A family of four in Surrey, B.C., was recently awarded $27,717 from the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) after they were evicted in April 2022 when the townhouse they were renting was sold in a deal that was never completed.
The would-be purchaser was ordered to pay compensation of 12 months rent, the customary penalty for wrongful eviction, even though they weren’t able to complete the subject-free sale because their financing didn’t come through. They also lost a $30,000 deposit.
The tenants, Marcia Rubio and Oscar Hierro, say they’re happy with the arbitration award, but they would have preferred to stay in the townhouse, which was