Difference between revisions of "End of Tenancy (Termination and Eviction) (19:IX)"

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A tenant must deliver up possession at the end of the tenancy. After tenancy ends, there is no “agreement” and the over holding tenant is usually  found to be a licensee or mere occupant. A new tenancy agreement could be created (e.g. by the landlord accepting and providing a receipt for payment of rent), but otherwise the occupant of residential premises is liable to a landlord’s claim for compensation for “use and occupation”  (RTA, s 57(3)). The landlord may join the “tenant” as third party if sued by a prospective tenant for failure to give vacant possession (s 57(4)). The landlord must not take actual possession of a rental unit that is occupied by an over holding tenant unless the landlord has a writ of possession issued under the B.C. Supreme Court ''Rules of Court''.
A tenant must deliver up possession at the end of the tenancy. After tenancy ends, there is no “agreement” and the over holding tenant is usually  found to be a licensee or mere occupant. A new tenancy agreement could be created (e.g. by the landlord accepting and providing a receipt for payment of rent), but otherwise the occupant of residential premises is liable to a landlord’s claim for compensation for “use and occupation”  (RTA, s 57(3)). The landlord may join the “tenant” as third party if sued by a prospective tenant for failure to give vacant possession (s 57(4)). The landlord must not take actual possession of a rental unit that is occupied by an over holding tenant unless the landlord has a writ of possession issued under the B.C. Supreme Court ''Rules of Court''.
A  tenant,  occupant,  or  landlord  may  obtain  an  order  from  the  RTB  respecting  his  or  her  right  to possess or occupy the rental unit. A landlord may apply for an Order of Possession whether or not a tenant  has  disputed  the  Notice  to  End  Tenancy  he  or  she  was  given.  A  landlord  may  not  regain possession after a tenancy agreement has ended unless the tenant vacates, or has abandoned the unit, or  (where  the  tenant  remains  in  possession)  unless  the  landlord  obtains  an  Order  of  Possession through  a  Dispute  Resolution  hearing.  If  a  tenant  is  served  with  an  Order  of Possession  but fails  to comply, a landlord may then seek a writ of possession from the B.C. Supreme Court (or Registry; see [[Dispute Resolution in Residential Tenancies (19:X)#3. Enforcing  an  Order  of  Possession | Section X.C.3:  Enforcing  an  Order  of  Possession]]).  What  this  means  is  that  a  landlord  may  not change  the  locks,  or lock  out  a  tenant,  without judicial  backing.  The  landlord  must  receive  an Order of Possession,  a  writ  of  possession  and  take  back  possession of  the rental unit  by employing  a court bailiff to change the locks and remove the tenant.
If the landlord gives the notice to end, he or she can apply for the Order of Possession only after the tenant’ s limitation period to file for dispute has expired  (s 55(2)(b)). This may be five, 10, or 15 days depending on the reasons for ending the tenancy. A list of reasons can be found on the Notice to End Residential Tenancy form.
Landlords can, in some circumstances, obtain an Order of Possession without attending a hearing. An Arbitrator may issue the order directly where the tenant has failed to dispute a Notice to end Tenancy for unpaid rent within the time limits (s 55(4)).
G.A bandonment and End of Tenancy; Surrender At  common  law,  abandonment  does  not  necessarily  bring  about  a  surrender  (end)  of  the  tenancy.  A landlord can re-enter and re-let the rental units as the tenant’ s agent. If the landlord conducts him or herself  in  a  manner  consistent  with  ending  the  interest,  the  tenancy  is “surrendered”;  the  landlord’ s intentions  are  not  critical. If  the  tenancy  is  not  surrendered,  the  landlord  may  sue  the  tenant  for  the debt of rent as it is due, and is not limited to damages for loss suffered up until the end of the tenancy (although in certain circumstances, a landlord may bring about a surrender and still sue for damages to the end of the unexpired term). For month-to-month tenancies, any such losses will be minimal. Abandonment of the rental unit by the tenant is one of the automatic grounds for ending a residential tenancy agreement (RTA, s 44(1)(d)). This most commonly arises when the landlord decides the rental unit has been abandoned and the tenant will want to dispute the end of the tenancy and the landlord’ s finding of abandonment. Please note that the landlord’ s duty to mitigate and re-rent, and the landlord’ s  right  to  remove  the  tenant’ s  goods  depend  on  a  finding  that  the  rental  unit  was  abandoned. A landlord  can  consider  a  unit  abandoned  only  after  rent  has  not  been  paid  for  one  month.  In  rare circumstances, the landlord may refuse to consider the rental unit abandoned, and a tenant may want to insist that the landlord wrongfully disregarded certain circumstances that constituted abandonment. The  landlord’ s  covenant  to  ensure  quiet  enjoyment,  and  to  comply  with  s  29  entry  procedures, continues  while  the  agreement  exists,  i.e.  while  there  is  no  abandonment.  The  landlord  can  enter where  the  tenant  abandons  the  rental  unit.  However,  the  landlord  may  not  be  able  to  determine  if there is abandonment without re-entering the rental unit; if there is no abandonment and the landlord has  improperly  entered,  he  or  she  has  breached  s 29.  The landlord could  enter under  the emergency provision,  or  if  he  or  she  is  certain  that  substantially  all  the  tenant’ s  chattels  have  been  removed; otherwise, the landlord should give written notice of entry for a reasonable purpose. Alternatively, the landlord  could  apply  for  an  Order  of  Possession  if  he  or  she  believes  the  rental  unit  have  been abandoned but wants clear legal grounds to establish the right to enter the suite. This may also require that a Notice to End a Residential Tenancy be formally served. Part  5  of  the Residential  Tenancy  Regulations,  sets  out  guidelines  to  assist  the  landlord  to  dispose  of abandoned personal property, and/or assist the tenant to recover such property.
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