Bindley Estate v Quartermaine Holding Ltd. 2017 BCSC 672 ordered partition and sale of a property %50 owned by two parties where one party wished to sell and the other refused. They we unable to agree on a price for the respondent to buy out the petitioner’s interest. The petitioner estate wished to sell in order to wind up the estate of a deceased owner in a residential apartment .
The Court ordered a sale of the property pursuant to section 6 of the Partition of Property act.
Sections 2 and 6 of the act states:
2 (1) All joint tenants, tenants in common, coparceners, mortgagees or other creditors who have liens on, and all parties interested in any land may be compelled to partition or sell the land, or a part of it as provided in this Act.
6 In a proceeding for partition where, if this Act had not been passed, an order for partition might have been made, and if the party or parties interested, individually or collectively, to the extent of 1/2 or upwards in the property involved request the court to direct a sale of the property and a distribution of the proceeds instead of a division of the property, the court must, unless it sees good reason to the contrary, order a sale of the property and may give directions.
[27] In McRae v. Seymour Village Management Inc., 2014 BCSC 714, a case involving a condominium development near Seymour Mountain in North Vancouver where 105 owners wanted to sell and 9 did not, Justice Fenlon stated at para. 20:
… [T]he Court, in exercising its discretion, is concerned with doing justice and must ultimately weigh the significance of the respondents’ reasons for objecting to the sale against the petitioners’ interest and reasons for wanting the [sale]. …
[28] In the end, and as all the cases seem to agree, it is a matter of discretion under s. 6. In the exercise of the court’s discretion, the court must act judicially and fairly. One consideration will be whether an overriding fairness and similar result can be obtained by some other reasonable process: Richardson. v. McGuinness (13 December 1996), Vancouver Registry, C965381, (B.C.S.C.) at para. 34.
[38] The court has a broad discretion to fashion a remedy that brings the parties’ dispute to an end in the fairest and most appropriate possible way. The respondent asks that if an order for sale is to be made, that I consider postponing it to allow for some tax planning and possible refinancing. The petitioner says that, given that this petition was filed some six months ago, the respondent has had sufficient time already.
[39] I have considered the various options that may help a party solve this impasse. I find that the most appropriate remedy is to make the following orders:
a) On or before June 9, 2017, and absent an agreement to the contrary, or absent any further court order, the parties will jointly appoint and engage an independent real estate broker (the “Broker”) to offer the Property for sale and obtain the highest price and most favourable terms (collectively called the “Sale Terms”) available on the open market. If the parties are unable to agree on the Broker to be engaged, the parties are at liberty to apply for an order in respect thereof.
b) The respondent is at liberty to apply for an extension for the listing of the Property for sale past the June 9, 2017 deadline should the respondent consider it has appropriate grounds for an extension.
c) Each of the parties may submit an offer to purchase the Property if either so wishes, provided that neither of them will act or omit to act in any way that affects the integrity of the sales process and the Broker’s mandate as set out in this order.
d) Except as provided in subpara. (e) below, and subject to a right of first refusal, the Property will be sold pursuant to the sale terms, and upon completion of the sale, the net sale proceeds will be distributed equally between the parties.
e) Instead of a sale of the Property, upon a determination of the sale terms, each of the parties may offer to purchase from the other that other’s 50 percent interest in the Property for an amount equal to the net amount that the vendor will receive if the Property is sold pursuant to the sale terms.
f) If necessary, each party has liberty to apply to the court for directions with respect to the marketing of the Property or as to the conduct of sale on three days’ notice to the other if such directions are necessary.
g) All necessary accounts, directions and inquiries may be taken, including a determination of net income owing to the parties, from the operation of Property, up to the date the sale of the Property completes.
h) The parties have liberty to apply for the appointment of a trustee to conduct the sale of the Property and to distribute the net sale proceeds as the court directs.