MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS 1130) – A Maple Ridge couple has been handed an eviction notice because of a rent dispute involving their pet.

After a year of paying a monthly pet surcharge on top of their pet damage deposit, the couple was surprised to find out that so called “pet rent” is illegal.

Jason Braun says his landlords didn’t like having that brought to their attention. “I was pretty upset once we brought it up with them and they just kind of brushed it off like we were in the wrong and just trying to get money out of them.”

“We don’t make a ton of money,” explains Braun. “These are not high-end apartments. These are people that are kind of on the lower-end of things and I think it’s really wrong to be manipulating and picking on those people to make a few extra bucks.”

The manager of the apartment building says they are not doing anything illegal and can negotiate rent as they wish.

There is no section in the Residential Tenancy Act which permits landlords to charge a pet rent, they may however request no more than half-a-month’s rent as a pet damage deposit.

The couple is planning to dispute their eviction and the pet rent during an arbitration hearing in October.