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Information for Tenants and Landlord Clients of Menethil Properties Ltd.
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Landlord clients of Kelowna-based Menethil Properties Ltd. (“Menethil”), a rental property brokerage, should be aware that the brokerage has been ordered to stop providing real estate services, and its trust accounts have been frozen.
What is happening?:
- BC Financial Services Authority (“BCFSA”) has ordered:
- Menethil’s director, David Song, to stop providing real estate services
- Menethil’s trust accounts to be frozen
- For Menethil’s brokerage licence to be suspended
What this means for landlord clients:
- Landlords should engage a licensed rental property manager to service their properties and establish alternative payment arrangements with tenants. Visit BCFSA’s ‘Find a Professional’ webpage for more information.
- Landlords can take on rental property management activities themselves, if they wish.
- The accounts that collect and disperse rental payments have been frozen; tenants will still be able to pay rent to Menethil but no payments from Menethil can be made to landlords until BCFSA varies the freeze order.
- Money in the frozen accounts will remain in the accounts for the appropriate beneficiaries.
- Landlords are not permitted to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent or a deposit if it was paid to Menethil as per the tenancy agreement.
- Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions resource below for more information.
What this means for tenants:
- There are no immediate impacts to tenants or their tenancy agreements.
- Tenants should continue paying rent according to the terms of their tenancy agreement.
- Tenants cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent or a deposit if it was paid to Menethil.
- Your landlord may contact you to update your tenancy agreement or provide information about updated arrangements for rental property management services.
- The actions of tenants and landlords are governed by the Residential Tenancy Act. Visit the Residential Tenancy Branch website for more about your obligations as a tenant.
- Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions resource below for more information.
Why did this happen:
- In February 2025, BCFSA suspended the licence of Menethil’s managing broker.
- All real estate brokerages are required to have a managing broker in place; without a managing broker, Menethil has not been authorized to operate.
- Through monitoring, BCFSA found Menethil has continued to provide real estate services without being authorized to operate.
Where can I find more information?
- Information for landlords and tenants about their obligations under their tenancy agreements, including rent payment, returning security deposits, and dispute resolution is available on the Residential Tenancy Branch website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Landlord clients of Menethil and their tenants may be wondering how this impacts them. BCFSA has the following information:
For Landlord Clients
The accounts that collect and disperse rental payments have been frozen, and no payments from Menethil can be made until BCFSA varies the freeze order.
Money in the frozen accounts will be preserved for the appropriate beneficiaries.
No, landlords are not permitted to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent or non-payment of a deposit if it was paid to Menethil as per the tenancy agreement.
We understand this is a difficult situation, and landlord clients with concerns about their obligations under their tenancy agreements, including forms of rent payment, returning security deposits, and adjudicating disputes, can find information on the Residential Tenancy Branch website.
Landlords should engage a licensed rental property manager to service their properties and establish alternate payment arrangement. Landlords may also update their rental payment arrangements to ensure they receive future rental payments directly. This may include working with a licensed rental property management brokerage to establish alternate payment arrangements.
Yes, a licensed rental property brokerage can service your property on your behalf.
Menethil’s licence has been suspended, and it can no longer provide any real estate services. This also means that licensed representatives working for Menethil (i.e., your rental property manager) are no longer licensed to work for the brokerage.
Yes. Landlords can take on activities related to the management of their rental property themselves, if they wish.
Landlords who take on activities related to the management of their rental property should ensure they can prove to the tenant that they are the landlord/property owner.
Landlords and licensed rental property managers must act in accordance with the Residential Tenancy Act and are not permitted to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent or non-payment of deposit if their May rent was paid to Menethil Properties as per the tenancy agreement.
We understand this is a difficult situation, and landlord clients with concerns about their obligations under their tenancy agreements, including rent payment, returning security deposits, and dispute resolution, can find information on the Residential Tenancy Branch website.
For Tenants
Residential tenancy agreements are not impacted as a result of this urgent order. However, your landlord (i.e., the property owner) may contact you to update your agreement or provide an update regarding arrangements of rental property management services because Menethil is no longer authorized to provide real estate services.
The Residential Tenancy Branch advises that tenants should continue to pay rent according to the terms of their tenancy agreement, until such time as their landlord or another licensed property manager who has assumed responsibility of the property contacts them to provide updated information regarding their agreement.
Tenants should request that any landlord, property owner, or licensed rental property manager that contacts them provides proof that they are the landlord/property owner or appointed property manager.
Landlords are not permitted to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent or non-payment of deposit if it was paid to Menethil as per the residential tenancy agreement.
We understand this is a difficult situation. Tenants with concerns about their obligations under their tenancy agreements, including rent payment, returning security deposits, and dispute resolution, can find information on the Residential Tenancy Branch website.
The Residential Tenancy Branch is responsible for dispute resolution between tenants and landlords and may be contacted to answer questions you have about continuing rent payment, and other obligations under your tenancy agreement. In accordance with the Real Estate Services Act, BCFSA does not regulate the actions of tenants.
Why Did This Happen?
BCFSA holds all brokerages to high professional and regulatory standards and expects them to remain compliant with the Real Estate Services Act (“RESA”).
As the regulator of B.C.’s real estate sector, BCFSA’s role includes ensuring compliance with the regulations that help to protect consumers, and that the proper controls and accounting practices are in place to protect consumers whose deposits are held in trust. We do this by conducting inspections and working with brokerages and licensees to ensure compliance.
In February 2025, BCFSA issued an Urgent Order to suspend the licence of Tao (Terry) Guo, Menethil’s managing broker, after an investigation into the brokerage’s activities found that Guo had abandoned his duties as managing broker. Real estate brokerages must have a licensed managing broker in place to supervise the brokerage. Because Guo’s licence was suspended, the brokerage has been unauthorized to operate since February 10, 2025.
Since then, BCFSA has continued to monitor the accounting and payment practices of Menethil, and has found that the brokerage has continued to provide real estate services despite being unauthorized to do so.
Additional Resources
- News Release – Kelowna Rental Property Brokerage Ordered to Cease Operations, Accounts Frozen – April 25, 2025
- Reasons for Order in Urgent Circumstances and Order to Freeze Property – Menethil Properties and Yu (David) Song – April 28, 2025
- Consumer Alert – Menethil Properties and Tao (Terry) Guo – February 13, 2025
- News Release – Kelowna-based Rental Property Brokerage No Longer Authorized to Operate Following Urgent Order to Suspend Licence of Managing Broker – February 13, 2025
- Decision: Yu (David) Song & Menethil Properties Ltd.
- News Release – Managing Broker Receives $25,000 Fine, Cancelled Licence for Professional Misconduct – September 2023
About BCFSA
BC Financial Services Authority is the province’s regulator for the financial services sector that helps to protect British Columbians during some of the most important financial decisions of their lives. As a Crown agency of the Government of British Columbia, BCFSA oversees credit unions, trust companies, insurance companies, pension plans, mortgage services, real estate services, real estate development marketing, and money services businesses. BCFSA also administers the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (“CUDIC”). BCFSA’s mission is to instill confidence in the financial services sector by focusing on the safety and soundness of regulated entities and consumer protection.
