Six Bizarre Real Estate Lawsuits That Happened In Canada
Real estate can be a wild ride sometimes. Many people, with the help of a knowledgeable real estate agent and a good chunk of money for a downpayment, are able to find the right home that suits their lifestyle, budget, and needs. And that is where the story ends.
For a very select few, nightmare neighbours, hidden secrets, and shocking revelations are the next chapter in their real estate story.
Get ready for a wild ride of strange real estate lawsuits that took place within Canada.
The One With The Hidden Tunnel
Have you ever wanted to find a really cool secret, hiding in the new home that you bought? Maybe a secret room, or a pile of money hidden in the floorboards, or maybe just some beautiful hardwood hiding under an ugly carpet. Well, this Toronto couple did find something hidden in the house that they bought–in a hidden tunnel.
Four years into owning the place, the couple started to notice a bad smell. Unable to locate where the smell was coming from, they hired a contractor. The contractor opened up a part of the basement wall and found the dark dirt tunnel that is around 20 meters long. No one knows who built the tunnel, or why.
The couple is suing for $3 million in damages, as they were told that the tunnel compromises the structural integrity of the building and have had to spend a large sum installing supporting structures.
The One With The Hoodlums In The Seniors-Only Building
There are plenty of seniors’ condos and buildings out there that are meant for people who are 55 and older. The idea is to have people who are in similar stages of life together, enjoying each other’s company, staying active, and being part of a community.
With no screaming children and loud, busy families, buying into these types of buildings is usually appealing to those who want to have a more laid-back lifestyle. At least, that is what a veteran realtor in Abbotsford B.C thought until he heard about The Carlisle, which is a 55+ building with reasonably priced units.
The lawsuit that came from The Carlisle was so absurd that the judge found it SO bizarre that it sounded more like fiction than reality. When a couple moved into the building, they brought chaos with them. The couple is being accused of egging cars, breaking chairs in the recreational room, punching holes in the walls, writing notes that had salacious details about an affair going on in the building, and opening and closing the parking garage gates in the middle of the night to disrupt residents trying to get a good nights’ sleep. And those accusations are just the tip of the iceberg in this lawsuit.
If you ARE looking to buy in a retirement community, rest assured that this is NOT the norm and you’re likely to find a wonderful community to connect with if you do decide to make the move. Your real estate agent can help you find the right options for you!
The One With The Unfortunate Bathroom Accident
This lawsuit is a great reminder to always make sure that your home stays up to the proper building codes!
In Quebec, a woman sued a homeowner after she fell down a flight of stairs. The woman asked to use the homeowner’s bathroom. After following directions of which door was the bathroom, she opened the door, stepped forward to turn on the light, and fell down the stairs that led to the basement. The woman was knocked out and suffered several injuries.
Building codes specify that a door cannot open towards a staircase without having a landing, which would have prevented the injury.
So whenever you’re considering a renovation or addition to your home, always make sure to use a licensed builder/renovator who will follow the building codes.
The One with Giant Pile Of Poop
Hopefully, you’ve never gotten into a petty feud with your neighbours, but if you have found yourself in that unfortunate circumstance, you can at least rest assured that it never got as out of hand as the feud that David and Joan found themselves in. In rural New Brunswick, David and Joan found themselves in the middle of an absurd quarrel with their neighbour Lee. This quarrel involved a giant pile of manure.
When we say giant pile, we mean one so big that it was easily captured on satellite images. The fresh, wet, and raw pile was offensively stinky and was left right on the property line for almost a whole year. On top of that, the lawsuit accused Lee of using a snowblower to blow stones onto their property, letting around 50 of his cows escape, which caused extensive damage to David and Joan’s property, and scratching their car.
After hearing about this lawsuit, I don’t think I’ll get as annoyed at my neighbour who doesn’t shovel the sidewalk in front of his property. After all, a snowy sidewalk is nothing compared to a giant pile of poop.
The One Where The Snitches Got…Fined
A couple in Fort McMurray complained about their neighbours so often and so incessantly that the RCMP filed charges against the complainers! The Mutters had filed multiple complaints against their neighbours. Their complaints included that the neighbours purposefully placed their sprinkler to shoot water on the Mutter’s law, stared at the Mutters, parked too close to the Mutters’ driveway, and flung dog poop into part of their shared backyard.
The RCMP filed charges against the Mutters and the judge ruled that the Mutters were bullies, ordered them to take down their cameras and to pay for the defendants’ court costs.
The One Where The Man Was Pruning In Secret
In Vancouver neighbours in one of Canada’s wealthiest neighbourhoods had a multi-year property dispute which ended in a lawsuit. Their beautiful new-build homes had private outdoor swimming pools and views of the ocean. Yang Liu’s house was built above Erminia Minicucci’s house. Erminia Minicucci worried about privacy, so she planted 28 trees along her property line.
The 7.5-meter-tall cedar trees became the fuel for their dispute. Yang Liu said that the trees obstructed his view of the ocean. Yang Liu decided to take matters into his own hands and snuck into Erminia Minicucci’s property when she was away on holiday and chopped off the tops of many of the trees. The court ruled in favour of Erminia Minicucci, and Yang Liu had to pay her $48,000 and was ordered to stay off of her property.
What can we take away from the story? Always try to be a good neighbour, foster positive communication, and when it comes to resolving issues, never try to resolve them by sneaking onto your neighbour’s property when they’re away on vacation.
The One Where Imitation Was The Highest Form Of… A Lawsuit
A couple in Cedarvale sued a couple on a completely different street for being copycats. Jason and Jodi have a beautiful multi-million dollar home. They noticed that a house on a nearby street was designed to look “strikingly similar” to the stonework and colouring of their own beautiful house. They were suing for $1.5 million in damages, $20,000 in copyright damages, $1 million in punitive damages, and an order to have the defendants change the design of the home.
The parties ended up agreeing to settle the matter out of court.
Now that you’ve learned about the crazy neighbours that are out there the bizarre real estate lawsuits that have happened, you can go back to enjoying your life as a homeowner. And maybe you won’t feel as annoyed about that neighbour that forgets to bring in their recycling bins on the day of collection.=, knowing what else is out there.
