Evictly

Equity Builders v. Petrella

Tenant wins · 2023-07-17

Adjudicator
Justice A. K. Mitchell
Dispute
Illegal Lockout
Landlord
Equity Builders Ltd.
Tenant
V.P., D.M., J.L., J.H., M.P., D.M., J.T., D.W., K.C., J.R., C.M., M.R., L.G., A.G., S.O., G.C.
Landlord rep
T. Duggan
Tenant rep
A. Rosenbluth, D. McCabe, A. Bolter

What happened

The Tenants applied to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an order requiring the Landlord to allow them access to and repossession of their residential units after being locked out following a fire in the building. The Landlord appealed the Board's interim order to restore possession to the Tenants. The Tenants brought a motion to quash the Landlord's appeal.

The ruling

The Divisional Court quashed the Landlord's appeal of the Landlord and Tenant Board's interim order, finding it was an abuse of process. The Board's order to restore possession of the rental units to the Tenants remains in effect. The Landlord retains the right to follow proper procedures under the Residential Tenancies Act to repossess the units for remediation and repair if necessary.