B.C. Housing filed a statement of claim today in British Columbia Supreme Court against the Downtown Eastside Residents Association, its housing society and its executive director Kim Kerr.

The government housing agency is seeking, along with some $500,000 it says it is owed, to have a new receiver-manager appointed to take control of three properties the Downtown Eastside Residents Association Housing Society rents from the Provincial Rental Housing Commission, a B.C. Housing subsidiary.

The DERAHS owes the PRHC some $137,000 for rent that's in arrears, despite having received money from B.C. Housing to pay that rent, plus another $264,547 for taxes that the PRHC paid to the City of Vancouver on DERAHS behalf, according to the statement of claim.

B.C. Housing's claim also says the properties have been mismanaged and is seeking a statement from the court that DERAHS is in default under its operating agreements and its leases.

The DERAHS operates a total of 286-housing units in three Vancouver buildings, Pendera Place, Tellier Towers and Solheim Place.

B.C. Housing's allegations include that “between 2005 and 2009 Kerr and DERAHS negligently misrepresented to BC Housing the eligibility of certain tenants, including directors of DERA and DERAHS.”

The statement of claim also says DERAHS failed to keep an accurate and complete waitlist of people who wanted housing in the buildings it operates and failed to follow the guidelines set in its operating agreements with the government for selecting tenants from the waitlist. Nor did it meet requirements to provide or show various documents to B.C. Housing, the claim says.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.