Landlords who divided a Vancouver single-family home into 21 rooms have been ordered to pay $90,000 in penalties after the Residential Tenancy Branch found failures involving housing standards and urgent repairs, Global News reports.

An inspection in July 2025 found at least 17 tenants living in the house near Commercial Drive. Multiple bathrooms and plumbing fixtures had been added without permits. The City of Vancouver issued an order to vacate that August, according to reporting by Global News journalists Kristen Robinson and Amy Judd.

The tenancy branch found the landlords had failed to maintain the property in compliance with legally required health, safety and housing standards, resulting in an $85,000 penalty. A further $5,000 penalty was imposed for failing to complete urgent plumbing and electrical repairs.

The decision showed the property had the capacity to generate $11,000 a month in rental revenue. Global News reported that the home is now listed for sale for $1.4 million.

Vancouver city councillor Stephanie Smith, a former legal advocate for tenants, told Global News that while the scale of the operation was extreme, the underlying problems were familiar from her work representing renters.

She said she had encountered unpermitted subdivisions, electrical and plumbing changes, and problems with safe exits in multiple buildings across the city over decades.

Smith also questioned whether enforcement penalties adequately reflect the harm to tenants, noting that the $90,000 total represents roughly eight months of the property's potential rental income.

Simon Fraser University city program director Andy Yan compared the subdivision of Vancouver homes to Hong Kong's tiny “coffin” apartments. He told Global News that local governments need to prevent landlords from treating fines as a cost of doing business.

Sources