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Difference between revisions of "Preparing to Rent"

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'''Verbal Tenancies:''' Although section 13 of the ''RTA'' requires landlords to prepare tenancy agreements in writing, section 1 of the ''RTA'' also says that a tenancy agreement can be “oral, express or implied”. This means that you do not have to sign a written agreement to establish a tenancy. Despite the fact that verbal tenancies are covered by the ''RTA'', it is still always best to have a written agreement with your landlord.
'''Verbal Tenancies:''' Although section 13 of the ''RTA'' requires landlords to prepare tenancy agreements in writing, section 1 of the ''RTA'' also says that a tenancy agreement can be “oral, express or implied”. This means that you do not have to sign a written agreement to establish a tenancy. Despite the fact that verbal tenancies are covered by the ''RTA'', it is still always best to have a written agreement with your landlord.


==What a landlord can ask==
==Landlord, Owners, and Agents==


According to "Privacy Guidelines For Landlords and Tenants" released by the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia:
It is important to understand the difference between the terms “owner”, “landlord”, and “agent”. All tenancies under the ''[[Residential Tenancy Act]] (RTA)'' have an owner who is automatically considered a landlord. In addition, some tenancies will include agents acting as secondary landlords on behalf of the owner. For example, if you rent a unit in a large apartment building, there is a good chance the owner will hire a property management company to manage the building. In this situation, the owner and the property management company, acting as the owner’s agent, are considered your landlords. This means that if you have any problems during your tenancy, you can list both of them on an application for dispute resolution. See section 1 of the ''RTA'' for more information.
*a landlord should not require that a tenant provide their Social Insurance Number on tenancy application forms or rental agreements,
*a landlord should not demand a tenant's banking information,
*a landlord cannot request a tenant's credit card information as a condition of renting a property, and
*requiring a criminal records check is not reasonably necessary.
 
A landlord may ask to examine a person's driver's licence in order to verify the person's identity. However, the landlord must not write down or photocopy this personal information.
 
If a landlord refuses to rent to you because you didn't provide personal information that a landlord should not require, you have the right to report the landlord to the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. To read the full privacy guidelines, see http://tenants.bc.ca/Personal-Information/.
 
===Discrimination===
 
A landlord cannot discriminate against you or refuse to rent to you because of your race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, or age (19 years or older). The landlord also cannot discriminate against you if you are married or not married, if you have children, or if you have a disability.  
 
''There are two exceptions:''
 
*'''Shared accommodation''': The law does not always apply when cooking, sleeping or bathroom facilities are shared. For example, if a woman wants to rent a room in her house only to another woman, she may be allowed to discriminate in this way.
* '''Adults only''': A landlord cannot refuse to rent to you because you have children, unless the building is reserved for people 55 years or older. It's illegal for a landlord to advertise “adult only” or to write “adult only” in a tenancy agreement, unless the building is for tenants 55 years or older.


==Application fees==
==Application fees==