The Province is launching a new website on July 18 to protect renters from being evicted in bad faith.
Starting July 18, 2024, landlords must use the Landlord Use Web Portal to generate Notices to End Tenancy for personal occupancy or caretaker use. Landlords generating notices to end tenancy will be required to include information about the persons moving into the home. This process will inform landlords of the significant penalties they could face if they evict a tenant in bad faith and by requiring landlords to include the information of who will be occupying the home on the notice, tenants can better understand the landlords’ intentions. They may provide this information at the dispute hearing if they believe the landlord is acting in bad faith.
Effective July 18, 2024, the Province will increase the notice a tenant must receive and the time they have to dispute an eviction.
Landlords will also be required to give tenants four months’ notice instead of two months when evicting for personal or caretaker use, giving displaced tenants more time to find a new home. Tenants will have 30 days to dispute Notices to End Tenancy instead of the current 15 days. The person moving into the house must occupy it for a minimum of 12 months, and landlords who evict in bad faith could be ordered to pay the displaced tenant 12 months’ rent.
“Protecting a landlord’s right to reclaim a rental unit for personal use is critical to maintaining a balanced rental housing market,” said David Hutniak, CEO, of LandlordBC. “It is also important that landlords know their responsibilities when exercising this right and that they understand the risks of bad-faith evictions. The Landlord Use Web Portal will not only educate landlords about the process, but it will also standardize the process for improved efficiency while increasing transparency.”
The Landlord Use Web Portal will also allow the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) to conduct post-eviction compliance audits and provide information to the RTB about the frequency of these types of evictions. Changes to the process for evicting tenants for personal and caretaker use aim to support the rights and interests of both landlords and tenants, while creating a standardized process for ending tenancies for personal and caretaker use.
“No one should lose their homes because of bad-faith evictions,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, Premier’s liaison for renters and MLA for Vancouver West End. “Taking this step is a proactive way to help stop bad-faith evictions and keep people in their homes. The introduction of the Landlord Use Web Portal aligns with recommendations made by the Rental Task Force to make the Residential Tenancy Branch more responsive, accessible and proactive with more opportunities to learn from and educate landlords and renters on their rights and responsibilities.”
Quick Facts:
- Starting July 18, 2024, landlords will be required to use the Landlord Use Web Portal when they are issuing Notices to End Tenancy for personal or caretaker use, with a unique notice ID when ending a tenancy.
- Landlords using the website portal will be required to have a Basic BCeID to access the site.
- While using the website portal, landlords will be given information about the required conditions for ending a tenancy and the penalties associated with evicting in bad faith.
- They will also be informed about the amount of compensation they will be required to issue to evicted tenants.