Dispute Resolution for Tenants
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Do prepare well for a hearing and make sure you submit all your evidence on time. Don’t show up late or miss a dispute resolution hearing altogether. You may not get another chance.
What is dispute resolution?[edit]
Tenants in BC are protected by the Residential Tenancy Act. This is the law that makes rules for tenants and landlords. You may be able to use the Act to deal with problems you have with your landlord, by going to dispute resolution at the Residential Tenancy Branch. A dispute resolution hearing is like a landlord-tenant “court”. You can ask a dispute resolution officer to interpret the rules in the Residential Tenancy Act. For example, you can ask for repairs, or dispute an eviction notice. Dispute hearings can be held in person at the Residential Tenancy Branch, or over the phone by conference call. At the hearing, you can present evidence, and bring witnesses. The dispute resolution officer will decide what to do about the problem, based on an interpretation of the law and your evidence. You and your landlord must obey the decision.
Rules and procedures[edit]
Rules of Procedure are posted on the Residential Tenancy Branch Web site. These rules can give you an idea of how the hearing is conducted. It is also useful to look at the Interpretation Guidelines on that Web site. The Guidelines help explain what is meant by certain parts of the Residential Tenancy Act and are meant to assist dispute resolution officers in making their decisions.
Time limits[edit]
You must apply for dispute resolution within a certain number of days if you are responding to a notice from your landlord. For example, you only have a few days to challenge an eviction notice. The time limits for dispute resolution are written on the notices the landlord gives you. If you don’t know how much time you have to apply for dispute resolution, immediately take the notice to the nearest Residential Tenancy Branch, Government Agent or Service BC Centre.
Early Resolution[edit]
You can phone the Residential Tenancy Branch and ask an Information Officer to phone the landlord on your behalf if you believe that the issue can be resolved easily by having the Information Officer explain to the landlord that he is acting in a way that is not allowed under the Residential Tenancy Act. Make sure that you take note of the Information Officer’s name.
