Extensive damage to a home in Nanaimo's Uplands area inflicted shortly after a tenant moved in. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

tenant nightmare

VIDEO: Extensive damage has weary Nanaimo landlords feeling cornered

Feb 16, 2022 | 5:25 AM

NANAIMO — The frustrated landlord of a badly damaged Nanaimo home felt compelled to speak up about her ordeal, calling it “a disturbing and eye-opening experience.”

A little more than two months into a tenant moving into their property in Nanaimo’s Uplands neighbourhood, thousands of dollars in damage was inflicted inside the home.

NanaimoNewsNOW took a site visit in early February and confirmed the carnage to the now vacant home: stolen copper and electrical wiring ripped from caved in walls, damaged plumbing, and carpets torn up and soiled by pets.

The tenant moved in on Dec. 1, 2021 shortly after filling out an application and having her references checked.

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Rent was paid in December, but the landlord said rent was missed for January before the tenant told her at the end of January she would not be paying at all.

The landlord, who requested to remain anonymous, said she then issued her tenant an eviction notice.

She then reached out to the BC Residential Tenancy Branch who informed her she could initiate a court process to evict the tenant for non-payment, but it could take three to four months.

“I thought it would be a lot easier to get rid of a tenant if they weren’t paying than what it actually was. And I also never expected this sort of damage to be done by a tenant. I’ve had many, many tenants before and haven’t had any issues really.”

In early February the landlord drove by the property and noticed dogs peering out the front window, which she said were clearly distressed.

“We reported it to the SPCA for animal neglect and they came to the house with the police and they used forced entry to get into the home to help the dogs who were living in unsanitary conditions.”

An RCMP officer called the landlord and said a police report was being filed since in excess of $5,000 in damage was done to the home.

The interior of the house was covered in animal feces, the landlord said, which the tenant later cleaned up before fleeing.

An already ultra-tight Nanaimo rental market is more sparse since the home requires extensive repairs, while the landlords are hesitant to rent it out again.

“It makes us nervous to rent out to people period because now that we’ve had this experience we’re just being extra cautious about who we rent to and if we rent it at all.”

A separate landlord, who reached out to NanaimoNewsNOW while researching this story and who also didn’t want to be identified out of fear of retribution, said just under $8,000 worth of damage and stolen items was done at the hands of their former renter.

More than a year later, she and her husband reluctantly aren’t putting their Nanaimo suite back on the rental market.

She called the experience traumatic.

“There is no protection for landlords with present policies…It’s a long and painfully sided process in favour of tenants.”

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes