Terms in Admission Agreements and Contracts in Residential Care

Applicants faced with an admission contract should not sign it if they do not understand it. Retaining a lawyer or trained advocate may be appropriate in these circumstances. An admission agreement must not contain clauses that are illegal. The clauses will not be enforceable. People cannot contract out of their human rights and Operators cannot contract out of the legal responsibilities under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, or other law.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support, June 2014.

An agreement between two or more people, giving them obligations towards each other that can be enforced in court. A valid contract must be offered by one person and accepted by the other, and some form of payment or other thing of value must generally be exchanged between the parties to the contract.

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

(1) A lawyer or a person other than a lawyer who helps clients with legal issues, or (2) to argue a position on behalf of someone.