Renters' advocate likes court action

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"It's a lawless atmosphere in the inner city, like the old Wild West in the United States," said Leo Regehr. Regehr works with the Tenant Protection Program as one of three advocates and two lawyers working with the Inner City Advocacy Network out of the Mustard Seed Street Church in Edmonton.

Regehr is a para-legal who specializes in landlord and tenant problems, helping inner city tenants who are having trouble with their landlords, and landlords who have troublesome tenants. Civil action - suing a landlord for a certain amount of money- hits them where it hurts most, in the pocket-book, said Regehr.

Legal action can be taken for any number of reasons, with just cause, he said.

"We focus on severe problems such as illegal evictions and illegal seizures, but there are many problems." Regehr said. "The lack of health standards is probably the number one problem, just unhealthy and unsafe housing."

Regehr will soon be taking a civil claim to court regarding a tenant who paid his first and last months' rent plus damage deposit on a suite he found was infested with cockroaches even though the caretaker had assured him the building was cockroach-free.

The man refused to move in, requesting the return of his rent and damage deposit. The caretaker, and a representative for the landlord, refused to return the money.

A civil claim is being laid on the grounds that the cockroaches were a breach of the terms of the lease. As a result, the man has suffered damages

Regehr said he would like to see more options for victims when dealing with a troublesome tenant or landlord, but for the time being, existing legal action is one of the best ways to settle disputes

Regehr has done extensive research on the relationship between landlord and tenant, and has co-authored the book, Alberta Residential Tenancies Law, 1993.