A screenshot of the video where a piece of patio furniture flys off a highrise balcony in Kelowna.

Image Credit: REDDIT

A rogue piece of patio furniture flew off a highrise balcony in Kelowna during a storm earlier this week, but the city doesn’t have any bylaws that protect the public from falling patio tables.

The flying furniture was caught on video which was posted to social media.

The city said it doesn’t have any bylaws around securing patio furniture so incidents like this would likely be a strata liability issue. It said if someone were intentionally throwing things off their balcony it would likely be grounds for a mischief complaint to RCMP. 

The video from this week appears to be from One Water Street. 

The Strata Property Act has clause that says: An owner, tenant, occupant or visitor must not use a strata lot, the common property or common assets in a way that causes a nuisance or hazard to another person. The strata council was not immediately available for comment.

If the strata unit is rented, the BC Residential Tenancy Act has a similar clause that may take effect. It says a landlord can terminate someone’s tenancy if they affect the quiet enjoyment, security, safety, or physical wellbeing of another occupant.

A dispute went before the tenancy branch several years ago about an incident where someone intentionally threw a chair off their highrise balcony in 2016, along with other complaints about the tenant.

The branch decided throwing a chair off a balcony was grounds to terminate the tenancy, and the landlord kept $100 of the security deposit. 

“The landlord testified that even if the tenant was not the person who threw the chair, the tenant is responsible for the unit and the actions of any guest,” the decision read. “The tenant has... seriously jeopardized the health or safety of other occupants and the landlord.” 

Thunderstorm (attempted) furniture rescue
byu/vexation1312 inkelowna

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