Rental Housing

The regulations apply to rental apartment businesses with five or more suites, including situations in which owners have already delivered eviction notices to tenants for the purposes of undertaking renovations or repairs but the tenants have not yet relocated. 

The bylaw regulations do not apply to homeowners who rent out a secondary suite or a coach house, or an apartment condominium owner who rent out their suite.

The bylaw does not prevent repairs and renovations from occurring. Building owners are encouraged to undertake repairs and renovations to ensure their buildings remain well maintained. In many cases, this work can be completed without the need to end tenancies. If the tenant has moved out voluntarily and the unit is vacant, there is no need to work around or accommodate a tenant elsewhere.

However, if the unit has an existing tenant, the building owners have the following options:

1. Arrange for temporary accommodation for the tenants elsewhere,
2. Relocate the tenants to comparable units in the building, or
3. Renovate the unit with the tenant remaining in the unit.

The regulations do not apply if:

• Building owners are upgrading suites as they become vacant after tenants have moved out voluntarily.
• A suite in a building has been determined by a professional to have been damaged by natural disaster, fire, water, smoke, insect infestation or structural failure to the point that it is unsafe for occupancy.

Building owners may also apply to Council for an exemption in extenuating circumstances.

The tenant and landlord relationship is governed by the provincial Residential Tenancy Act. Dispute resolution processes regarding tenancies are handled by the Residential Tenancy Branch. 

The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre provides information on tenant rights and advice regarding tenancy issues.