Guidelines and Resources for Landlord and Tenant Law (19:XVII)
| This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by the Law Students' Legal Advice Program on July 1, 2022. |
A. Legislation and Regulations
Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78 [RTA].
Website: https://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02078_01
Residential Tenancy Regulation, BC Reg 477/2003, [RTR].
Website: https://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/477_2003
- The RTA and RTR set out the law of residential tenancies in BC. They will often hold the ultimate answer to questions relating to disputes between landlords and tenants.
- For the current status of the RTA and RTR, refer to CCH British Columbia Real Estate Law Guide, Robert J. Maguire, Rose H. McConnell, loose-leaf (Toronto, ON: CCH, undated).
Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 77 [MHPTA].
Website: https://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02077_01
Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Regulation, BC Reg 481/2003
Website: https://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/481_2003
The Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78 [RTA] and Residential Tenancy Regulation [RTR], BC Reg 477/2003 as well as the rules of procedure are amended occasionally; check the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) website to get the most up to date information.
B. Resources and Policy Guidelines
TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre
Website: https://www.tenants.bc.ca
Provides a variety of publications relating to tenant law, including the Tenant Survival Guide (also available online as a wikibook, via the Clicklaw website: wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca/index.php/Tenant_Survival_Guide)
Residential Tenancy Branch
Main Office
400 - 5021 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C. V5H 4A5
Website: https://www.rto.gov.bc.ca
Office Hours: M-F 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Information line:
- Metro Vancouver 604-660-1020
- Victoria 250-387-1602
- Elsewhere in BC 1-800-665-8779
- Fax: 604-660-2363
- E-mail: HSRTO@gov.bc.ca
Downtown Eastside Satellite Office
Four Corners
390 Main Street (Entrance on Hastings) Vancouver, B.C. V6A 2T1
Office Hours: M-F 12:30 pm - 4:00pm
NOTE: The main office in Burnaby is a full-service office. The Downtown Eastside office is a satellite office and does not handle money. Dispute applications can only be filed there by low-income applicants who are eligible for a fee waiver. Those offices are staffed with information officers.
The RTB website contains forms, legislation and RTB interpretation guidelines, and includes the following useful publications:
Residential Tenancy Branch Dispute Resolution Rules of Procedure
Website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/housing-and-tenancy/residential-tenancies/rop.pdf
Residential Tenancy Information Sheets
Website: http://bit.ly/1KTmo6l
RTB Policy Guidelines: detailed information on common problem areas; drafted by RTB Arbitrators. Website: https://bit.ly/1ei1NfH
RTB Calculators: Help in calculating rent increases, dates, deposits and more. Website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/calculators-and-resources/calculators
B.C. Housing
Suite 101 - 4555 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C. V5H 4V8
Website: https://www.bchousing.org
Toll-free: 1-800-257-7756
Information for tenants living in public, subsidized housing.
Landlord BC
Website: www.landlordbc.ca
E-mail: info@landlordbc.ca
Direct: 1-888-330-6707
Vancouver Office:
1210-1095 West Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 2M6
Telephone: 604-733-9420 Fax: 604-733-9420
Victoria Office:
830B Pembroke Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8T 1J9
Telephone: 250-382-6324
Fax Local: 250-382-6006
Fax Toll-Free: 1-877-382-6006
C. Books
Margaret Carter-Pyne, Residential Tenancy Law in British Columbia: Everything you need to know to prevent a disaster (Victoria, BC: Sunnymead Publishing, 2009).
- A useful resource for tenants in preparing for a hearing.
Allan Wotherspoon, Annotated British Columbia Residential Tenancy Act (Aurora, ON: Canada Law Book, 2005).
- This is a loose-leaf volume updated once or twice annually.
CCH British Columbia Real Estate Law Guide, Robert J. Maguire, Rose H. McConnell, loose-leaf (Toronto, ON: CCH, undated).
- A summary of the state of the RTA and RTR.
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