New Brunswick landlord drops security deposit claim after false photo accusation

Robert Jones · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Physicist Haoyu Qi and his woman moved from New Brunswick to Toronto implicit the wintertime for work, but earlier helium could retrieve a $2,000 information deposit helium had paid connected his Moncton apartment, helium was told his landlord was making a $500 assertion connected the wealth for cleaning and harm costs.

That amazed Qi, particularly erstwhile he was shown pictures submitted by the landlord to warrant the charge.  

One representation appeared to amusement ungraded and chipped overgarment connected a ledge by a window but Qi said determination was nary ledge similar that successful his unit. 

"I consciousness similar nary of the pictures were from our apartment," helium said successful an interview. 

A 2nd photograph showed a twelve holes successful drywall successful what Qi guessed was from an aged wall-mounted tv installation, but helium said helium and his wife did not ain a tv during their two-year stay. 

 A 3rd representation showed a messiness successful a cupboard that Qi said could not person been his because his wife, who helium describes arsenic "germ-phobic," would not person tolerated it. 

"That's decidedly not our apartment," said Qi. "My wife did a cleaning earlier we left, and she really did a batch of changeless cleaning of the full apartment. We maintained it successful beauteous bully condition."

WATCH | Man wins combat with landlord implicit $500 information deposit. Here's his advice:

Qi's flat was successful Moncton's caller Encore Residences, a downtown improvement by section businessman Trevor Ritchie.  

In an email to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office, Kate Marecki, who made the assertion connected behalf of the landlord, cited the grimy flat pictures she submitted arsenic impervious the petition for $500 of Qi's information deposit was reasonable.

"In this lawsuit the tenant has near the portion successful exceedingly soiled condition," wrote Marecki, who besides submitted a receipt for the outgo of 28 hours of cleaning aft Qi and his woman moved out.

Qi was offended by that.  

"It wounded a small bit. I lived determination for 2 years  It could person ended successful a precise affable way, not similar this," helium said.  

Qi, who works successful the tract of quantum computing, had primitively offered to settee the quality for $100 but aft seeing the photos and speechmaking the statement of the messiness helium was accused of leaving behind, helium rescinded that offer.

In an email connected March 18, helium told the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office, which holds information deposits successful spot and was mediating the dispute, that helium believed astatine slightest 3 pictures were phony.

Qi wrote that "false grounds has been presented successful this case" and forwarded a video his wife had taken wrong the flat the time they moved retired that appeared to amusement differences betwixt his portion and pictures submitted by the landlord.

Based connected that, helium lowered his connection to settee the substance to $50 and agreed to a afloat proceeding if the magnitude wasn't accepted. 

Encore Residences did not straight respond to Qi's accusation, but the pursuing day, connected March 19, the institution backed down.

"The landlord wishes to drop the claim," wrote Marie-Josée Corbin, the provincial cause dealing with the matter. 

In an interview, Kate Marecki said she believes the pictures she submitted successful Qi's lawsuit accurately depicted his apartment but did not instrumentality them herself and cannot accidental that with certainty. 

Several tenants were moving astatine the aforesaid time and it is not wide if a mistake mightiness person been made due to the fact that of that, she said.

"I submitted the pictures supplied to me," said Marecki. "I don't cognize if the pictures got mixed up." 

She said a last associated inspection of the flat should person been conducted with Qi's involvement and due to the fact that it wasn't, a determination was made to driblet the assertion against his information deposit.

"Communication is best," said Marecki successful acknowledging Qi's lawsuit should person been handled differently. "I would privation to bash a locomotion through."

Disputes betwixt landlords and tenants implicit the instrumentality of information deposits are communal successful New Brunswick. According to the province, Qi's lawsuit was 1 of 489 that required mediation successful the past year.

New Brunswick holds much than $52 cardinal successful tenant information deposits successful trust. When a tenant moves, landlords person 7 days to marque a assertion for damage, excessive cleaning costs oregon unpaid bills, including unpaid rent. Otherwise, the deposit is returned successful afloat to the tenant.

Landlord claims are often successful, with 28 per cent of information deposit refunds issued by the state past twelvemonth going to flat owners, amounting to $3.5 million.

The Tenant and Landlord Relations Office volition not remark connected Qi's lawsuit specifically, but connected its website the bureau does recommend landlords and tenants jointly inspect an flat anterior to a determination and effort to agree, if they can, connected its information and whether immoderate cleaning oregon repairs should beryllium done.

Qi and Marecki some hold that is simply a bully suggestion. However, Qi besides recommends tenants instrumentality their ain elaborate photos of an flat arsenic they permission successful lawsuit a quality does arise.