Eviction proceedings were successful against tenant Ryan Lua (a.k.a. Ryan Bonaobra Lua) in April 2026. Ryan Lua was alleged to have signed a long-term lease for a Vancouver, BC condominium, but did not live in the unit. Instead, he listed the unit on short-term rental platforms like AirBnB and Booking.com without the owner’s knowledge. The discovery was made after the condo was rented for a party, resulting in a violent altercation and police attendance.
Below is excerpt from the Residential Tenancy Branch’s decision against Ryan Lua:
File Number: 910242722, Decision Date: April 27 2026
“An early end of tenancy is an expedited and unusual remedy under the Act and is only available to the landlord when the circumstances of a tenancy are such that it is unreasonable or unfair to a landlord or other residents to wait…the Tenant’s behaviour is significant and severe enough as to warrant an early end to the tenancy, pursuant to section 56 of the Act.”
Despite a warning and the commencement of eviction proceedings, the condo continued to be rented on platforms like Booking.com and AirBnB. The owner alleged that:
- Ryan Lua collaborated with an unknown individual, who identified himself to the owner as “Sam” but to unauthorized occupants as “Stan.”
- Ryan Lua’s collaborator advised occupants to ignore the owner’s attempts to access the unit.
- Ryan Lua’s collaborator suggested that the locks could be changed to prevent the owner’s entry.
- Occupants were paid in cash by Ryan Lua’s collaborator to temporarily vacate the unit while the owner visited with prospective tenants.
- Ryan Lua’s collaborator interfered with the owner’s showings to prospective tenants by telling them that Ryan would not vacate the unit.
- As a result of Ryan Lua’s conduct, the owner incurred penalties from the building strata and damage to the property.
Ryan Lua claimed in the eviction hearing that he was unaware of the short-term rentals and that they were probably done by Sam/Stan. Ryan Lua claimed that Sam/Stan (Ryan used the name interchangeably; it may not be the person’s real name) was a roommate. However, no roommate was authorized by the owner and the roommate was not on the tenancy agreement.
The owner expressed concern that Ryan Lua and his collaborator could be operating a scheme across Vancouver or BC, whereby they sign long-term tenancy agreements and subsequently offer the units as short-term rentals.
