Some of Richmond’s most notorious tenants could soon be on the move again, after repeatedly attracting unwanted attention from the City of Richmond and the Richmond RCMP.
The tenants, understood to be sub-letting each time they move into an address, have been causing almost daily strife for neighbours in the Springfield Drive area of Steveston, just north of Steveston Highway and west of No. 1 Road.
In the seven months since moving into the single-family detached home, the tenants, believed to be three adults, have generated more than 30 calls to the RCMP and are on the city’s radar for unsightly premises and dangerous dog violations.
The Richmond News understands the trio had been sub-letting — from the same tenant, who is known to police — at an address in the Shellmont area last year, until frustrated neighbours forced them to take their troubles elsewhere.
A neighbour in the Springfield Drive neighbourhood contacted the News after hearing the tenants were in the process of being evicted again, last Friday.
“They left in a U-Haul along with their three pit-bulls; the cops watched them go,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.
“But I heard they were back on Sunday.”
The woman said, after posting about the tenants on Facebook last month, the Shellmont residents got in touch with her to help get them shifted again.
“Someone (known to the RCMP) is paying their rent and any fines they get from the city, so it’s difficult to evict them, I’m told,” she said.
“There are people going in and out of there at all times of the day and night, and we’re finding used needles in the bushes and on the sidewalks.”
The woman said she’s been told that the owner of the property at 3140 Springfield Drive lives offshore and has been trying to evict the tenant and his sub-letters.
“The police and the city are not able to do too much it seems, but we have heard that a March 31 eviction notice has been served,” added the neighbour.
The homeowner, according to the City of Richmond, has the right to evict under the Residential Tenancy Act, if tenants are in breach of city bylaws.
“We can confirm we’ve been dealing with issues related to unsightly premises and dangerous dogs at this address,” said city spokesperson Ted Townsend via email.
“Our enforcement authority is written into our bylaws and varies depending on the issue.
“We usually seek to get compliance first and if that doesn’t work, we can move to fines or other enforcement tools provided through bylaws.”
Although it wasn’t prepared to provide specific information about an address or its inhabitants, the Richmond RCMP did confirm “abnormally high calls for service at an address in the Springfield Drive area.”
The RCMP’s crime analysts also have data to suggest that this address has generated more than 30 calls since September 2015.
“We encourage our officers to pro-actively patrol the area and support an open dialogue with the residents about community safety concerns,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“We work with our partners at City of Richmond whenever possible, especially if infractions of municipal bylaws are encountered.”
