Security Deposits in Residential Tenancies (19:VI)

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This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by the Law Students' Legal Advice Program on August 15, 2024.

A. Definitions

A landlord may require a tenant to pay one security deposit as a condition of entering into a tenancy agreement (RTA, s 17). “Security deposit” is defined very broadly. It can include money, property, rights, or otherwise almost any other item of value to be held by a landlord for the purpose of securing the performance of a tenant’s obligations under the tenancy agreement and the RTA; however, a security deposit does not include a post-dated cheque for rent, a pet damage deposit, or a fee prescribed under RTR ss. 6 and 7 (RTA, s 1); for more information, see RTB PG 29: Security Deposits.

A pet damage deposit is similar to a security deposit, but is held by the landlord as security for damage to the rental property caused by a pet (RTA, s 1). Unlike a security deposit, the definition of a pet damage deposit does not exclude post-dated cheques for rent (RTA, s 1).

B. Payment of the Security Deposit and Pet Damage Deposit

1. Amount

A security deposit or a pet damage deposit must not exceed one half of the monthly rent (RTA, s 19(1)).

2. Number

A landlord is permitted to accept a maximum of one security deposit (RTA, s 20(b)) and one pet damage deposit (RTA, s 20(d)) within a tenancy agreement.

3. Timing

A landlord is not entitled to a security deposit from a tenant after the agreement has already been formed (RTA, s 20(a)).

A landlord is only permitted to require a pet damage deposit from a tenant when the tenant enters into the tenancy agreement, or the point at which the landlord agrees that the tenant may keep a pet they acquired during the tenancy on the residential property (RTA, s 20(c)).

4. Consequences of Non-Compliance

If a landlord accepts a security deposit or a pet damage deposit that is greater than 1/2 of one month's rent, the tenant may deduct the overpayment from rent or otherwise recover the overpayment (RTA, s 19(2)).

Failure to pay a lawful security deposit is a ground for ending the tenancy (RTA, s 47(1)(a)). The landlord may give a one-month eviction notice if the tenant fails to pay the security deposit within 30 days of the due date under the tenancy agreement.

C. Return of Security Deposit and Pet Damage Deposit

A tenant must provide their landlords with a forwarding address in writing within one year after the end of the tenancy (RTA, s 39). Once both the tenancy has ended and the landlord has received the tenant’s forwarding address in writing, the landlord has 15 days to do one of the following:

return the security deposit or pet damage deposit to the tenant, with interest (RTA, s 38(1)(c)); or
make an application for dispute resolution to retain the deposit (RTA, s 38(1)(d)).

If the landlord fails to complete either of those two options and the tenant still has a valid right to the deposit, the tenant may apply for dispute resolution (RTA, s 38.1(1)). After this, the landlord may not make a claim against the security deposit or any pet damage deposit and must pay the tenant double the amount of the security deposit, pet damage deposit, or both (RTA, ss 38(6)).

If a tenant fails to provide their forwarding address in writing within one year after the end of the tenancy, they lose the right to have their security deposit or pet deposit returned, and the landlord may keep them (RTA, s 39). A landlord may also keep a security deposit or pet damage deposit if the tenant agrees in writing or if ordered by the RTB (RTA, s 38(4)).

Leases may not include a term providing that the landlord automatically keeps all or part of the deposit at the end of a tenancy (RTA, s 20 (e)). The right of a landlord or tenant to respectively keep or retrieve the security deposit or pet deposit depends on their compliance with the requirements governing condition inspection reports.

1. Interest on Security Deposit

Interest on a security deposit or pet damage deposit is calculated from the date the tenant pays the deposit to the day before the security deposit is paid back to the tenant. If the deposit is disputed at dispute resolution, the interest is calculated from the date the tenant paid the deposit up until the date the Arbitrator orders its return (usually the date of the hearing).

Interest on a security deposit or pet damage deposit is calculated as follows: for each one-year period beginning on January 1, the rate will be 4.5% below the prime lending rate of the principal banker to the province on January 1st of that year, compounded annually (RTR, s 4). The interest payable on security and pet damage deposits for 2024 is 2.7%.

There is an online deposit interest calculator here.

2. Change of Landlord

Where a security or pet deposit is paid to a landlord, and the property is then subsequently sold, the obligations regarding the security deposit and pet damage deposit pass to the new property owner, meaning they become responsible for repaying the security deposit and pet damage deposit when the tenancy ends (RTA, s 93).

D. Non-Refundable Fees

The RTA allows landlords to charge some non-refundable fees to a tenant in accordance with section 7 of the RTR. They do not form part of the security deposit or pet deposit (RTA, s 1).

Some of these allowable non-refundable fees are:

direct cost of replacing keys or other access devices (RTR, s 7(1)(a));
direct cost of additional keys or other access devices requested by the tenant (RTR, s 7(1)(b));
a service fee charged by a financial institution to the landlord for the return of a tenant’s cheque (RTR, s 7(1)(c));
a move-in or move-out fee charged by a strata corporation to the landlord (RTR, s 7(1)(f));
a fee for services or facilities that are requested by the tenant and not required to be provided under the tenancy agreement (RTR, s 7(1)(g)).

The following fees must only be charged if laid out in the tenancy agreement (RTR, s 7(2)):

an administration fee for a tenant’s cheque returned by their financial institution or for late payment of rent, which must not exceed $25 (RTR, s 7(1)(d)); and
a fee for moving between rental units within the residential property if the move was requested by the tenant, which must not exceed the greater of $15 and 3% of the monthly rent (RTR, s 7(1)(e)).