---
title: "BC Supreme Court upholds $40,431 award to Coquitlam tenant after landlord's appeal fails"
description: "Justice David Layton dismissed a Coquitlam landlord's petition in BC Supreme Court on November 11, upholding an arbitrator's decision that awarded a former tenant $40,431."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/coquitlam-2026/news/coquitlam-landlord-tenancy-court-ruling-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-12T20:47:11.703Z"
---

A BC Supreme Court judge dismissed a Coquitlam landlord's appeal on November 11, upholding an arbitration award of $40,431 to a former tenant whose tenancy was ended so the landlord could move in, the Tri-Cities Dispatch reported.

The landlord, Yu Chen, had ended the tenancy in spring 2024 by saying she would occupy the unit. She never moved in. When the tenant returned later to discuss the return of their security deposit, a new renter was living there, the Dispatch reported.

## What the arbitrator decided

An arbitrator ordered Chen to pay the tenant $37,260, equal to 12 months of rent at $3,105 per month, for failing to occupy the unit after ending the tenancy on those grounds. The arbitrator also ordered double the security deposit, $6,210, for failing to return it within 15 days. The total award was $40,431.

## The Supreme Court petition

Five months after the arbitration ruling, Chen filed a petition in BC Supreme Court claiming $18,605 in unpaid rent from bounced cheques she said occurred between 2020 and 2024.

She argued the arbitrator's decision was unreasonable and that she had not known about the bounced cheques. Justice David Layton rejected that argument. The landlord's property manager had texted the tenant in 2021 demanding payment for "previous bounced cheques" or face eviction, the Dispatch reported.

"These statements are materially inconsistent with the landlord's evidence," Layton said, as reported by the Dispatch. He dismissed the petition and left the arbitration award in place.

## What renters can do

A tenant whose landlord ends a tenancy for personal use and then does not move in can file a dispute with the BC Residential Tenancy Branch. An arbitrator can order the landlord to pay compensation equal to 12 months of rent in those cases. The Branch's dispute resolution service is at [the BC Residential Tenancy Branch website](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies). There is no deadline to watch in this case; the ruling is final.

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