Landlord changes locks and asks tenants to vote on whether evicted tenant can return

A landlord in Canada changed the locks on a home and took votes from its occupants on whether one of the tenants could return, the Daily Hive reported.

Man-Ling Weng claimed Daichi Araki owed him $4,500 in damages, which Araki disagreed with.

Details from a British Columbia small claims case at the Civil Resolution Tribunal say Weng became a tenant at the home in 2019 but took over rent-collecting duties in 2020 as well as other responsibilities. Araki and Weng had an unwritten agreement where Weng payed Araki $600 on a month-to-month basis.

On September 21, 2021, Araki allowed Weng’s friend, identified in the Hive's report as "SJC," to stay in her rented bedroom. Weng then increased her rent payments from $600 to $700. Weng then took a trip to Taiwan, and SJC then signed a document post-dated May 24, allowing SJS to stay in Weng’s room to “safeguard her possessions.”

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When Weng's return date was pushed back to 4 months later, Araki gave Weng until May 31 to move out -- even though Araki didn't initially signal any objections to the extended return date.

Araki said Weng had “breached their contract by subleasing her room to SJC without his consent.” The court said that this contradicted Araki’s statement allowing SJC to move in.

"In the end, Araki was ordered to pay $40 to Weng for a partial rent refund and $130 in damages for $170," the Hive's report stated.