Know your rights and responsibilities before you rent. JFSA has free copies of “The Tenant Survival Guide,” a plain-language legal resource for tenants, written by the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre. You can call their tenant hotline at: 604.255.0546, or you can download a copy of the Tenant Survival Guide from their website: http://www.tenants.bc.ca. You can also call the Housing Coordinator to discuss specific problems. If she can’t help you, she will refer you to someone who can. Always be proactive: problems with landlords rarely go away on their own.
The BC Residential Tenancy Office (604.660.1020) is the branch of the provincial government that regulates rental housing in BC. If a landlord or a tenant violates a term in a tenancy agreement they can apply for dispute resolution. A hearing will be held and a Dispute Resolution Officer will make a determination. This is a legally-binding process with its own rules. Before you file a claim, contact the Housing Coordinator, who can help you avoid costly mistakes. Above all, never ignore an eviction notice. Make an appointment to see the Housing Coordinator right away and bring the notice with you.
If you rent within the City of Vancouver, your landlord must comply with the City of Vancouver’s Standards of Maintenance By-Law. However, before you demand enforcement, you may wish to get advice from the Housing Coordinator. For instance, if you are in an illegal suite, the landlord could end up evicting you rather than bring his property up to code. In those cases, it is often better to apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch, which will enforce health and safety standards whether or not the rental unit is considered illegal by the municipality.
