B.C. strata denies condo sale to family with three young children

A Metro Vancouver couple has been trying to buy into the housing market but was recently denied buying into a Pitt Meadows condo building because their family is too large.

Lucas Parry and Mackenzie Graham have three children under the age of two.

The family is running out of room at their rental condo in Coquitlam and has been trying to buy their first home.

“We have our down payment situated,” Mackenzie told Global News.

“We have everything. We want to be contributing to a mortgage rather than rent. Rent prices are insane right now in this city.”

The couple did get an offer accepted on a condo in Pitt Meadows, which would have doubled their current living space.

However, the strata has a bylaw that limits the number of people in the unit to four, not five.

The Parrys said they also wanted to turn the laundry room into another bedroom.

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The strata rejected the purchase, even though the couple learned at least one other unit in the complex has undergone a similar conversion.

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“I feel like our family was discriminated against in this situation,” Lucas said. “As a whole, I don’t think so, but this situation seems unjust.”

Mackenzie said it is frustrating because it feels like the strata are just picking and choosing who gets to do what and who doesn’t.

A realtor told Global News this situation is becoming more commonplace but it shouldn’t continue.

“Something’s gotta give at the end of the day,” realtor Edward Eviston said. “When you have people living in the city and trying to work in the city and raise a family in the city.

“I think as time goes on, you’ll see stratas become more malleable to new, creative solutions but for now you have quite a vast gap between families and people who have been living in that building for 30 to 40 years.”

The strata council and property manager did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.

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However, in a statement to Global News,  the Attorney General and Ministry responsible for Housing said, “We are determined to increase access to housing for purchase and rent and strengthen protections for people to respond to this crisis. We need to strike the right balance between the needs of buyers and the need for strata corporations to effectively manage their properties.”

Meanwhile, the Parrys said they will keep looking for their new home and will respect the bylaws, even if they can’t see the logic in those decisions.

“We weren’t trying to be sneaky. We were asking them to do it,” Mackenzie said.