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Hi, I'm living in a family owned Vancouver apartment where the strata has a no pets policy. I would like to have my small dog (a sheltie) over to visit, but am unable to do so. I've recently heard n...
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Stratas operate under their own separate legislation. Strata councils normally do make rules about the premises, procedures, rentals, pets, etc. You'll need to consult your strata council's rules abou...MORE...
Our last tenants completely destroyed our 1/2 duplex. They moved out, did not pay the rent, did not clean or repair damages. The house was completely FILTHY ! We have had to completely 'gut' the ho...
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The answer to your question is No! – You can't charge the first and last months rent and a damage deposit as well. Under the Residential Tenancy Act of BC a landlord is entitled to request a security ...MORE...
My boyfriend and I are looking for a new aparment due to financial reasons, and may not be able to give a full months notice when we leave. We have not signed a rental agreement for the place we're i...
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Even though you don't have a signed tenancy agreement, the Regulations set out that standard terms of tenancy are deemed to exist, consistent with the Residential Tenancy Agreement found in RTO Form –...MORE...
If the tenant gives the address he use to live in as the address for mailing his deposit because it will be forwarded by canada post, does this qualify as his address when dealing with disputs over th...
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Most Residential Tenancy Branch documents state that parties are to provide the 'current address for service of documents'. Giving an old address is a misrepresentation that doesn't meet the requirem...MORE...
I have had an ongoing leak in my suite since September 2004. The leak happens regularly (pretty much every time it rains) and manifests itself on my bedroom wall and ceiling, and dining room wall and...
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From what I read, you seem to be proceeding in a reasonable way. Bringing your concerns to the attention of the landlord and setting out what you think can or should be done is a practical course of a...MORE...
I have a lease agreement with my landlord but I would like to break the lease and move out two months early. The reason I want to move is the roof in the bedroom is leaking (It is also moldy) and I do...
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The purpose of a lease is to bind parties together for a set period of time. Each party to the lease agreement is bound to fulfill his obligations until the end of the period: i.e.: landlords provide ...MORE...
I rented out my basement suite at the beginning of the year. The tenant gave me 12 checks for one year and each check is due the first of each month. On March 5 he gave me a call and said I am leaving...
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Although your tenant gave you 12 checks, it appears that you didn't formally enter into a fixed term agreement, so he is deemed to have a month-to-month tenancy agreement with you. In month-to-month t...MORE...
I have signed a lease for October and wish to leave this May how do I get out of it ? and what would the penalty be?...
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You entered into a binding agreement that requires you to pay the rent for a specific period of time. If you break the agreement, there are consequences - like being liable for the rent for the remain...MORE...
I bought a house which came with a tennant.Do I have an obligation and the right to make a new RTA with them?...
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Where a home buyer finds a property that has a tenant in place, the purchaser can ask the landlord to give the tenant, in writing, a Notice to End the Tenancy on the ground that the purchaser intends ...MORE...
I have inherited a tenant and a rental agreement. I want to update the RTA to include some restrictions I need to feel comfortable with in the rental ,if the tenant refuses to sign the new agreement ...
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Your tenant isn't obliged to update his agreement and you can't evict him for failing to do so. The agreement you've inherited is in effect. However, the terms and conditions found in the RTO Form – 1...MORE...
My sister and I have rented a Vancouver house from her ex-fiance for just over a year now. We have signed a tenancy agreement with her ex-fiance. We took in a roommate in November and she lives in t...
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You state that the tenancy agreement is with you, your sister, and your sister's ex-fiancé. You also state that (the roommate you took in) '... did not sign an agreement and we made it clear when she ...MORE...
In my apartment there is a bit of a scratch and a dent in the living room wall from where the couch rubbed up against it. My landlord is telling me that I am responsible to get it fixed, however I wo...
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The Act requires tenants to maintain rental premises in accordance with health, cleanliness and sanitary standards, and to repair damage caused by their actions and neglect or damages caused by person...MORE...
Last week my landlord / manager entered my apartment after I had left for work. The night prior had a few friends over for dinner, and being a small W.E. apt...the food smell was still lingering in th...
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Landlords can only enter rental premises for specific reasons, which are laid out in section 29 of the Act. You mention that you left something burning, and he has said it set off the fire alarm. It c...MORE...
I have tenants who had been renting my house for the past 2 years. When they moved in they did not pay any damage deposit. They pay their rent at the end of each month. I need to move into the house m...
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It pays to know the rules and it is paying off for your tenants. Section 51 (1) of the Act says that a landlord who gives a tenant notice to end a tenancy under section 49 [landlord's use of property]...MORE...
Hi, I recently moved in to a two bedroom apartment with a roomate. We both love the apartment but are considering breaking our lease and moving due to noisy neighbors. They live above us and, unkno...
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Tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of the rental premises, but this doesn't mean that landlords must provide a soundproof suite or regulate when and what tenants can do in their own suites. Havin...MORE...
My husband and I signed a one year lease. In the lease there is a section stating that termination prior to the end of the one year is acceptable. It says that under such circumstances the landlord ...
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Under the Residential Tenancy Act of BC a tenancy can end by consent of the parties. Privately, parties often set their own terms about how agreements and leases end, and most aren't challenged.
If...MORE...
My landlord has said previously that she accepts short notices. However, now that I gave her a short notice, she says that she won't accept it because "april and may are the months with the lowest vac...
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The fact that you don't have a written rental agreement doesn't go very far because the Act deems that where a written agreement is absent the terms, conditions and obligations found in the standard t...MORE...
My apartment has underground parking. I believe that it is a requirement of the landlord to guarantee the security of that underground parking. During the year I've stayed here the underground parkin...
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The landlord is required to provide and maintain property in a state of decoration and repair that complies with the health, safety and housing standards required by law, and that have regard to the a...MORE...
I am currently renting with neighbors above me. These neighbors moved in last fall and have been causing major problems. They stomp around their apartment all the time and are doing damage to my apart...
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Under section 47 (d) of the Act the landlord can move to evict a tenant if he has unreasonably disturbed other occupants or the landlord, or is seriously jeopardizing the health and safety or a lawful...MORE...
Dear Expert: I found some damages arising from the water leakage from the pipe fixing by the repairman few weeks ago. It did some damages besides to the carpet what the rent manager has already...
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Most people reading your question won't believe it is for real – it will seem trivial and absurd. After all, you're wondering if you can get compensation for 3 packages of rice and 1-'packages of flou...MORE...
How do I get out of my lease? My lease has just been renewed for six months after they raised the rent. Can landlords raise the rent after six months?...
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A lease is a contract that runs for a fixed term. When the term ends, so does the tenancy. When the lease agreement is terminated, the parties move on, theoretically. Frequently however, parties to a ...MORE...
I live in a Vancouver strata property and rent a condo from an owner. They are about to start working outside our place due to the fact its a leaky condo. We thought we had 2 months before they were s...
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If you move without giving notice in accordance with the Act you can expect the landlord to pursue you with a claim for unpaid rent, and probably damages too. At the least, you can expect the landlord...MORE...
I share a 2 bedroom apt with a friend, and I am not on the lease. When I moved in a year and a half ago, our relationship was good. The day I moved in the place was dirty and cluttered. I cleaned, ...
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You mention that you're not on the lease, so I have to conclude that the tenancy agreement is between the landlord and your roommate only. In this situation it is your roommate who has been given excl...MORE...
I own a condominium and I am looking to find a roommate. What should I use for documentation? Are there any significant changes I should be aware of since I will be co-habitating in the apartment....
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If you're going to share your accommodation, and not give over 'exclusive use of the rental premises” to someone else, then you won't have a situation that falls under the jurisdiction of the Resident...MORE...
We recently moved into this 3 bedroom house in January. We have 2 rooms upstairs, our roommate has her own room downstairs. The two floors are rented as a unit. Our roommate has given her notice (2 mo...
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Unless parties to a month-to-month tenancy agreement consent to end the tenancy, or the tenant ends it by giving notice in accordance with the Act, or unless an Arbitrator or Judge orders the tenancy ...MORE...
We have a tenant in the basement and we have had numerous problems with her not cleaning her cat box and the smell travelling through our residence. She has been warned on numerous occasions about thi...
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The way I see it, you're really complaining about the way your downstairs tenant keeps house, but this isn't an included ground for eviction listed under section 47 of the Act. If you did try to move ...MORE...
I am a tenant that lives on one side of a duplex house. This house has only one address (legally),with two separate dwellings (not legally)". Both dwellings have separate hydro boxes, separate everyth...
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Sections 22 & 23 of the Regulations cover the details of rent increases - and there are many. Schedule 6 shows in simple form how and when an increase can apply.
The landlord can only increase the...MORE...
Subject
ID #- 82
Q:
HI,I LEAVING IN BASMENT OF PRIVATE HOUS. MY LANDLORD IS PUT TODAY SIGND THAT IS HOUSE FOR SALE. I NO LIKE PAING THE SAME AMOUNT OF RENT ($950.00)AND BE CONTINIOUSLY HAMPER FROM HIS POTENTIAL BUYE...
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The general rule where a property is for sale is that the landlord and the tenant come to some arrangement where the property can be shown. This involves accommodation on the part of the landlord and ...MORE...
I have recently purchased an apartment in March with an existing tenant, the fixed length of time is ending in April & then continues on a month to month basis. She also wants me to replace the stove....
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When a fixed term tenancy agreement (lease) ends, so does the tenancy, so it puzzles me when you say it 'continues on a month-to-month basis after that'. The tenancy would only become a month-to-month...MORE...
I am new landlord taking over the tenancy, what type of form or letter do I produce. Is there a standard addendum I can find? thanks....
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If you are taking over the tenancy, you are taking over the tenancy agreement that is in place.
Every tenancy agreement must comply with the terms and conditions found in RTO Form – 1. Any conflic...MORE...
My landlord rented an apartment to me and we signed a lease of 6 months. Within 1 week he informed me that the lease was terminated. With the signing of the lease I paid 1/2 months rent, in addition...
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A material term of every tenancy agreement is the payment of rent in full and on time. Evidently you failed to meet this term by only paying 'the rent yet nevertheless wanted possession of the premise...MORE...
I am moving into a new apt which I signed a lease for April 01. I am moving in on the 2, but everytime I have asked about filling a Condition Inspection Report, I get no answer. I don't want to get ch...
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At the beginning of the tenancy and again at the end, the landlord and tenant are required to inspect the rental unit together and fill out a condition and inspection report – Form RTO – 27. The repor...MORE...
If you sign a one year lease (the only option in downtown Vancouver) and your job requires you to move out of province... so you have to leave and break the lease... what kind of consequences do you f...
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A lease is a contract. You agree to rent the premises for a set period of time for a set amount of money. If you break the contract there are consequences, just like a mortgage with a bank, or a lease...MORE...
We had rented our apartment from one landlord who sold the property shortly to another couple. There was no original tenancy agreement and there had been no tenancy agreement with the new landlord. We...
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When a tenanted residential property is purchased and the tenancy remains the new landlord takes over the tenancy agreement, which includes taking over responsibility for any security deposits that ar...MORE...
Up to how many people are permitted to rent a two bedroom apartment?...
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How many? - As many as the landlord agrees to enter into a tenancy agreement with. That said, item (c) of section 47 of the Act sets out that a Notice to End the Tenancy can be issued by the landlord ...MORE...
Hi there, we rented a condo in surrey bc, on good friday we were given notice that work was going to start on the exterior of our building on the following Monday which was not suppose to start until ...
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You could have a claim for a reduction in rent due to the loss of services and facilities. How much you'd be awarded will be dependent on your evidence of actual loss, and the valuation an Arbitrator ...MORE...
My husband and I have been renting a home for 3 years now. In January our landlord notified us that he might be selling the property that we are currently renting, but he was not sure at that time. He...
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The Residential Tenancy Act of BC contains provisions that affect the ending of a tenancy when the landlord wants the rental premises for his own use. When a property is being sold and the purchaser w...MORE...
I am leaving my apartment after 1 year and a half. The last six months have been on a month-to-month basis and I've given the appropriate notice to vacate. I was under the impression that normal wea...
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The evidence presented in arbitration will persuade an Arbitrator what is normal wear and tear and what supports a claim for damages. Condition and inspection reports are now required when a tenancy s...MORE...
Recently I moved into an apartment, and a week after I discovered that my apartment heating isn't working. I told the resident manger, and he told me that "some of the upper floors are having problem ...
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You are well advised to set out your complaints to the landlord in writing, stating how you think the situation can be remedied, and when. You may wish to inform the landlord that you are prepared to ...MORE...
I have been renting a basement suite for the past 2 and 1/2 years for $750- per month. The Landlord lives upstairs which is completly seperate. The only receipts I received from him is the first month...
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This is what happens 'when push comes to shove”. You contend you're a tenant; He (the homeowner I presume) evidently contends he kicked you out of shared accommodation. It's the weekend. The police ar...MORE...
I'm living in a basement suite and the house was for sale. The house was bought quickly because of the prime location. Currently the new owners are renovating the main floor. Renovating the house m...
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Yes, the landlord can undertake repairs and renovations in tenanted buildings. The landlord must observe health and safety standards and he is responsible for providing rental premises that don't unre...MORE...
On Mar.5 I paid 100.00 deposit to rent a suite in an old motel on a monthly basis. On Mar 15 after thinking about it told the landlady I won't be moving in which was 3 days notice. She told me not onl...
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Once parties enter into a tenancy agreement each is required to abide by the rules and regulations found under the Residential Tenancy Act of British Columbia. The Act says that where the tenant moves...MORE...
