West Vancouver tenant takes fight with landlord over deficient wine cooler to B.C.’s top court

A tenant of a West Vancouver townhouse has lost a two-year fight with his landlord over an “inoperative” wine cooler and “dirty” blinds that ended up in B.C.’s top court.

Within four months, Jadavji filed his first application with B.C.’s residential tenancy branch, seeking a rent reduction and payment for the deficiencies, as well as an order requiring Yin to make certain repairs, Justice Ronald Skolrood wrote on behalf of the unanimous three-judge panel.

In the fall of 2020, a residential tenancy branch arbitrator awarded Jadavji $1,075 for the deficiencies and ordered Yin to provide a “functional” wine cooler by Dec. 15, 2020.

But Javavji found the replacement wine cooler inadequate and window blinds still not cleaned. The following spring, there were two more residential tenancy branch hearings.