In some of our previous blogs we have talked about legal versus illegal evictions and the available options and avenues for tenants that have been illegally evicted. We wanted to share this story of a tenant that was illegally evicted in Alberta and the steps he took afterwards. This is a great example of what you can do if you have been illegally evicted. In Norris Turner’s Case, he was economically evicted when his landlord increased his rent by over 70%. You can read his story here
Remember to use any legal documentation or resources that you have available. The first one we recommend you use is the lease agreement. This will usually give you a good understanding of each parties rights and responsibilities, and if it’s written well, it will help you navigate the more straightforward or objective issues. If the lease agreement is not able to help resolve the conflict, your next legal resource is the Provincial Court or the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) for Alberta, for British Columbia, for Manitoba, for Newfoundland and Labrador, for Saskatchewan and for Ontario. Alternatively, some academic institutions have legal services that are available to students at a reasonable cost or free of charge. If you live in Edmonton, the University of Alberta has Student Legal Services, if you live in Calgary, the University of Calgary has Student Legal Assistance. Same applies to UBC, UVic, MUN, University of Winnipeg and Manitoba and most of the major Universities in Ontario. These resources will help you settle the dispute and identify any sort of penalties, compensation or legal recourse that is due.
We hope you never get into any sort of conflicts with your landlord or tenants, but if you do, we hope this helps you resolve any conflicts. If you have any other ideas, please comment below, contact us or comment on our social media.
