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  • Subletting and Assigning in BC: When a Landlord Can Say NoLease & Agreements
    BCArticle

    Subletting and Assigning in BC: When a Landlord Can Say No

    In BC, a tenant can't sublet a unit or assign a tenancy without the landlord's written consent. With six months or more left on a fixed term the landlord can't unreasonably refuse, can't charge for consenting, and an unauthorized sublet is cause for a One Month Notice.

    9 min read
  • Alberta vs Ontario vs BC Tenancy Rules: Side-by-SideRights & Legal
    ABComparison

    Alberta vs Ontario vs BC Tenancy Rules: Side-by-Side

    Alberta sets no limit on rent increases, Ontario's 2027 guideline is 1.9% and BC's 2027 limit is 2.2%. This side-by-side compares rent, deposits, inspections, unpaid rent, tenant notice, own-use compensation and disputes in all three provinces, with the section of each Act.

    9 min read
  • Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms in BC Rentals: Who Installs, Tests and PaysSafety & Scam Prevention
    BCArticle

    Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms in BC Rentals: Who Installs, Tests and Pays

    In BC, smoke alarms are mandatory in every rental unit and the landlord installs, tests and maintains them, while the tenant must not disable them and must report problems. Carbon monoxide alarms are recommended rather than required. Here is who does what.

    8 min read
  • Interest on BC Deposits: How to Work Out What You OweFinances & Budgeting
    BCArticle

    Interest on BC Deposits: How to Work Out What You Owe

    The BC government's published deposit interest rate for 2026 is 0%, but a deposit held during 2023, 2024 or 2025 still earned interest at 1.95%, 2.7% and 0.95%. Here is how the Regulation's formula works and how to work out what you owe.

    8 min read
  • Human Rights in BC Rentals: Who a Landlord Cannot RefuseRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Human Rights in BC Rentals: Who a Landlord Cannot Refuse

    Section 10 of BC's Human Rights Code bars a landlord from refusing a tenant, or setting worse terms, because of 14 personal characteristics, including family status and lawful source of income. Here are the grounds, the narrow exceptions, and how complaints work.

    7 min read
  • Rent Receipts in BC: When a Landlord Must Give OneRent & Payments
    BCArticle

    Rent Receipts in BC: When a Landlord Must Give One

    Under BC's Residential Tenancy Act, a landlord must give a receipt for rent paid in cash. Here is what the law requires, what a good receipt shows, and why both sides should keep records for every other payment too.

    7 min read
  • Applying to Rent in BC: What a Landlord Can and Can't AskScreening & Applications
    BCArticle

    Applying to Rent in BC: What a Landlord Can and Can't Ask

    A BC landlord can ask for photo ID, references, rental history and, with your consent, a credit check. They can't charge an application fee, copy your ID, require your banking details before the tenancy, or refuse you on a Human Rights Code ground.

    9 min read
  • Rental Scams in BC: How Tenants Spot Fake ListingsSafety & Scam Prevention
    BCArticle

    Rental Scams in BC: How Tenants Spot Fake Listings

    A BC rental scam usually asks for money before you have seen the unit or signed a tenancy agreement. Here are the warning signs the RCMP and the Competition Bureau list, the BC rules a real landlord follows, and where to report.

    8 min read
  • Is There a Standard Lease Form in Alberta?Lease & Agreements
    ABMyth buster

    Is There a Standard Lease Form in Alberta?

    No. Alberta has no government standard lease like Ontario's or BC's. Any lease works if it follows the Residential Tenancies Act, carries the required statement, and the tenant gets a signed copy within 21 days.

    6 min read
  • Mice or Rats in a BC Rental: Is the Landlord Responsible?Maintenance & Repairs
    BCArticle

    Mice or Rats in a BC Rental: Is the Landlord Responsible?

    Whether a BC landlord must deal with mice or rats depends on the repair duty in the Residential Tenancy Act and your city's standards of maintenance bylaw. Here is how the pieces fit.

    10 min read
  • Bed Bugs in a BC Rental: Who Pays for Treatment?Maintenance & Repairs
    BCArticle

    Bed Bugs in a BC Rental: Who Pays for Treatment?

    In British Columbia the landlord is generally responsible for treating bed bugs. Here is who pays, when a tenant can be charged, and how notice to enter works.

    12 min read
  • How Much Notice Before Pest Control in a BC Rental?Maintenance & Repairs
    BCArticle

    How Much Notice Before Pest Control in a BC Rental?

    Two separate notices usually apply before a pest treatment in a BC rental: the landlord's 24-hour entry notice and the licensed applicator's 72-hour treatment notice.

    10 min read
  • Co-Tenants, Roommates and Occupants in a BC TenancyLease & Agreements
    BCArticle

    Co-Tenants, Roommates and Occupants in a BC Tenancy

    In BC, everyone who signs one tenancy agreement is a co-tenant and is responsible for the whole rent. A roommate a tenant brings in later is an occupant with no rights under the Residential Tenancy Act. Here is how each status works and how to set it up in writing.

    11 min read
  • Illegal Clause in Your BC Lease? What Tenants Can DoRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Illegal Clause in Your BC Lease? What Tenants Can Do

    Found a clause in your BC lease that breaks the rules? How to confirm it, raise it with your landlord in writing, get money back, keep your tenancy safe and take it to the RTB.

    9 min read
  • Emergency Repairs in BC: When a Tenant Can Fix It and Bill YouMaintenance & Repairs
    BCArticle

    Emergency Repairs in BC: When a Tenant Can Fix It and Bill You

    Under section 33 of BC's Residential Tenancy Act, a tenant can arrange an emergency repair and be reimbursed, or deduct it from rent. Here are the conditions, the paperwork and when a landlord can refuse.

    9 min read
  • Breaking a Fixed-Term Lease in BC: What a Tenant OwesRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Breaking a Fixed-Term Lease in BC: What a Tenant Owes

    Breaking a BC lease does not automatically cost the rest of the term. Here is what a landlord can claim, the landlord's duty to re-rent, and the lawful ways to leave early.

    9 min read
  • BC Landlord Entry Rules: 24 Hours' Written NoticeRights & Legal
    BCGuide

    BC Landlord Entry Rules: 24 Hours' Written Notice

    A BC landlord may enter a rental unit only in six situations, most often with 24 hours' written notice. Here is what the notice must say, how to time it, and what each side can do when rules are broken.

    9 min read
  • What Happens at an RTB Hearing: A WalkthroughRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    What Happens at an RTB Hearing: A Walkthrough

    A step-by-step walkthrough of a BC Residential Tenancy Branch hearing for landlords and tenants: what to prepare, who speaks first, conduct on the call, and what happens after the decision.

    9 min read
  • Landlord Won't Do Repairs? How BC Tenants Get Them DoneRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Landlord Won't Do Repairs? How BC Tenants Get Them Done

    If your BC landlord will not fix a problem, you do not have to withhold rent or do it yourself. Here is the path from a written request to an RTB order for repairs, a rent reduction and compensation.

    9 min read
  • Giving Notice as a BC Tenant: One Clear MonthRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Giving Notice as a BC Tenant: One Clear Month

    BC tenants must give written notice that reaches the landlord a full rental month before they leave. Here is how to count it, what to include, and what to do before move-out.

    8 min read
  • Shared Accommodation in BC: When the RTA Doesn't ApplyGeneral
    BCArticle

    Shared Accommodation in BC: When the RTA Doesn't Apply

    Renting a room in your own home, or sharing a kitchen with the owner? Section 4(c) of BC's Residential Tenancy Act may take the arrangement outside the Act. Here is how the exclusion reads and what applies instead.

    8 min read
  • Repairs and Maintenance in BC: The Landlord's Legal DutyMaintenance & Repairs
    BCArticle

    Repairs and Maintenance in BC: The Landlord's Legal Duty

    Section 32 of BC's Residential Tenancy Act puts most repairs on the landlord. Here is what the duty covers, the tenant's share, how requests should work, and what the RTB can order.

    9 min read
  • Tenant Rights in BC: What Your Landlord Can't DoRights & Legal
    BCArticle

    Tenant Rights in BC: What Your Landlord Can't Do

    Entry without notice, guest fees, lockouts, cut-off services and other things a BC landlord cannot do under the Residential Tenancy Act, and what you can do about them.

    10 min read
  • Ending a Tenancy in BC: Every Way It Can EndRights & Legal
    BCGuide

    Ending a Tenancy in BC: Every Way It Can End

    A BC tenancy ends only in the ways the Residential Tenancy Act lists. This guide covers every one: notices, mutual agreements, vacate clauses, abandonment, frustration and RTB orders.

    12 min read