants who want to continue renting the unit.”

The situation left Ianni with no other option but to leave, with no next step to take, even with the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB).

“They said you can’t dispute it, we don’t have a path for it. Because your roommate provided notice to end tenancy, the building manager said, ‘We accept and we have received your notice and now you all have to leave,'” he recalled from a conversation with the RTB.

“The system’s broken,” Ianni added, noting he loves his current home and doesn’t want to leave.

Ianni and his roommates have been given until the end of February to move out. In addition, they’ve also reportedly been asked to make the suite “suitable for viewings,” which he says is a little difficult given the ongoing renovations.

The East Vancouver resident says something needs to change so this doesn’t happen again, adding “this isn’t right.”

“We don’t have an option here. We live in a renters’ market — a lot of people are forced to have roommates. We really depended on that third roommate. In the past nine years, I have always found the roommates and the tenants here with no problem, they’ve always renewed. [The landlords] have just decided to enforce this now, immediately after a flood, which I think is a bit suspicious,” Ianni said.

“We’re kind of in a jam here … the prices are outrageous right now. A single one-bedroom is averaging at $2,400. We have set incomes, my roommate is going to school for counselling — he works in the Downtown Eastside — I’m a freelancer for non-profits in the queer media and queer organizations here in Vancouver. We really created a home.”

FILE – Downtown Vancouver, including Canada Place. (Riley Phillips, CityNews Photo)

The home also holds special meaning to Ianni, as he says it’s where he got sober.

Drawing a connection between mental health and housing, Ianni says having a stable place to live is not something to be overlooked.

“I’m very sad and disheartened, and this doesn’t really help our housing crisis. It’s causing a lot of anxiety and I don’t know what to do in this situation. I really didn’t deserve this,” Ianni said.

B.C. Premier David Eby was asked about Ianni’s situation at a rental housing announcement Thursday.

Eby says the province “continually monitor what’s happening in the rental housing market,” particularly issues around evictions, rent hikes, and other matters from the Rental Tenancy Branch.

“We have adjusted our laws accordingly to respond,” the premier said. “It seems like there’s no end of creativity on the part of some people that are seeking to exploit renters. It’s disappointing. There are so many responsible landlords — a few bad examples can really set a tone. But we will address issues as they come up.”

He adds that while roommate situations are a “particularly challenging issue,” his housing minister is working with the renters’ liaison to look at current rules to determine whether they “are relevant for what’s happening in the market right now.”

Meanwhile, Ianni says he’s still trying to stay in his long-time home, though he admits despite last-ditch efforts, things “aren’t looking good.”

“I realize there is a risk by speaking out, but I think this is an important issue and story to share. Something needs to change. It’s not right.”