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I live in a shared house, with my landlord in the basement suite. I brought home a propane barbecue and the following day I noticed it was missing from the back yard. I looked around a bit and noticed it was in the garage (which I don't have keys to). I contacted the landlord and after a day he replied saying that I wasn't allowed to have a barbecue, and he will be hiring a junk removal (at my expense) to pick it up if it isn't gone in less than 24 hours.

My lease says nothing about barbecues and no one ever said there was a rule against them. The landlord said I should have asked before getting one. I'm not sure how to reply to this, I guess "I shouldn't have asked, you should have told me".

Is it legal for my landlord to do this? If not, what exact laws is he breaking and what can I do? Practically speaking, what's the best course of action? It seems a shame to end a perfectly good relationship over a $80 bbq.

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  • What does your lease say about storage of personal property in common space (the yard) or use of the yard in general? Can you use the grill in the yard, attend it while it cools, and store it in your dedicated rental space?
    – user662852
    Jul 23, 2017 at 15:48
  • BC landlord-tenant law may have something to say about this. When you rent a house I think you are presumed to have use of the yard. There may be an advice office you could contact. google.
    – Keith McClary
    Aug 5, 2017 at 0:26

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It seems a shame to end a perfectly good relationship over a $80 bbq

So don't: any legal action you take against the landlord will do this.

Actions you could take include reporting him to the police for theft or suing him for the tort of conversion. Even if you are not permitted by your lease to have a barbecue (and I would be extremely surprised if this is the case) the landlord's correct response is to point out your breach and the steps they expect you to take to remedy it: not to illegally seize your property.

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  • Good answer. But I do see how the landlord may play other cards. First, fire safety. Even if you can have a grill, it has to be X number of ft from the building. Also, some places allow only electric grills (but that will be specified in the lease agreement). Second, in the agreement itself, do you have "legal" access to the backyard? Any provisions in your rental agreement to access the back yard? Leave there stuff like chairs, grill, etc? The landlord may claim that you were not allowed in the backyard, as it was not part of the rental space.
    – KingsInnerSoul
    Jul 23, 2017 at 14:47
  • Playing that card is kind of akin to him saying he doesn't allow electric blankets or electric devices because they could be a fire safety hazard. At some point the tenant gets to have reasonable control over the premises.
    – mark b
    Jul 24, 2017 at 16:19
  • I spoke with a police officer and he said it may be hard to prove theft as technically it's still there. BTW I ended up selling it in the end.
    – kickstarter101
    Apr 4, 2018 at 10:46

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