Neighbour claims short-term rentals causing problems at Vancouver building

Homeowner calls on city to deal with Airbnb suites A Vancouver woman claims a realtor is renting out multiple suites in her condo building, against the city's Airbnb bylaw.

A Vancouver condo owner claims a realtor bought up several units in her building to rent on Airbnb, and that guests have been causing problems for residents.

Ulrike Rodrigues blames multi-unit Airbnb host Zul Jiwa for a raft of problems in her building that she said includes trash in stairways and halls and a bike room break-in that left some neighbours on edge.

"It doesn't feel like a community anymore. It feels like a hotel," Rodrigues told CTV News. "We have neighbours here, older residents who've been here for years, and they're feeling kind of fearful because they don't know who these people are."

Rodrigues said Jiwa has been gradually buying up units in the building and listing them as short-term rentals on Airbnb.

She first became aware of three such listings back in 2014, but said that number has since grown to somewhere between nine and 11.

Rodrigues claims Jiwa, his family members and his company now own a combined 13 units.

While Rodrigues isn't entirely opposed to the idea of Airbnb and home-sharing, she said the situation in her building has given her "this feeling that there's this person doing all these things without permission from the owners.

"What I feel strongly about is when somebody takes affordable housing, turns it into a hotel room and doesn't even live there," Rodrigues said. "They're basically running it as a business."

Jiwa, however, told CTV News he has a business licence and all of his guests stay for a minimum of 30 days, as is required by the city's rules.

"I'm not doing anything illegal," he said. "I'm not doing anything wrong."

The realtor said Airbnb guests have been better than long-term tenants he's had in the past.

"I am at least getting respectful people," he said. "They're screened by Airbnb and have excellent reviews from their past place where they lived."

The City of Vancouver said it hasn't found any evidence of wrongdoing either.

"We've investigated this file and we have not yet seen any sort of evidence of non-compliance," said Kathryn Holm, the city's chief licence inspector.

While it is siding with Jiwa in this particular case, the city acknowledged there are many rule-breakers out there.

Starting Sept. 1, those caught skirting the system will be slapped with $1,000 fines. Local officials are also asking neighbours to report any suspicious properties.

"The information that's really helpful for us to pursue enforcement is two things: an address and the listing," Holm said.

As Rodrigues wages war on a business she says is eroding affordable housing, Jiwa is considering suing her for harassment and defamation.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos