As the owner of a fire-ravaged property he's been accused of neglecting, Fu De Ren has defended himself in both civil proceedings and bylaw trials.

But the East Vancouver landlord may be forced to pay for his latest attempt at self-representation: a bid to cut his property's assessed value by nearly half — from $19 million to $10 million.

CBC Investigates Victims or wrongdoers? Inside the $1.6M financial fight over a fire-plagued Vancouver property

According to the board that hears assessment appeals, Ren's arguments are riddled with fictitious case law — possible artificial intelligence (AI) "hallucinations" that sent B.C.'s assessment authority on a wild goose chase in search of legal precedent that doesn't exist.

Now, the board says Ren may have to pay for those mistakes.

"The

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