Gordon Nelson Ordered to Refund Rents; Case to be Reheard
Today, the Supreme Court of British Columbia overturned the ruling that allowed landlords Gordon Nelson Investments to increase rents at Seafield Apartments by up to 38%. The case is remitted for rehearing by a different Dispute Resolution Officer at the Residential Tenancy Office.
Furthermore, the decision orders [...]
Seafielders have begun the process for Judicial Review of the Residential Tenancy Branch’s April 2 decision to award Gordon Nelson Investments a 38% rent increase. We have done this for a number of reasons.
From the RTB website:
“4.1.7 What is the process for judicial review of a Dispute Resolution Officer’s decision?
No government official or Residential Tenancy [...]
Many have asked us over the past two months what the status is of our hearings and of matters at the building. We Seafielders apologize for our silence.
We are currently in negotiations with Gordon Nelson Investments to form a non-profit co-op at the Seafield.
The past 10 months has been difficult for both parties, and Gordon [...]
There’s more bad news for West End renters as another group of tenants are battling geographic rent increases.
The “low-end of market” residents of the Mole Hill Community Housing Society were recently served with notice of extraordinary rent increase through the RTO.
The society plans to increase rents over two years, with requested increases of up to [...]
Residents at 990 Bute Street were just issued eviction notices for “renovations”, Seafielders learned.
Residents at The Berkeley were told last summer by representatives of their landlord, Satnam Singh Gandham, that they would be evicted for renovations and that they should make their way out.
They’ve been living in fear of losing their homes ever since, with [...]
Seafielders learned that an up to 38% rent increase has been granted to their landlords by the Residential Tenancy Office after the tenants’ evidence “wasn’t considered” by the Dispute Resolution Officer.
The rent increase will affect nine units out of 14 at the Seafield. Two bedroom units are the most affected, with rents soaring up to [...]
In 2004, the BC Liberals changed the residential tenancy act, allowing landlords to evict tenants for renovations.
On October 26, 2008, Seafielders (along with some folks at Renters at Risk) met with Provincial Housing Minister Rich Coleman to discuss the loopholes in the residential tenancy act, and to ask him to do something about it. At [...]
This letter from Brian Broster and Ross Waring at the Seafield ran in the Courier to clarify a point in the article.
Re: “West End rental scene plagued by rent hikes,” March 6.
We at the Seafield are grateful to Ms. Thomas for her ongoing coverage of our predicament. However, we feel it is important to point [...]
Seafield residents presented their case opposing landlord Gordon Nelson Investments’ application for a above normal rent increases at the Residential Tenancy Office yesterday.
After working long and hard over one month to prepare our counter argument, we are relieved that the process is over and are looking forward to taking a bit of a breather as [...]
Residents at the Seafield Apartments (1436 Pendrell Street, Vancouver) currently pay a fair market rent for apartments when compared to other units in pre-1940s buildings in the central West End. Both a custom analysis conducted by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation as well as a scientific random-sample survey of renters in the central area [...]
Seafield residents learned today that residents of Emerald Terrace will be able to keep their homes and their pets!
The Residential Tenancy Branch found that the seven cat owners at Emerald Terrace on Nelson Street did not breach a “material part of their tenancy agreement”, despite having verbal rather than written permission to keep their animals.
Dispute [...]
Normally, we don’t run articles from mainstream media on our homepage, but this article by Sandra Thomas that appeared in today’s Vancouver Courier gives an overview of not only the situation faced by Seafield Apartments residents, but the plight other renters face due to the gutting of the Residential Tenancy Act. She also talks [...]
Seafield residents talk to Stephen Quinn
A few weeks ago, Stephen Quinn of CBC’s On the Coast visited 1133 Barclay Street, one of Gordon Nelson Investment’s renovicted buildings for a tour to see why rents are skyrocketing in the west end.
Last week, Stephen Quinn visited the Seafield to hear the other side of the story. The [...]
Seafield Apartments welcomed its newest resident yesterday when Dana and Bobby Crudo became the proud parents of a baby girl!
Weighing 8 pounds, little Eliana Dora Crudo was born at 8:38 p.m. at home.
It was always Dana’s wish to deliver her baby at home — at the Seafield. Her dream was almost shattered when Chris Nelson, [...]
GORDON NELSON ATTEMPT COLOSSAL RENT HIKE
Last Wednesday evening, January 14,residents of the West End’s Seafield Apartments at 1436 Pendrell Street received thick envelopes from their new landlords Jason Gordon and Chris Nelson of Gordon Nelson Investments (GNI) detailing the landlords’ application to the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch for rent increases of up to 73%. The [...]
It’s true that Gordon Nelson Investments did eventually make good on their promise to return laundry services to the Seafield. And, being front loaders, the new washer and dryer are much more environmentally friendly than the machines of old.
But, replacing what used to be two washers and two dryers with one washer and one dryer [...]
Seafielders were shocked to learn yesterday that Gordon Nelson Investments were attempting to evict a Seafield Apartments resident for not paying her rent — after they lost her rent cheque.
Wendy, who has lived at the Seafield for 31 years, has always paid her rent on time. She gives her rent cheques to the management - [...]
Yesterday, Seafielders breathed a sigh of relief as a washing machine and dryer were unloaded in front of the building to be taken down to the laundry room.
But, the laundry machines come at a new price: $2.75 a wash and $2.75 a dry (an 83% price increase).
Laundry, a service historically offered at the Seafield, was [...]
Today, a few Seafield residents showed their support for pet owners at Emerald Terrace Apartments by attending their media event. Residents of the west end apartment building spent the afternoon sharing their story of harassment and intimidation by their landlord, Hollyburn Properties, simply because they own pets.
Residents of Emerald Terrace were fist issued notices of [...]
Yesterday night, Seafield residents were shocked to learn that 11 of our neighbours and friends at Emerald Terrace, a Hollyburn building in Vancouver’s West End, had received eviction notices.
Their crime? Refusing to give up their beloved pets. The ones they have lived with for years.
Hollyburn plans to have the pet owners out by the end [...]
Seafield residents received an end-of-year gift from landlords Chris Nelson and Jason Gordon of Gordon Nelson Investments: dirty laundry.
As of 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday December 30, Seafield Apartments’ two washers and two dryers disappeared with no warning from Gordon Nelson Investments. A note was stuck on the laundry room door saying that the machines would [...]
Refusing to let our eventful summer and fall dampen our spirits, Seafielders held our annual Christmas hall-i-day party last week. With the hall at Seafield Apartments full of close friends, food and Christmas treats, Seafielders celebrated not only the holidays, but also one more month together as a community (the best gift any of us [...]
Great ideas are often the product of enormous stress, lack of sleep and the absence of a meal or three.
This was the exact circumstance that Seafield Apartments tenant Heather Pawsey found herself in when she combined two seemingly unrelated words that had been on her mind since early September — renovation and eviction — in front of her students.
And so it happened: the word “renoviction” was born.
The landslide victory by Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver team is cause for celebration for the residents of the Seafield Apartments in Vancouver’s West End. The residents, who have been threatened with eviction by their new landlords, Jason Gordon and Chris Nelson (Gordon Nelson Investments Inc.), have a powerful ally in Robertson who promised, in a press conference on the Seafield’s front steps November 9th, that he would safeguard renters’ rights and address the increasing city-wide crisis of renovation driven evictions.
Mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson promised renters that, if elected, the city will scrutinize permits issued to landlords to determine whether renovations are necessary to maintain a building, or whether they are being used to justify evictions and massive rent increases.
Traditionally a fun event for the neighbourhood kids, this year’s Seafield Halloween was slightly different as Seafielders took the opportunity to discuss their recent mass eviction threat from new building owners Gordon Nelson Investments with members of the community and the media.
Halloween at Seafield Apartments is the talk of the town. Residents ham it up big time with candy, costumes and a major display for the kids. We always get a huge turn out, and have an absolute blast!
Sadly, this Halloween may be Seafield’s last due to recent eviction threats from Gordon Nelson Investments, the new owner of our building.
Renters participating in a Renters at Risk rally for the “right of first refusal” chanted “Gordon Nelson: Shame on You” on Saturday, October 25 outside of 1209 Jervis Street, a West End building that Gordon Nelson Investments Inc. issued eviction notices to last winter.
Seafield Apartments Residents showed their support for affordable housing by participating in the Citywide Housing Coalition’s “Surround City Hall” event.
