Tenancy Dispute

:22px-Flag_of_British_Col:British Columbia

In May our air exchange broke in our rental condo. My LL hired someone to fix it right away, along with aranging the flooring repair as the air exchange leaked and caused damage. The part for the air exchange just arrived, its fixed, 3 months later.

Our LL gave us a discount for the days we were dispaced due to the flooring repair, but only wants to give 3% off of our rent for the days we were without heat, a/c, ventilation. For May and June I was fine with the small reduction, but for July and Aug I found it didnt cut it. We were hot, lost sleep, the air quality was poor, etc. When the wildfire smoke came in we had very little protection from it. This was made extremely evident by how clean and cool the air became once our air exchange was fixed. It was terrible in here before that. Hot and smoky.

I asked my LL how she came up with the 3% reduction for lack of an air exchange and she said she found it online from the rtb. When I spoke with the rtb they told me "wow you couldnt even buy a meal out with that". (I didnt mention to the RTB that she said she found the 3% on their website but told them what the discount was.) Also, RTB couldnt give me an actual percentage figure as it varies by case. So im pretty sure my LL lied to me about the 3%. Shes also lied to me last winter about wanting to move into the condo. She said it was her plan, and we will need to move, but when I gave her the proper forms she told me it "wouldn't make sense for her to stay for a whole year". Its like she doesnt realize we are humans and thinks we can just be jostled around. She keeps reverting to how hard her life is now that her and her (well off) hubby divorced. Its getting old as we are very much struggling.

A few points:

-While we were displaced she gave us a notice of rent increase which is allowed but the timing was sort of a slap.

-We have lived here for 3 years. We are great tenants, pay on time, keep the place very clean and tidy.

-She has had the condo on the market since last fall. We have been very accommodating. This place is spotless for viewings and open houses(which we allow).

Is it really a boon to have an empty condo to sell? She wont receive rent for possibly months until the place sells. There are so many condos here. (I know this doesnt really concern me but im still curious.) We are also mostly packed up due to having to leave for the flooring restoration. So it looks like we are ready and willing to leave.

Should I pursue a larger discount for our days without ventilation and A/C? A/C is included in our tenancy agreement. 3% for a discount doesnt do much.

I am concerned about getting a reference from my LL if I persue a higher amount. I guess they can chose not to for any reason?

I appreciate any advise I receive today! Thank you for reading!

Posted Aug 13, 2026, 4:06 PM UTC

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