Vancouver landlords fined $90,000 after carving house into 21 rooms for 17 tenants; expert sees shades of Hong Kong's 'coffin homes'

British Columbia's Residential Tenancy Branch has fined a pair of landlords $90,000 for illegally converting a single-family home in East Vancouver into 21 rooms housing at least 17 tenants, with plumbing and electrical work done without permits. The case has prompted a city councillor and an academic to warn that such illegal subdivided rentals are not isolated in Vancouver — and that for some landlords, fines are simply a cost of doing business.

Century-old house turned into 21 rooms; city ordered it vacated

According to Global News, the house at 1654 East Pender Street, near Commercial Drive, was built in 1915 and approved as a single-family dwelling with a secondary suite. An inspection in July 2025 found it had been altered to contain about 21 sleeping rooms, housing at least 17 tenants, with multiple bathrooms and plumbing fixtures added without permits. In August 2025, the City of Vancouver issued an order to vacate, and the tenants moved out.

$90,000 fine equals about eight months of rental income

Following an investigation, the Residential Tenancy Branch found the landlords had failed to maintain the rental property in compliance with the health, safety and housing standards required by law, and had failed to complete urgent plumbing and electrical repairs. They were ordered to pay $85,000 for the first violation and a $5,000 penalty for the second — $90,000 in total. The decision also showed the property had the capacity to generate about $11,000 a month in revenue and is now listed for sale for $1.4 million. New city councillor Stephanie Smith said the $90,000 fine is a large one, but represents only about eight months of income for the property. Smith, a former legal advocate for tenants, said the practices described in the decision were ones she had seen elsewhere, including from tenants organising with the Vancouver Tenants Union.

Expert: reminiscent of Hong Kong's 'coffin homes'

Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University's City Program, told Global News the dividing of homes in Vancouver reminds him of Hong Kong's 'coffin apartments' or 'coffin homes' — essentially wooden boxes with a single bed — where soaring housing costs have driven a growing trend of illegal micro-apartments. 'I think that this is a scene that actually is something out of Vancouver's past from the 1800s, when they used to just stack people, new and young Canadians, into these places,' Yan said. Smith said some landlords treat such fines as the cost of doing business, suggesting current penalties may not be enough of a deterrent.

Source: Global News, 9 November 2026.