Difference between revisions of "Preparing to Rent"

 

 

'''Do''' <span class="noglossary">trust</span> your instincts—if your first meeting with a potential landlord is not good, it’s likely you’ll have problems with that person and should not rent from them. '''Don’t''' sign an agreement or pay a deposit unless you are absolutely sure you want to move in to the place.

 

 

===The ''Residential Tenancy Act'' does not apply to:===

*Living accomodation where the tenant shares kitchen or bathroom facilities with the ''owner'' of the accomodation.

*people living in accommodations owned or operated by educational institutions if the institution provides the accommodation to its students or employees;

*commercial tenancies;

*vacation or travel accommodation;

*people in jail;

*living accommodation rented under an agreement with a term of 20 years or more;

''See Section 4 of the [[Residential Tenancy Act|RTA]].''

==What a landlord can ask==

*a landlord may ask to examine a person’s driver’s licence in order to verify the person’s identity. However, the landlord must not write down or photocopy this personal information.

If a landlord refuses to rent to you because you didn’t provide this personal information, you have the right to report the landlord to the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. To read the full privacy guidelines, see the following link [http://www.tenants.bc.ca/main/?privacy www.tenants.bc.ca/main/?privacy].

'''Shared accommodation''': The law does not always apply when cooking, sleeping or bathroom facilities are shared. For example, if a woman wants to rent a room in her house only to another woman, she may be allowed to discriminate in this way.

landlord’s proper legal name and address and have proof that you paid the fee. Many potential tenants pay these fees in cash and do not know to whom they are paying the fees. Therefore, it is best to not pay an application fee and not rent from someone who asks for it. Take it as an indication of problems to come. (See also page 17 for application deposits.) ''See Section 15 of the [[Residential Tenancy Act|RTA]].''

If you are visiting from another country and renting in British Columbia, it is important to know your rights and obligations under the ''Residential Tenancy Act.'' If you are not planning on staying for a year, then you should not sign a lease or agreement that says you will stay for a year. Some landlords rent to visiting students knowing that they won’t stay for a year, but make them sign a one year lease anyway. The landlord then uses the broken agreement as an excuse to keep the student’s security deposit. Another common problem for visiting students is landlords who don’t return security deposits. Some landlords take advantage of the fact that the student will be returning to another country and unable to file for dispute resolution for a return of their security deposit.

===If you are renting during your extended stay in British Columbia:===

*[http://www.oipc.bc.ca/tools-guidance/guidance-documents.aspx Office of the Information and Privacy Commisioner- Privacy Guidelines for Landlords and Tenants]