Difference between revisions of "Preparing to Rent"
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==Information for visiting students== | ==Information for visiting students== | ||
If you are visiting from another country and renting in British Columbia, it is important to know your rights and obligations under the Residential Tenancy Act. If you are not planning on staying for a year, then you should not sign a lease or agreement that says you will stay for a year. Some landlords rent to visiting students knowing that they won’t stay for a year, but make them sign a one year lease anyway. The landlord then uses the broken agreement as an excuse to keep the student’s security deposit. Another common problem for visiting students is landlords who don’t return security deposits. Some landlords take advantage of the fact that the student will be returning to another country and unable to file for dispute resolution for a return of their security deposit. | If you are visiting from another country and renting in British Columbia, it is important to know your rights and obligations under the Residential Tenancy Act. If you are not planning on staying for a year, then you should not sign a lease or agreement that says you will stay for a year. Some landlords rent to visiting students knowing that they won’t stay for a year, but make them sign a one year lease anyway. The landlord then uses the broken agreement as an excuse to keep the student’s security deposit. Another common problem for visiting students is landlords who don’t return security deposits. Some landlords take advantage of the fact that the student will be returning to another country and unable to file for dispute resolution for a return of their security deposit. | ||
===If you are renting during your extended stay in British Columbia:=== | |||
*Do not sign a lease that states how long you must stay unless you intend to stay for that period of time. | |||
*Make sure you have a written tenancy agreement with the owner or manager of the property. | |||
*Do not take over a rental from another student who is renting and leaving the country without having your own agreement in writing with the landlord. | |||
*Do not sign any documents that you don’t fully understand. | |||
*Do the move-in and move-out inspection reports with your landlord. | |||
*Designate someone who lives in BC to act as your agent in dispute resolution in case you need to return to your home country before the landlord has returned your security deposit. Contact the [[Residential Tenancy Branch]] to do this. | |||
{{REVIEWED | reviewer = [[Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre]], 2012}} | {{REVIEWED | reviewer = [[Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre]], 2012}} | ||