A group of East Vancouver seniors is relieved to hear they won’t be facing a steep rent increase this year.

Last month, CBC News revealed the Mount Pleasant Lions Club, which runs Lions Manor on East 6th Avenue, was seeking to raise rents by 45 per cent.

B.C. landlords are allowed to raise rents by 4.3 per cent in 2012, but the housing society argued rents at Lions Manor were too far below market value.

Many of the building’s 36 tenants are living on seniors’ and disability pensions, and said a 45 per cent rent increase would be a financial disaster for them.

B.C’s Residential Tenancy Branch rejected the club’s application, saying the landlord failed to provide evidence to the tenants and the tenancy branch.

The tenancy branch limited this year’s rent increase to the legally allowed 4.3 per cent.

Tenant Denis Ledoux believes the landlord didn’t expect the fight they got.

“They weren’t prepared for anything at all,” he told CBC News.

“They were probably hoping for us to just go along with everything like we’ve been doing, not say nothing at all, cause we’re all older or all retired here.”

Ledoux says for now the tenants are happy with the result, but he worries the landlord may apply for a larger rent increase next year again.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/02/18/bc-lions-rent-increase.html