About 1.5-2 years ago, I took my son and his kids in because he was about to lose his house (that I bought him). We agreed he’d stay for a few months, but since then, he’s paid barely a quarter of what the place is worth. There’s no formal lease—just a verbal agreement of my pity for him.

Since then, things have gotten out of control. He had a mental breakdown, threatened to kill me, and has caused over $10K in property damage. His wife even smashed irreplaceable family medals and diplomas on purpose. Now he’s claiming “tenant rights” and has even boarded up my entrance to the main part of the house!

Police won’t step in and I feel trapped. Has anyone dealt with evicting a family member who’s this out of control? Any advice is appreciated.

Edit: I served him with an eviction notice with the police present, but he verbally stated he considers himself a “tenant” and refuses to leave. He occasionally sends me around $1,000 towards a $30,000 loan I gave him two years ago, but this is nowhere near the $4,500/month market rate for my property or the value of the childcare, cooking, and cleaning my wife has provided for his family out of kindness. He believes his infrequent $1,000 payments make him a tenant.

How do I get this leech out of my house?

Edit2: If anyone has a good lawyer, please let us know.

Hey everyone, my study visa just got accepted and now I need to look for a place to live. I'm 18 male and I don't have experience in looking for apartments or anything. I just wanted to ask, where do YOU guys look for apartments? Like, what websites? And also, are scams common? I'm not going to Canada until December so I have no way of showing up irl to make sure I'm not being scammed. My classes start on the 6th of January so I have very limited time to look for stuff! I appreciate all the help I can get, so if you have a suggestion, I'd be very thankful. Happy Halloween!

Hi all. I was almost homeless and booked airbnb for the whole Oct. I didn’t know airbnb was banned in BC. Is there any consequence for me if the government finds out? If it is banned, how come are these operating? It was entire one bed condo and owner/host wasn’t living with me.

Hello, a bit of a rant and also looking for advice.

I am about to move to a new apartment. I had told the manager of my building in both person and text since around the last week of September that October would be my last month.

I asked her since monday 28th through text if I could drop the keys today or tomorrow but she ignored my texts. I ran into her yesterday and she's claiming she didn't get my texts and that I should've written a letter to end my tenancy so I'll have to pay an extra month.

Is text a valid way of ending a tenancy?

I feel mislead because she did bring people to see my apartment during this month, so I thought we had an understanding. I noticed that many units are siting vacant and are not being rented so maybe no one wanted my apartment so she's trying to get one extra month from me?

I'm renting a condo at the moment and one of the recessed ceiling pot lights have started flickering. I know tenants are supposed to replace lightbuls, but this seems a bit more involved than simply screwing in a lightbulb. It's just the one pot light that's flickering so I think it just needs to be replaced, although I'm not familar with installing this kind of lighting.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/illume-essential-4-inch-led-white-recessed-panel-light-3000k-ic-rated/1001184843

Should I be letting my landlord know so they can replace this, or do I need to figure out how to do this myself?

Edit: It's not a lightbulb y'all. Just ask your landlord/property manager. Mine is replacing mine.

Hello,

I've posted here before about issues with my landlord attempting to evict me and my roommates. Here’s a brief recap:

1. The landlord attempted an illegal rent increase, which we refused.

2. They tried to evict us after a fixed-term tenancy ended, not wanting to transition to month-to-month.

3. They falsely accused us of unpaid rent/utilities and issued an eviction notice.

Each case went to the RTB, and decisions were made in our favor.

Now, we’ve received a 4-month notice to end tenancy for “personal use” by the landlord or a family member. After everything, we’re ready to move on, but it’s frustrating since we would have liked to stay if things had been handled fairly.

We suspect this notice might be another tactic to force us out. I’m curious if others have dealt with a similar situation and how you managed to verify whether the landlord’s reason for eviction was legitimate. Specifically, I’d like to know about cases where:

- The landlord or their family member didn’t move into the unit within the required time,

- The unit was instead rented to a non-family tenant,

- Or, they didn’t reside in the unit for the 12-month minimum requirement.

Gathering this information post-move-out seems tricky and might even feel invasive. How did others go about verifying this, or what would be the best approach?

Thanks for any insights!

My girlfriend has been living here since January, and every month she's received a BC Hydro bill that has been approx. 60-100 dollars.

This seems very high to me. Aren't hydro bills supposed to come every two months?

She lives in a private room in a fourplex, so there are lots of tenents in the building.

I'm thinking we ask the landlord for all records of the BC Hydro bills he's received since she's signed the lease agreement, and then ask how exactly the bill was distributed among the tenents. Does this make sense? Is there any other way I could verify her Hydro bills? Could we even seek any compensation if she has been being overcharged?

It's worth noting as well that she once did ask him for a Hydro bill, but she was brushed off with "oh my wife does all that, not me". He's also trying to deduct from her security deposit the last Hydro bill, and I've done some research that says he's absolutely not allowed to do that.

Thank you for reading!

So the tenants upstairs (apparently) flooded their bathroom the same day they were doing reparations to their bathroom. Yellow-Brown water was coming out of our bathroom fan and the hall light so we called the manager and he closed the water upstairs and the leaking slowed down after a few minutes till it stopped. No plumber was called as he said it wasn’t necessary. Now can we ask for reimbursement for the stuff that the water ruined in the bathroom (toothbrushes, retainers, etc) and/or professional cleaning? The water smells like pee and has a terrible smell. Pls help on what to do!!

I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask questions like this but I am at the end of my wit and don’t know where else reach out.

I live with my mom in a 2 bedroom basement suite as I have done for the past 5 years. My landlord has recently decided that because only my moms name is on the tenancy agreement he wants to raise the rent $350 a month or evict me. Does he have grounds for this? He has given us 24 hours to decide and all communication has been through phone calls or texts.

I am ready to just leave because I don’t want my mom to stress but I don’t think this it right. Thank you I would really appreciate any help.

In January, my sister (54) and her daughter (17) moved into my father’s house in Vancouver. They agreed that my sister would contribute $400/month towards household expenses. They each have a bedroom; the rest of the house is shared. My sister stays at her boyfriend’s house most of the time, leaving her daughter (my niece) at our father’s house.

Recently, my niece began a relationship with her first boyfriend. She is in Grade 12; he is older and not in school. My father has asked for three things: that the boyfriend not stay overnight, that they not smoke weed inside the house, and that my niece continue to attend high school. My niece has refused to comply with any of these requests. The boyfriend is there nearly every night and stays all night and through the next day. He is there even when my niece is not home. They smoke weed inside constantly. She seldom attends school. The boyfriend seems to have basically moved in. He has refused to tell my father what his last name is, where he lives, and whether he has a job. My sister does not care and sees no reason for her daughter to comply with our father’s rules.

Things have escalated to the point that my father called the police to have the boyfriend escorted from the house. The police told him that since the boyfriend was invited into the house by my niece, that he has the right to be there and they cannot remove him, even if the person who invited him is not present.

So now the two of them are living in my father’s house, taunting him about not being able to do anything about it, and telling him to fuck off. My father is 85, with a stent in his heart. He uses a cane to walk. My mother died a year ago and he is still trying to cope with that loss. I am concerned that the stress of this situation will cause him to have another heart attack. He spends his days in a cafe because he is afraid to go home.

I took a look at the Residential Tenancy Act, and it states that the Act does not apply in situations where the tenant and landlord share a kitchen and/or bath. So I think the police are mistaken, unless there is some other tenancy protection that applies in this situation. I’m not sure what my father can do to get help. Is there some agency that could assist him, or is hiring an attorney his only option? He is on a fixed income and that would be a stretch for him. All he wants is for this man to move out of his house.

I live in the US and am trying to figure this out from here. TIA for your advice.

(Originally posted on r/CanadaLegalAdvice and was advised to post it here because someone named Geoff could be helpful.)

UPDATE: Just got a text from my father. My sister says that she and her daughter will move out this weekend. Hopefully, problem solved. Thank you all so much for your comments and advice.

So I'm the only person in the house currently that was on any sort of lease. My other roommate who was on the lease ended her tenancy effective October 1st and I have two roommate currently who have not signed anything.

I understand that my roommate ending her tenancy ended my month to month lease as well but since the landlord decided to let me find another occupant instead of asking me to move out or changing the lease terms does that mean I'm still on my month to month lease? Did he have a chance to increase rent/ask me to leave but missed it? I know the other two people living here are technically occupants and not tenants and I'm essentially responsible for them. Our landlord is trying to sell the apartment and I'm just worried that I can be served with a new lease with increased rent at any moment.

Thanks for the advice everyone :)

Does anyone know the laws regarding credit checks for tenants. We have provided ample references and proof of income but they want a credit check. We would rather not have our scores dinged with unnecessary checks. Is there any legislation on this that I can reference?

I am renting a 2bd unit in a newer condo tower. The unit two floors above had the in-suite sprinklers go off resulting in water to leak through the ceiling lighting fixtures, and through the walls and carpets. The damage isn’t catastrophic, but the strata’s restoration contractors have advised that one room and bathroom shouldn’t be used, and have set up a plenty of loud fans and dehumidifiers on that side of the unit.

Everyone in the situation has the proper insurance, but I would prefer not have to make a claim due to a large deductible (for accommodation most likely as I have lost the use of a bedroom for the foreseeable future). I am able to sleep in the other room, which is moderately quiet when the doors are closed.

Does anyone know if there are any RTB rules for compensation in this scenario or am I SOL? I couldn’t find anything that describes what happened here.

Hi everyone! I’m viewing apartments with these property management companies and wondered if anyone has insight into what’s it’s like to live in any of these buildings?

Kevington:

• District Main

Quadreal:

• Larchway Gardens
• Dunway Court

Strand:

• Kits Walk
• The Columbia
• The Riley

Any inside info is super appreciated! (Pests, noise, neighbours, etc!) Thank you!!

I rented a brand new duplex in Langley to a family of 4. They just "moved" out last week.

I really need advices for what I could do and If I am doing it correctly as it is my first time owning a property and being a landlord.

Standard tenancy form signed with half month security deposit and currently on Month to month.

All rents were collected.

Contract Clearly states "no Pets" and "only for this family of 4 with their names on the contract"

Problems:

1: This family already "moved out" like at least half year ago and instead they asked their "sister" to live there. So I've been dealing with the "sister". I was never informed about this.

2: The sister contacted me and said the family already moved to Toronto and she would help clean and return the property. She told me she would move everything out on Oct 26 and we would meet again to return my key and walk through. On Oct 27 she said she is sick and didn't show up. I went to the duplex and found out door is unlocked. Keys are left in drawer. But one key is missing.

3: House was not cleaned at all. We had to call cleaning ladies and handy man to help take care of garbages. 3 Ladies spent almost whole day and there were at least 30 large bags of garbages collected.

4: We found that tenant had a pet - either cat or rabbit as there is a huge cage they left with lots of pet food on the floor.

5: There are a lot of damages for example:

- Several 1 - 3 inches big holes on the wall (not nail holes) and a lot of scratches here and there

- Unknown liquid (I am guessing perfume or essented oil) pouring on the window still and carpet. The wooddwindow still is corroded and very obvious mark on the carpet.

- Gas stove LED touchscreen panel display is completely cracked. Its hard to imagine what happened to it. I am living in a 20 years old condo and the LED panel display is perfectly ok

- Fence door in backyard is broken. Someone probably kicked it very hard or had been doing it for a very long time.

- Carpet of a room is basically all damaged probably because of they left their pet in there.

Whats going now

I've been trying to contact my original tenants but they just ignored me.

I just emailed him RTB22 notice of final opportunity to schedule a condition inspection and have the inspection booked for tomorrow. I don't think they will get back to me neither.

I still have their security deposit of $1600.

Mistakes I think I made but I am not sure

- I didn't properly schedule a condition insepction for the first time when we were supposed to meet on Oct 26. Instead I just chatted with the sister and agreed on Whatsapp to meet on Oct 26 even though she didn't show up.

- We had been cleaning the property and repairing some damages. We paid cash for a handy man to repair and he didn't have any invoice. My wife also hired someone to collect all the garbages for $200 and there was also no invoice (I don't blame her. Some company quoted $500).

What can I do now

- I googled that "If the tenant does not attend the inspection they may lose their right to get their security or pet deposits back at the end of the tenancy.” <---- If tenant still ignores my final notice email after tomorrow, does it mean I will keep their damage deposit for now?

- Overall cost to clean and repair will be much more than the half month damage deposit. How do I chase for this?

- When do i do the Condition Inspection Report myself if tenants don't show up? I already did myself anyways but with dates empty. Just wondering what's the property way of doing it as I am going to chase for cost of damages.

And how should I proceed to chase cost of repairs and even a monetary order. I tried to look for it on BC site but the links for dispute resolution and monetary order just gave me 404 page....

And if I don't know where they live now...? It sounds impossible to do anything?

Thanks a lot!

I'm looking to sublet my apartment. My rental agreement is from 2019 and says "sublets are allowed with landlord's written permission, and can't be unreasonably denied".

I'm looking at the new 2024 RTB, and it's saying month to month contracts can be denied. Only leases with 6+ months can sublet.

Is this a recent change? Does it apply to my contract retroactively?

So, I have the apartment unit on a mortgage, and I live here, renting out the other room to friends/family/preferably not strangers.

It’s a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom, 850 square feet, in suite laundry, it’s not bad.

So I have a relative living with me part time, he jumps between here the US. While he’s certainly more than welcome to live here full time as he pays the rent, his wife is planning to move back to Vancouver Island, and wants to hover between the mainland and the island freely.

So I said, sure. I’m not against the idea really, but, in essence, surely a slight rent increase is not unreasonable?

He seems to think it is. So, what would you do? It seems like neither options is particularly bright.

Either I’m spineless, or I’m heartless.

Hi, we're looking at a unit in this building - 250 East 6th

Does anyone know how the building is, any ongoing issues?

Many thanks

Update #1: The form we received says at the top "Four Month Notice to End Tenancy For Demolition or Conversion of a Rental Unit" #RTB-29.

Hey guys,

Our landlord mailed us a 4 month eviction notice in August because he wants to demolish the house. I have a lot going on at home and this had me extremely stressed out. I didn't think much of it and immediately started looking for a house. After a while, he started doing some things which got me suspicious. For example, he randomly came in one day without prior notice and stuck a smoke alarm in one of the rooms after almost 5 years of us living there.

So I called the city of Surrey and asked them if there have been any permits issued for our address... and turns out no permits have been applied for currently or in the last couple months. According to the RTA, the landlord has to apply and acquire all necessary permits BEFORE sending us the eviction notice. He did not. Unfortunately, since it has been more than 30 days, we cannot dispute the notice anymore. But from what I have found online, if the landlord is lying and doesn't start doing what it says on the notice within a 'reasonable period', then we are entitled to 12 months' rent as compensation.

So my question is, what should be my next steps? And what is a reasonable period when it comes to evictions because I couldn't find any specific answer? And how do we start gathering evidence of his lies and how do we report him when the time comes? And, if he is "demolishing the house", is he entitled to keep anything from the deposit? Can we ask for the full amount back?

I'd appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Thanks!

Hi All, we moved into the apt unit a year back and the landlord did not provide us the move-in inspection report. When we were moving out we did professional cleaning of the apartment and provided forwarding address in writing. The landlord sent us an email with a list of all the damages to the unit - eg: apartment not clean, damage to the walls etc. I responded back saying I do not agree to the damages and would like my full deposit back. On the 15th day after the move out my landlord has sent me only $15 as security deposit return. I had paid $1600 for security deposit when I moved in. Can you please share what my options are here? I'm worried LL might not return my deposit.

Hi all. A while back I made the mistake of dumping a compostable plastic bag into the compost bin. Days later, the building manager sent me a text, having seen me on CCTV footage. He warned that next time, I would be reported to the Strata Council and be issued a fine. I apologized and thought that was that.

A few weeks later, I received a Notice of Assessment and subsequently a Notice of Decision from the management company, citing that I disposed of 'several' plastic bags, which is not true. They've fined me $200 dollars and I'll be having a hearing with the Strata Council next week.

Do I have a case to either reduce or waive the penalty? While I acknowledge my mistake, I don't find that it's right that I was given a fine when I was told that my incident was just a warning. Furthermore, I did not dispose of 'several' bags as stated in the Notice. Do these technicalities matter?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks

So, I’m currently living in a 1-bedroom apartment that’s almost 1000 sq ft in an old building (like, 60 years old) in the West End. My wife and I are expecting a baby, so we figured it's time to upgrade to a 2-bedroom in a newer building. But seriously, WTF?? The newer 2-bedroom units are smaller than my current 1-bedroom! How is this even allowed? I am surprised that media don't talk about much about it and this is the only piece of information I found with decrease in sq ft over time in Van: https://www.nationwideselfstorage.ca/vancouver-rental-space-crunch/

Is this some new normal where if you want a newer place, you also have to budget for a storage unit just to fit your stuff? Like, who’s approving these shoebox-sized condos, and how are we supposed to live in them without drowning in clutter??

Reach out if you’re looking for an Agent who does cash back but still will do the work for you.

Can someone clarify this for me please? We’ve been renting the same unit since 2020. Due to covid the increases were frozen. The first increase (within provincial guideline) was applied last year for this year. We just received notice that it would be increased again for next year.

To my understanding after the first year it’s on a month to month lease. The rent can also increase on a yearly basis? Just looking to understand this for myself. Thank you 🙂

We’ve been facing a huge issue with cooking odors from the basement unit that constantly fill our house. The smell lingers for hours, and it’s making it really difficult for us to live comfortably. The landlord never mentioned this problem when we moved in, even though he lived here for years.

When I brought it up, the landlord said he asked the basement tenants to use their kitchen hood (which he claims is “best in class,” though it’s clearly not working) and open a tiny kitchen window. But none of this has helped. We’ve had to keep our windows open all the time, which means wearing thick clothes to stay warm in the cold – and even that only helps a little. The smell is so strong that even using an air purifier hasn’t made a difference.

The issue is mainly because we share the heating system with the basement and shared duct picks up all the smell and bring it to our floor. Our only solution has been to turn off the heat, seal the flow vents and return air vents, and use space heaters. But that means basement tenant's get cold. I’m not sure if I should even turn the heat back on with the return air vents (2) on my floor sealed. We’re confused as to what should be done at this point.

Also, to clarify, this isn’t about ethnic cooking or anything like that. Our cooking styles are actually pretty similar, but they regularly use more pungent spices and cook such foods frequently. Cooking smells are a real nuisance when they linger all the time, regardless of the type of food.

Moving isn’t an option for us right now as I’m currently on temporary disability leave, which might not qualify me for a new rental. Looking for suggestions.