Serial bad tenants avoid jail time after paying out judgment

The B.C. couple exposed as serial bad tenants by CBC in April have avoided jail time after paying the final $6,000 owed to one former landlord.

Susan and Chris Perret have been accused by several landlords of living nearly rent-free at various properties in the Lower Mainland since July 2012.

Suman Parasad, one of the couple's former landlords, had the Perrets evicted in March of 2013 after they failed to pay rent for five months. Parasad took them to small claims court over unpaid rent, claiming the pair racked up $7,900 in arrears.

The Perrets began to slowly repay Parasad after she took them to small claims court. On April 28, a judge in Port Coquitlam ordered the Perrets to repay the outstanding $6,000 to Parasad by June 9, and told the couple they would be jailed if they failed to do so.

Parasad, now with the cash in hand, says she wants to help the other seven landlords who believe they are also owed money from the Perrets.

"I would be more than happy to advise anyone on how to go after your money legally, and guide you through the court dates. I learned that there were things I could have done to speed up the process," Parasad wrote in a letter sent to several of the Perrets' former landlords.

In total, eight landlords have told CBC the Perrets failed to pay rent in the last two years. With Parasad's case now settled, the combined sum the landlords said they were owed tallies to $31,750 in unpaid rent and other expenses.

EXCLUSIVE | Serial bad tenants leave B.C. landlords in the lurch

The Perrets' current landlord has been trying to evict the couple, but an arbitrator with B.C.'s Residential Tenancy Branch ruled in favour of the Perrets, who are now paying the rent regularly.

That landlord, Cara Falconer, told CBC News she lost her recent arbitration hearing on a technicality.

Several former landlords claimed the Perrets knew the rules of the Residential Tenancy Branch better than anyone.

Susan and Chris Perret have declined CBC News' requests for an interview.

Counting up all the arrears the landlords claim they are owed by the Perrets, including unpaid rent, utilities, bailiffs' fees, cleaning, fees from bounced cheques, court fees and lost rent from vacancies following broken leases, the amount owed totals $39,650 since July 2012. With Parasad's claim now settled, that total drops to $31,750.

July - Sept. 2012: Evicted. Money owed: $7,500

Sept. 2012: Evicted. Money owed: $3,750

Oct. 2012 - Mar. 2013: Evicted. Money owed: $7,900 - Now repaid

Mar. - May 2013: Evicted. Money Owed: approx $5,000

June - Oct. 2013: Evicted. Money owed: $7,500

Nov. 2013 - Jan 2014: Evicted. $3,000

Jan. - Mar. 2014: Evicted. $5,000