A North Vancouver couple who appeared on the TV show Love It Or List It Vancouver has filed a lawsuit against the show鈥檚 parent company and its producers, claiming the renovation completed on their home for one of the episodes was substandard and resulted in 鈥渞eal and substantial danger to the health and well-being鈥� of their family.
Jeanine Almeida and Norman Waine, a North Vancouver couple,in an episode that was filmed two years ago and aired in October 2016.
The episode featured a renovation of the couple鈥檚 1959-era Lynn Valley home on East 29thStreet, including revamping of the living room and kitchen, creation of playroom for their four children out of a garage space and rebuilding of an outside deck.
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According to a statement of claim filed in 小蓝视频 Supreme Court, the couple signed a contract on Dec. 7, 2015 with the show鈥檚 production company to participate in the home renovation show. Under the terms of that contract, the couple agreed to pay just over $175,000 for a renovation of their home at 1364 East 29th Street.
Under the terms of the contract, the work was to be completed in accordance with building codes and permits, in a 鈥済ood and workmanlike manner, free from defects and deficiencies鈥� and would be 鈥渃arried out by an experienced professional contractor, specifically Kenny Gemmill or a reasonable alternative contractor,鈥� according to the statement of claim.
But instead, according to the lawsuit, the show hired actor Kerry Van Der Griend to act as a contractor instead of Gemmill.
The lawsuit alleges Van Der Griend had 鈥渓ittle or no experience as a general contractor and no training or qualifications鈥� to act as one.
Renovation work on the couple鈥檚 home started in April 2016 and was revealed to them on May 12, 2016. Prior to the big reveal, Almeida and Waine 鈥渨ere allowed only limited access to the home and were not able or allowed to supervise鈥� the reno, according to the lawsuit.
While the TV show depicted the couple being pleasantly surprised by many aspects of the transformation, once the cameras stopped rolling, the story changed, the couple allege, who stated in their claim they later discovered 鈥渘umerous defects and deficiencies in the work,鈥� which the TV production company failed to fix.
Some of the deficiencies included those 鈥渨hich may lead to the growth of mould in the home, high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the home, water ingress into the home, danger of fire in the home,鈥� according to the lawsuit.
Prior to the couple signing the contract, TV producers for the show told them they would receive a high-quality renovation as part of participation on the show and promised there had been no previous problems with any of the renovations previously carried out by the reality show, the lawsuit claims.
Those promises were 鈥渕aterially untrue, misleading and inaccurate,鈥� according to the couple鈥檚 statement of claim.
None of the claims has been proven in court.
The TV production company has not yet filed a statement of defence and no one at the company鈥檚 Toronto or Vancouver offices responded to a request to comment. Van Der Griend also did not respond to a request to comment.
While the couple decided to 鈥渓ist it鈥� 鈥� meaning they planned to sell the newly renovated home and buy another 鈥� at the conclusion of the 2016 episode, records indicate they did not subsequently sell the home. The assessed value of the property now sits at about $1.5 million according to 小蓝视频 Assessment.
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