Whereas the Residential Tenancy Act is intended to establish and protect the rights of landlords and tenants from unwarranted eviction; And whereas a landlord may seek early termination of a tenancy agreement for cause and the protections contained within the Act enable the occupant to refuse vacating the premises, which have been enhanced due to COVID-19: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to undertake a broad review of landlord protections to increase confidence in entering the rental market to grow the number of rental properties. better suited to families.
Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing The Residential Tenancy Act is intended to provide a fair balance between a tenants right to safe and secure affordable housing and a landlords right to maintain their property and realize a return on investment. The ministry continues to look for ways to incentivize landlords to rent their property and protect them from tenants who do not follow the law. It is important small landlords feel supported and continue to provide their rentals, especially with the current low vacancy rate. In response to COVID-19, the Province brought in an eviction ban when thousands of people were losing their jobs and things were much more uncertain. The ban on evictions for non-payment of rent began March 30th, 2020 and ended September 1st 2020. However, landlords were able to serve notices of eviction for reasons other than unpaid rent starting again on July 1st, 2020. Early on, very little was known about the virus and how to keep people safe and it was critically important to keep citizens housed during the public health emergency. Today, as businesses across BC have implemented safety plans, employment rates are returning to pre-pandemic levels, and the economy continues to recover, the province is not considering reinstating the eviction moratorium. Recent legislative changes allow an arbitrator to award unpaid rent when a tenant is evicted for non- payment. Previously, landlords would have to file separately for an additional hearing to recover their rent, but now unpaid rent can be awarded in an eviction hearing. In addition to this, as the Rental Housing Task Force identified in their report, many of the issues could be solved through a better understanding of ones rights and responsibilities under the Act. The Province continues to actively explore the policy implications of the recommendations made by the Rental Housing Task Force to create a better balance of fairness for landlords and tenants in British Columbia.