About the Tenant Survival Guide

The Tenant Survival Guide is intended to give tenants a basic understanding of residential tenancy law in British Columbia and what it means to them.

Top five survival tips for problem-free renting

1. Read the Tenant Survival Guide.
2. Have a witness with you and take pictures when you move in and out of a place.
3. Get everything in writing.
4. Think carefully about anything you sign.
5. Pay your rent on time and get a receipt if you pay with cash.

If you still have problems, call the TRAC Tenant Information Line:

Vancouver area: 604-255-0546

Outside Vancouver area: 1-800-665-1185

Publication details

The Tenant Survival Guide is produced by the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, an educational organization promoting tenants' rights and affordable housing in British Columbia.

The Tenant Survival Guide © TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence. This licence lets others share, reuse, remix, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as they credit the copyright holder and license their new creations under the identical terms.

First edition: 1984

Thirteenth edition: 2018

The following people worked on the thirteenth edition:

• Writing: Andrew Sakamoto
• Illustrations: Kate O’Connor
• Legal supervision/editing: Zuzana Modrovic
• Project coordination: Andrew Sakamoto

TRAC acknowledges funding from The Law Foundation of BC, Province of British Columbia, and City of Vancouver.

Online version

The online version of the Tenant Survival Guide is available on Clicklaw Wikibooks at wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca. The online version should be consulted for the most recent information on topics covered by this publication.

Using this Guide

Relevant sections of the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) or the Residential Tenancy Regulation are cited below select sections throughout this Guide. These sections are current at the time of publication, but may change if the Act changes.

The information contained in the Tenant Survival Guide is for informational purposes only. TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre cannot act as your lawyer, and its staff members are not lawyers. TRAC makes no representations, expressed or implied, that the information contained in this Guide can or will be used or interpreted in any particular way by any governmental agency or court. As legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case, and laws are constantly changing, nothing provided here should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

Information about TRAC publications

To request a copy of the Tenant Survival Guide or Landlord Guide, contact TRAC at 604-255-0546 or outside the Lower Mainland at 1-800-655-1185. We may require a shipping fee for bulk orders.

In addition to the Tenant Survival Guide in English, Traditional Chinese and Spanish, TRAC also publishes a Tenant Info pamphlet with basic information about tenancy law in BC. The pamphlet is available in English, Punjabi, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Korean, Japanese and Portuguese.

TRAC also publishes a Landlord Guide in English, Traditional Chinese and Punjabi, as well as a Newcomers Guide in Simplified Chinese, French, Persian and Korean.

You can download all of TRAC’s publications from our website at www.tenants.bc.ca.

TRAC's Online Course

TRAC also has a free online course for renters, called Renting it Right. The course covers both practical and legal topics to consider before deciding to rent. Students learn how to search for rental housing, submit a strong application, understand a tenancy agreement, and move in to a new place. By completing the course and passing the final exam, you can earn a certificate to present to prospective landlords with a rental application. Check it out at www.rentingitright.ca.

Connect with TRAC

• Become a member of TRAC.
• Check out TRAC’s Facebook Page.
• Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TRAC_BC.

Photo illustration credit: Kate O'Connor