About the Tenant Survival Guide

This page from JP Boyd on Family Law—and other pages from this Wikibook that discuss BC family law litigation topics—are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition, and have been highlighted in orange where they appear in the navigation menu on this website.

Tenant Survival Guide
This page is from the Tenant Survival Guide. See the full contents.
Contents
Introduction Preparing to Rent Finding Rental Housing Entering a Tenancy Moving In Rent Living in Peace Repairs and Services Evictions Moving Out Dispute Resolution Other Resources for Tenants
From
This wikibook is from Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre
v • d • e

Top five survival tips for problem-free renting

Read the Tenant Survival Guide.
Have a witness with you and take pictures when you move in and out of a place.
Get everything in writing.
Think carefully about anything you sign.
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

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, 2012.

v • d • e Tenant Survival Guide

Introduction	About the Guide

Preparing to Rent	The law in BC · Are you covered by the law? · Landlords, owners, and agents

Finding Rental Housing	Budgeting for rental housing · Identifying rental needs and preferences · Searching for rental housing · Viewing a rental unit · Personal information · Discrimination

Entering a Tenancy	Protect yourself with a written contract · Tenancy agreements · Roommates · Changing terms in a tenancy agreement

Moving In	Move-in condition inspection report · Rental unit must be suitable for occupation · Locks and keys · Tenant insurance

Rent	Paying rent · Rent increases · Exceptions to rent increase rules

Living in Peace When Renting	The meaning of quiet enjoyment · Landlord entry · Noise · Smoking · Intimidation, harassment, and physical harm · Guests

Repairs and Services	Landlord repair and maintenance responsibilities · Tenant repair and maintenance responsibilities · Emergency repairs · Standards of Maintenance · Services and facilities

Evictions	Types of evictions · 10 Day Notice for Non-Payment of Rent · One Month Notice for Cause · Landlord's Use of Property Eviction Notices · Deadlines to dispute eviction notices · Physically removing a tenant · Other ways a tenancy could end

Moving Out	Giving notice to move out · Serving documents · Special service rules for certain documents · Illegally breaking a lease · Alternatives to breaking a lease · Cleaning responsibilities · Move-out condition inspection reports · Getting your deposit returned

Dispute Resolution	The basics · Resolving disputes without dispute resolution · Applying for dispute resolution · Preparing for dispute resolution · Participating in dispute resolution · Collecting money from your landlord · Reviewing a dispute resolution hearing decision

Other Resources for Tenants	Government · Tenant services · Online resources

Tenant Survival Guide © TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Top five survival tips for problem-free renting

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