Tenants & landlords
Renting can come with its share of challenges for both tenants and landlords. Whether you’re new to renting, a seasoned tenant, or considering renting out your property, knowing your rights and responsibilities can make all the difference.
Explore the links below to reliable online guides and tools and to organizations in BC. They have been chosen by librarians at Courthouse Libraries BC.
Selected resources
Click on a topic to see a list of resources.
Your Tenancy: Finding Rental Housing
Tips on finding a place to rent, including what the costs are, what questions to ask when you view a unit, the signs of a rental scam, what to do if you have a poor credit history, and whether to get tenant insurance. Includes templates for a cover letter, references list, and pet resumé.
Tenant Survival Guide: Entering a Tenancy
Explains what goes into a tenancy agreement with your landlord, and the different arrangements you can have with a roommate.
Your Tenancy: Deposits
A security deposit is money that your landlord collects at the start of the tenancy and holds on to until you move out. Find out more details about it, including pet damage deposits, overpaying deposits, applying deposits toward rent, and getting your deposits returned.
Your Tenancy: Roommates
Discusses different types of roommate arrangements: co-tenants, tenants in common, and occupants/roommates. The page emphasizes the importance of having a roommate agreement to prevent disputes and outlines the legal avenues for resolving conflicts.
Your Tenancy: Repairs and Maintenance
Includes a list of repair and maintenance issues that landlords are generally responsible for, what to do when you need an emergency repair, and what is considered reasonable wear and tear versus damage that the tenant must fix.
Rent Increases
Explains landlords can only increase rent if they provide tenants with at least three full months notice. Rent can only be increased once every 12 months and must be within the yearly rent increase limit, as set by the RTB. Topics covered include when rent can be increased, and how to dispute unlawful rent increases.
Your Tenancy: Quiet Enjoyment
As a tenant, you have the right to reasonable privacy, and freedom from unreasonable disturbances from both neighbours and landlords. Learn about the rules for when the landlord can enter your unit, and what you can do about excessive noise and other breaches of quiet enjoyment.
Your Tenancy: Locks and Keys
Explains the rules landlords must follow about locks and keys. It includes what you need to know when starting a tenancy, during a tenancy, and when ending a tenancy. It includes information on dispute resolution, with previous Residential Tenancy Board decisions.
Your Tenancy: Evictions
An eviction occurs when a landlord legally forces a tenant to move out of a rental unit. If your landlord wants to evict you, they must give you an approved notice with an acceptable reason for eviction according to the Residential Tenancy Act.
Types of Evictions
There are various kinds of evictions, such as for unpaid rent or for a major renovation. Find out how much notice a landlord needs to give to end a tenancy, and how much time a tenant has to dispute the eviction and apply for dispute resolution.
Your Tenancy: Deposits
A security deposit is money that your landlord collects at the start of the tenancy and holds on to until you move out. Find out more details about it, including pet damage deposits, overpaying deposits, applying deposits toward rent, and getting your deposits returned.
Your Tenancy: Moving Out
Tips on giving notice, your cleaning responsibilities, inspection reports, and getting your damage deposit back.
Your Tenancy: Template Letters
If you’re experiencing a problem in your tenancy, you should consider putting your concerns in writing to your landlord. TRAC offers the following template letters: Request for Repairs, Request for Return of Deposit, Response to Illegal Eviction Notice, Loss of Quiet Enjoyment, Bed Bugs, and more.
Your Tenancy: Roommate Agreement Template
An agreement template to get you and your roommate or roommates to think about what rules you want to agree to before living together. It can be used when some or all of the roommates will be on the tenancy agreement, or when you’re already living in a rental unit and a roommate will be moving in.
Tenancy Calculators
Find deadlines or calculations for tenancies under the RTA: interest on security deposits, the last date a landlord must return the tenant’s security or pet damage deposit(s), when a landlord can increase rent and the max allowable, when a landlord can apply to the RTB for an order of possession.
Tenancy Laws and Rules
Covers the important laws and rules you need to follow during a tenancy. The page provides links to the rules and expectations for a hearing, to other relevant laws, and to help with residential tenancy issues. The sub page describes the types of rental housing situations covered by the tenancy laws, and what to do if your tenancy is not covered.
Your Tenancy: Alternatives to Dispute Resolution
The Residential Tenancy Branch handles most rental disputes in BC, but there are some exceptions where you’d have to go to court or a tribunal. Beyond formal hearings, tenants and landlords are encouraged to negotiate settlements, with options to engage an arbitrator.
Tenancy Dispute Resolution
Information about dispute resolution process. Includes links to the online application and more information about the process.
Tenancy Forms
Forms are grouped by topic: starting a tenancy, rent increases, dispute resolution, dispute resolution decisions and orders, ending a tenancy, and condition inspection. Forms listed alphabetically and by number are also available.
Past Tenancy Dispute Resolution Decisions
Explains past tenancy dispute decisions can be viewed online. Reviewing past decisions will give you insight into what’s likely to happen if you submit an application for dispute resolution. Find out if the RTB has already heard and made a decision on a similar issue by searching past decisions.
Your Tenancy
Legal information for all stages of your tenancy — from starting a tenancy to ending one. Includes how to resolve disputes.
During a Tenancy
Information for landlords and tenants about their rights and responsibilities during a tenancy. Covers topics such as rent increases, repairs, landlord’s access to rental properties, possession of the rental unit, quiet enjoyment, changes to the tenancy agreement, serving notices, etc. Includes forms.
LSLAP Manual: Landlord and Tenant Law
This chapter is from the manual used by law students handling cases at LSLAP’s legal clinics. It provides a summary of the law relating to tenancy agreements, security deposits, rent increases, tenants’ and landlords’ rights, termination, and eviction. Dispute resolution are also addressed.