Evictions

Do insist on receiving a written eviction notice on a proper government form. Don’t sign a mutual agreement to end tenancy form, unless you want to move out and you do not expect to get compensation for moving.

Notice

Your landlord can only evict you for certain reasons set out in law, and must give you written notice. Landlords should use a form from the Residential Tenancy Branch. On the notice, the landlord must provide information required by law, including reasons for the eviction and how you can challenge the eviction. If the landlord does not use this form or provide required information, the notice may not be legal. Check in the forms section of the Residential Tenancy Branch website. Never ignore an eviction notice, even if you think it is not legal.

Challenging an eviction

You can challenge an eviction by applying for a dispute resolution hearing through the Residential Tenancy Branch. The eviction notice must state the reason you are being evicted. Each type of eviction has a different notice period to move out. There are time limits for applying to challenge an eviction, so act quickly. Below are the types of evictions, reasons, and number of days you have to move out or challenge the eviction.

What if the landlord doesn’t follow the rules?

If the landlord just tells you to get out, or gives you a notice that is not on the proper form, don’t ignore it. Write a letter to the landlord and say that the eviction is not legal. Keep the eviction notice and a copy of your letter.

You can use TRAC's template demand letter- Response to Illegal Eviction Notice.

Illegal activity

Under the Residential Tenancy Act a landlord can evict a tenant for illegal activity. Depending on the severity of the illegal activity the landlord may give the tenant a one month notice to move out, or may apply for a Residential Tenancy Branch order to get the tenant out right away. A tenant does not have to be convicted or even charged with a crime to be evicted for illegal activity. The standard of proof for ending a tenancy for illegal activity is the same as it is for ending the tenancy for cause. It is based on a “balance of probabilities”.

What sort of illegal activities can a tenant be evicted for?

Not just any illegal activity is grounds for eviction. In order for a landlord to end a tenancy due to illegal activity the illegal activity must:

• cause or be likely to cause damage to the landlord’s property,
• adversely affect or be likely to adversely affect the quiet enjoyment, security, safety or physical well-being of another occupant of the residential property,
• jeopardize, or be likely to jeopardize, a lawful right or interest of another occupant or the landlord.

For more information about illegal activity that would be grounds for an eviction see the Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline 32. See Sections 47 and 56 of the RTA

Eviction for not paying rent

• It is a 10 day notice.
• You have 5 days to apply for dispute resolution.

Your landlord can evict you for not paying all or part of the rent. Your landlord must wait at least one day after the rent was due before giving you an eviction notice. If you get an eviction notice because you did not pay your rent, you have five days to pay. If you pay all the rent within five days, the notice is canceled. Bring a witness or get a receipt to prove you paid the rent. If you don’t pay the rent within five days, you must move out at the end of the 10 days from when you received the eviction notice. Under the Direct Request Process, the landlord can apply for an Order of Possession without going to a hearing. Never ignore an eviction notice. The landlord can also take you to dispute resolution to get back any rent you owe. Being evicted for non-payment of rent does not mean that you do not have to pay the rent. You can be evicted and still owe rent. If you have a dispute with your landlord it is best to pay your rent and deal with the dispute through dispute resolution at the Residential Tenancy Branch. See Section 46 and 66 of the RTA

Eviction for cause

• It is a 1-month notice.
• You have 10 days to apply for dispute resolution.

The reasons for a one-month eviction are listed on the second or back page of the notice to end tenancy form. The most common reasons for a one-month eviction notice are:

• disturbing your neighbours,
• repeatedly paying your rent late (three times would be considered “repeated”),
• seriously damaging your place or the building,
• not fixing damage done by you or your guests within a reasonable time,
• causing danger to your neighbours, landlord, or landlord’s employees,
• too many people living in your place,
• illegal activity that adversely affects the landlord, building or other occupants of the building,
• breaking a rule in your tenancy agreement and ignoring a written warning from your landlord.

There are other reasons for a one-month eviction. Read the notice form carefully. You can fight this kind of eviction notice. If your landlord isn’t telling the truth, or if you think the situation is not serious enough to evict you, you can ask for an RTB dispute resolution hearing to overturn the eviction notice. You must apply for a dispute resolution hearing within 10 days of receiving the notice.

If you decide not to fight the eviction, you have one full month (up to the last day of the month following the month you got the notice) before you must move out. Sometimes a landlord puts the wrong date on an eviction notice. If you aren’t sure when you must leave, phone the Tenant Information Line or the Residential Tenancy Branch. See Sections 47 and 48 of the RTA.