Landlord threatened to evict Vancouver tenants over posts in private Facebook group

A group of Vancouver renters are fighting back after being threatened with eviction over their participation in a private tenants’ Facebook group.

Group members living in The Yarrow apartment building on Kootenay Street in East Vancouver say someone from Realstar Group, the company that owns and manages the building, taped a letter to their unit doors last month. 

The bolded and all-caps first line reads: “WARNING BREACH OF TENANCY AGREEMENT.”

“You are receiving this letter because of your involvement in the Facebook group Yarrow Residential Hub,” it reads. 

The letter states: "Sharing details of private conversations and publicly encouraging other tenants to get involved and make complaints is a serious interference with management and a violation of your Tenancy Agreement and Residential Tenancy Act."

The letter suggests some comments in the group constitute "libel" and concludes: “...should you repeat any of these actions or breach your Tenancy Agreement, your tenancy will be ended.”

Realstar is a privately owned, Toronto-based real estate investment and management company with over $9 billion in assets, according to its website.

CBC News spoke to three tenants who expressed concerns but declined recorded interviews.

One tenant described being “shaken” by the letter, and said administrators of the Facebook group were “deeply concerned” over how the company gained access and learned the identities of group members who use a pseudonym or post anonymously.

CBC News requested an interview with a Realstar representative but was told no one from the company was available. In an emailed statement, Realstar said it takes resident concerns seriously and was "carefully reviewing the matter."

“We recognize that a letter was issued to certain residents on September 19 and understand that it may have caused concern for some,” says the statement. “Our goal is to foster respectful, open dialogue with residents, while also ensuring that our staff can work in a safe and respectful environment."

However, in a later statement, sent to CBC News on Wednesday, the company said it had apologized to residents for the letters.

"We also want to be clear that tenants have not breached the Residential Tenancy Act. Residents are fully entitled to communicate with each other, share their experiences, and discuss matters related to their homes," it reads.