{"id":950801,"date":"2026-10-29T15:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T15:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950801\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T15:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T15:54:15","slug":"residents-in-a-west-end-building-being-hit-with-levy-after-levy-for-building-issues-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950801\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents in a West End building being hit with levy after levy for building issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Residents of \u201cEl Cid,\u201d a private leasehold in Vancouver\u2019s West End, say they\u2019re being given levy after levy to deal with building issues.<\/p>\n

As leaseholders, they\u2019re excluded from protections like the B.C. Strata Property Act, the Residential Tenancy Act, and the Civil Resolution Tribunal, and there\u2019s no financial transparency from the building landlord, Sheridan Investments Ltd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to be nameless,\u201d leasehold property owner Ken Lychak said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to be faceless and hide behind a corporate name and a barking lawyer. That is what has been allowed to happen, and it is really unconscionable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Leasehold property owner Ken Lychak. (CityNews Image)<\/p>\n

Vancouver real estate agent Greyden Douglas explained the limitations of a leasehold property.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no votes, you don\u2019t have a strata council, and there is no AGM,\u201d said Douglas.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you are subject to the decisions of the owner. If there are going to be any capital assessments, they are just assigned to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another leasehold property owner, who has lived in the building for 33 years, is living off her single pension and is worried about costs climbing into the millions of dollars.<\/p>\n

\"\"Leasehold property owner Sonja Bakker. (CityNews Image)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got another assessment for $350,000 for the pool, which we are not even swimming in,\u201d said Sonja Bakker.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expenses are so exorbitant, and at one point we had 15, 16 people selling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"(CityNews Image)<\/p>\n

Residents are demanding a voice in how their money is spent. They want the B.C. government to step in and close the legal loophole that leaves them unprotected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we want? Legislation, just like strata buildings,\u201d Bakker said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to run your show. All we want to know is, how was that $5 million spent?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know nothing, and we are not dumb people. We want to know,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cEl Cid\u201d in Vancouver\u2019s West End. (CityNews Image)<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cEl Cid\u201d in Vancouver\u2019s West End. (CityNews Image)<\/p>\n

CityNews made several attempts to contact the building owner, Sheridan Investments Ltd., but did not hear back in time for deadline.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been nearly two years since West End MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert authored a report demanding action on private leaseholds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need legal change,\u201d Chandra-Herbert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government needs to step in and say this is the law, you have to be transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, residents will wait to see what changes occur, before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much longer can I stay?\u201d Bakker asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have started looking around, because it is getting very depressing, being controlled and coming up with all this money that doesn\u2019t grow on trees. It\u2019s very upsetting, and a lot of people are becoming depressed about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t“El Cid” in Vancouver’s West End (CityNews Image) <\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Vancouver as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

\t\t
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