Province Offering More Protections For Renters, Parents, Landlords, Families

The Province is taking steps to support renters and landlords who play by the rules by amending legislation to better protect people from bad-faith evictions, eliminate rent increases when a child is added to a household and resolve rental disputes faster.

“While most landlords and tenants play by the rules and have respectful relationships, too many people in B.C. are still facing unfair rent hikes and evictions under false pretenses,” said Premier David Eby.

“At the same time, many people who have chosen to rent part of their home are struggling to end problematic tenancies. That’s why we’re taking action to protect both renters and landlords with stronger rules designed to ensure the law is respected by everyone — and bring more fairness for everyone in the rental market.”

Changes would restrict rent increases if a tenant adds a child under 19 to their household.

No rent increases above the annual allowable rent increase will be permitted even if there is a term in the tenancy agreement that states rent will increase with new occupants.

The amendments will also deter bad-faith evictions by requiring landlords to use a web portal to generate a notice to evict a tenant for personal use, providing a standardized process for serving notice.

The new process for evictions will also allow for post-eviction compliance audits and provide information to the ministry about the frequency of these types of evictions.

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia.