When Thamara Devries delivered the keys to her home completely furnished in Wheatley River, Pei, in February, thought she was renting it to a family of four.
But shortly after the move day, Devries was called to help with the property hydromassage bathtub.
“I realized that there was a mother and a dad and 10 children, which is definitely not what we agreed,” Devries told CBC News.
She said the couple confirmed that the 10 children were all their own and everyone lived in the house.
Devries immediately contacted the Regulatory and Appeals Commission of the Island (IRAC), which handles disputes between owners and tenants in PEI
That began an effort of months to evict tenants. She said the legal process has prolonged, and in the meantime, she has seen that the house deteriorated.
“That process has been incredibly painful, unbearable and drain, to say the least,” he said. “We have difficulty going to bed, and our financial situation has changed a lot, including law rates and the fact that they have not paid any rent since April.”
CBC News knocked on the door of the property in an attempt to speak with the tenants, but nobody responded.
‘Belieth devastated’
Finally, after providing tenants with a written warning that he was going to enter the property, according to Irac’s policy, Devrias called the police for their help.
She said she didn’t feel safe when she entered without officers nearby after noticing aggressive dogs on the site. Soon he saw something he found even more threatening.
“There were knives in the doors frames on each main floor door, all covered with knives, to prevent us from entering the property,” he said.
“We had to remove the knives and push the door and see the absolute disaster it was.”
Once inside, the first thing he noticed was the smell: “The worst smell you could imagine,” Devries said.
She said the ground floor of the property had become a greenhouse to grow plants and that all furniture had been thrown out, exposed to winter conditions. He also found kittens in the bathtub.
“The furniture has disappeared. The floors are ruined. The doors of the screen and all the screens in the windows are torn. The kitchen is absolutely shattered and the carpets are absolutely dirty and … my hydromassage bathtub no longer works and the patio looks like a landfill,” he said, describing it through the house.
“At that time, I am more than devastated.”
Outside, he said that the tenants had turned the patio into farmland and threw several manure trucks on where their well is located. Despite the repeated requests to move, he said the battery remains there.
“I am going to leave less $ 80,000 of damages, rates of lawyers to the ceiling and the mental stress that is … Beyond everything anyone can imagine,” he said.
Delayed eviction order
The Devries presented photos of the damages and documents that show the lack of rental payment during an audience at the end of May. Irac ruled that the tenants had seven days to evict.
But she said the tenants appealed the decision, arguing that they could not find homes within a week and claiming discrimination in the rental market against large families.
“Honestly, I have no idea how any of those two things is related to me,” Devries said.
The tenants also requested a return of the rent for a total of $ 14,500, together with “compensation for emotional anguish” for an amount of $ 12 million, according to Irac documents.
That application was denied, with a residential tenure officer for the commission that writes that the tenants “have not established a valid claim for a return of the income and I do not have the jurisdiction to consider the claim of emotional anguish of the tenants.”
The next audience between the two parties will be held in writing, and both parties may present evidence at the end of this week. It is not known when a decision will be made.
He simply feels that there is a high level of injustice and the process is not fair.– Thamara Devries, owner
“In all matters of rent, the Commission strives to provide a timely decision to the parties, taking into account the unique circumstances of each matter,” Irac wrote in a statement to CBC News.
Meanwhile, Devries said it hurts to see the property that his family worked hard to buy, the place where he hoped to organize his daughter’s wedding one day, in an unrecognizable state.
“It is the process that is killing us. It is not … that I have no evidence. It is the fact that the process is so slow and there are so many lagoons, and people know how to play the game,” he said.
“It simply feels that there is a high level of injustice and the process is not fair.”
‘Know what you’re getting in’
The conflicts between the owners and the tenants are common in PEI, said Rowen Gallant, manager of the rental program for the legal information of the community.
Gallant said the office often receives calls from tenants who seek to understand their rights or need support after a relationship with its lessor has broken.
He added that the owners must also be informed of their responsibilities from the beginning. PEI rent offers a guide specifically for owners.
“It helps you know what you are getting before you before you really get into trouble or begin the problem,” he said.
He added that good communication and relationship construction are also crucial to prevent and manage possible conflicts. He said this applies to both tenants and owners.
“When both parties firmly understand how legislation works and what their rights are and what their responsibilities are with each other, that will always give you the best opportunity to have a good relationship.”
