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Subject:Beware illegal/secondary suites in Nanaimo
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Author: dch
Date: 3/24/2009 10:41
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I moved to Nanaimo a year ago and rented a lovely place (online). The landlady sent me many pictures which showed a lovely 3 bedroom (upper) on Deerborne Place. I signed the lease (as she said that rents were set to skyrocket) and prepared for my move from Calgary to Nanaimo.
The land "lady" then promptly sold the house to another woman. When I arrived, complete with moving truck to the house my hopes were horribly dashed. The house, from the outside, looked like a slum...the inside was worse. The photo's had been photoshopped, and the house was filthy. As I stood, crying in the living room, with a truck parked outside that needed to be returned to Budget, I had no choice but to move in. My husband and I set up the computer and compared the pictures - the first landlady had lied and purposefully decieved us to be able to sell the property with tenants.
Not only is the house a dive, but there is no sound proofing. One hears everything from the downstairs (and they hear everything from upstairs). There is not sufficient hot water and so more often then not one cannot bath when desired. Fumes from the basement go upstairs, so that when the neighbour downstairs used toxic spray it came up and resulted in headaches and sickness.
I found out I could take my current landlady to court to retrieve my first months rent (as the previous landlady did not give me notice she was to sell) then my new landlady would have to go after the first one to recover the monies she would be out. I didn't want to do this, electing instead to make the best of a bad situation.
It has been nearly a year and we are finally moving out. It has taken some time to find a suitable house with no illegal suites and one that isn't being rented by a greedy landlord looking for unsuspecting people to pay his/her mortgage 3 x's over.
Nanaimo is filled with these suites. They are illegal, expensive and dangerous. The city seems unconcerned. My new landlady rented out the lower suite to a family with a baby - knowing full well that noise and water are an issue. Seems that making a buck outweighs providing decent housing for people.
If you know of an illegal suite, report it to the city. It is time for this practice to be regulated, and for housing to be made affordable AND safe in Nanaimo.
The best to you.
Deborah |
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Beware illegal/secondary suites in Nanaimo
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