Eight former tenants of a student rental house in Antigonish have been ordered to pay just
under $6,000 in damages in a case a small claims court likens to the 1978 movie “Animal House”.
In a written decision, adjudicator Raffi Balmanoukian characterizes the photographic evidence of the dwelling as a “pigsty”.
The landlord contends the home was virtually destroyed aesthetically by the tenants including siding, window and door damage; copious amounts of garbage and debris, and filth to the extent that the house needed to be cleaned twice. The landlords also complained the sump pump cistern was used as something of a trash can for the pop-up bar in the basement, resulting in the pump being burned out.
The tenants acknowledge the property “needed cleaning” and that some items were left behind but it “wasn’t that bad” when they left in April, 2022.
The adjudicator disagreed and awarded the landlord damages of $5,932.27 for cleaning, plumbing, garbage removal, and siding repair