$260 charge for bent blinds 'gratuitous,' says Vancouver affordable housing tenant

A Vancouver tenant is at war with his former landlord over what he calls an exorbitant charge for bent blinds.

Rafael Paterno, a tenant of a SUCCESS affordable housing apartment in the River District, told CTV News he was ordered to pay $260 in damages when his landlord noticed a slight distortion in two blinds slats during a move-out inspection.

The “very thin” plastic, venetian blinds had only been opened and closed via the string cord and had rarely been touched during his three year tenure, said Paterno, a student nurse at BCIT.

"No matter what you do to them, no matter how carefully you open them, they're going to leave an indent regardless. Otherwise, they looked totally fine. It was very gratuitous that they wanted to replace the entire set of blinds for those two slats," he said.

“I'm pretty sure at least half of the tenants who move out in a couple years have that kind of damage. So if they’re charging people for that, that’s pretty crazy.”

Other damages had been noted during the inspection, including a dent in a closet door and irreparable damage to the living room blinds caused by Paterno’s puppy, which he had accepted without issue, he said.

Paterno said he felt pressured into accepting the charge after his landlord handed him an inspection report with the tenant’s agreement to the damage already checked.

He only realized he could dispute it after sharing a post to the Vancouver Housing Reddit board asking for advice. The post, which garnered more than 200 comments online, incited shock and support from other users.

“You should not be charged a dime for this. Outrageous,” one Reddit user commented on the post.

“The blinds are fine, they can easily be straightened out. Your landlord is scamming you,” said another user.

With SUCCESS’ residents comprising a vulnerable population - the residential complexes are designed for lower-income individuals and often house the elderly, disabled and new immigrants - Paterno said he is concerned about other tenants being taken advantage of.

He said he's been told others in the building have faced similar charges.

“Given the population that SUCCESS serves, I find this deeply worrying,” he said.

In a statement from SUCCESS, the organization said it is “following all legal protocols” regarding the dispute. As per protocol, the landlord must apply for a dispute resolution with the BC Residential Tenancy Branch and not return the damage deposit until the dispute is resolved.

"That is the case here," they said.

“SUCCESS will wait to learn the outcome of the RTB decision and we will follow its instructions accordingly,” they added.

“Resolving tenant disputes is a regular part of managing rental units and SUCCESS. is committed to doing so in an ethical manner, ensuring we consistently follow the letter and the spirit of British Columbia’s Residential Tenancy Branch laws.”

According to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), tenants are only responsible for damages to the property that are beyond normal wear and tear.

While what constitutes normal wear and tear can be disputed, damages that would usually be considered in excess of it include holes in walls and doors, burn marks, broken glass in windows or excessive staining to carpets.