02/14/2025
Here in West Vancouver after a horrific day in North Vancouver. Went for a run to calm down and enjoy the sunset. Here's the story of what got me all riled up for those with nothing better to do.
Our host where we were staying and loved, was booked. We had to move. We found a unit after a lot of searching and we were happy with our choice. There was some mention about noise transfer between units. As far as we could tell this was a duplex with us renting the basement. All of our units have been basements and noise transference hasn't been terrible so we went ahead and booked.
Shortly after booking, like minutes, Brenda noticed it didn't have a tv. Who doesn't provide a tv???
We had booked it at around 4:24 PM on Sunday and notified Airbnb around 5:10 PM we wanted to cancel. I didn't hear back so I contacted the host around 5:26 PM and was told they have a one hour window for cancelling. Since we were outside his window by two minutes he would not cancel the reservation and give us a full window. He did agree to give us back 50%. Crazy. Possibly. But it gets worse.
I tried explaining we are here in Vancouver helping our family deal with some problems. We have a lot of stress in our lives right now and this visit is far from a vacation or a work trip. I tried to explain that we are tired and stressed and should have seen the unit didn't come with a tv, but we didn't. He wouldn't budge. He explained they don't provide a tv because of noise transfer and past complaints.
So now I am getting concerned. After building probably 30 odd secondary units, if you do it to code and with permit, having a tv in the basement shouldn't be an issue. I know I have never told a basement tenant they can't have a tv.
So I decided to research the BC Building Code. As it turns out, their building code appears to be the same as Ontario Building Code as it relates to secondary units and sound suppression.
So then I decided to call the City of North Vancouver. Asked for the building department and was transferred to Alex. Alex asked me to send an email with the property details and he would research the registered use of this building.
The next day I received an email back stating it was built as a single family home in 1965. A permit was requested to build a car port in the 70's. No other permits were on file. So for the layperson out there, this means the secondary suite was not built with a permit, not inspected by the city, and therefore unlikely to have been built to code. Hence no sound suppression. Probably no fire suppression. Probably no secondary means of egress. Essentially this unit is unsafe.
I shared all this with Airbnb who reviewed it. I even shared the email from the City showing the only permit ever requested was for a car port. A senior case manager called me hours before we were supposed to check in, and told us the host has not broken any Airbnb Policies and therefore they could not issue any refund. After discussing this for about thirty minutes, I was told they could not do anything and the case was closed.
So now I am really upset. Me and Brenda found another place to go. Had written off the funds which amounted to $999.00. I sent the email from the City to the host. I guess this was never shared by Airbnb. I received a call a few minutes later offering a full refund from the host.
So while the day ended on a positive note. It was a horrific experience over almost 72 hours. Certainly not something we wanted while here in Vancouver visiting family.
My question to all you landlords out there. Knowing I am a landlord,real estate investor, property manager, and general contractor, did I go too far? What would you do now to expose this landlord?
Honestly, you know my opinion. Bad landlords like this make life very difficult for us good landlords. Please, let me know your thoughts.
