Why a Calgary’s landlord’s dispute with a “Freeman on the Land” took two long years
Posted Sep 25, 2013 3:47 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Lawyers in Calgary are warning landlords to protect themselves, after they say they’ve dealt with three similar Freemen-on-the-Land cases in the past six months.
A Calgary court granted a woman an eviction order against her tenant Tuesday, after he gutted the kitchen and bathroom at her duplex, changed the locks and declared she had no rights over his “embassy.”
It turned out the man was a member of the Freemen-on-the-Land movement, which operates under the belief anyone can opt out of regulations by declaring themselves “sovereign citizens”.
Legal group Landlord 911, who helped Rebekah Caverhill get the order after two long years, says the issue could have been resolved much earlier if she’d known where to turn.
Landlord 911 Manager Melissa Costea cannot stress enough; don’t do a deal without a written agreement.
The tenant in question, Andreas Pirelli, had been referred to Caverhill by a friend, and she went on trust.
Costea tells 660News, she also had no idea where to get help.
“I think she had tried a few things, but really with politicians and police, but not with actual eviction processes,” she says. “Prior to that, I think she did call a couple law firms, but didn’t really get any help. They weren’t really experienced in landlord-tenant disputes, and didn’t want to take it on.”
Caverhill was also doing everything long distance, because her primary residence is in Sylvan Lake.
Costea says once Caverhill found who to contact, it was resolved within a month.
Civil liberties lawyer Brian Seaman adds there were many other things she could have done immediately, like making a complaint to the Residential Tenancy Board.
“I think this is a cautionary tale that anyone renting space, whether it’s an apartment, or in this case a house, has to, and should do up a lease in writing,” he says.
Costea recommends landlords have business sense when renting property, and look into where they can go for help if something goes wrong.
