Illegal Hotels a Problem in Richmond

[whatnext]

This is pretty shocking, though nobody should be surprised that Richmond is the epicentre of this kind of illegal activity:

...I was formally checked in at Lancing House, a home operating — without any permits or licences — as an illegal hotel, with a rather odd hostel-like feel to it — the entire world, it seemed, would appear beneath this roof.

With 82 cases, to August of this year, the City of Richmond has seen more than three times more complaints related to suspected illegal hotels and guest houses in residential zones, than it did in all of 2015. In 2014, the city investigated just five such complaints, according to spokesperson Ted Townsend...

...The house, in fact, has a long history of businesses operating from within it. On other occasions, it has been suspected by neighbours as being used as a “birthing hotel” for Chinese nationals who allegedly use Richmond Hospital to gain Canadian citizenship, via jus soli, for their newborn babies.

Community activist Kerry Starchuk raised the matter and when the city visited the home in May to investigate “non-compliance” of bylaws. She thought her “nightmare” was over. But that hasn’t been the case.

“It’s been really hard as a resident to see all this. Today, I came around the corner and there’s a car licensed in Nova Scotia, with two girls smoking. How am I supposed to have a sense of safety and continuity in my neighbourhood when transient people are coming and going,” said Starchuk last week, via telephone...

...Last Friday inspectors visited Lancing House and shut it down, effectively evicting the guests.

Silvano told me David told him to pack his belongings and leave for two hours for cleaning. The guests were never allowed to return as inspectors turned them away.

The home’s owner is listed as Baohua Zhou, who also goes by Chris Zhou.

I spoke to Zhou after the inspectors had met with him at the home. He denied any wrongdoing. Zhou denied he knew house, one of two he claims to own in Richmond, was listed on Booking.com.
“I just let my friend live here,” said Zhou...

- See more at: http://www.richmond-news.com/news/in....yhh5K36s.dpuf