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Landlord resources for Greater Vancouver.
A current, source-cited reference for residential landlords in Vancouver, North Shore, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, and the rest of the Lower Mainland. Every regulatory claim links to the original government source.
Last reviewed: May 2026
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2026 at a glance
Six numbers every BC landlord should know.
Market reality
The Greater Vancouver rental market shifted in 2025.
After years of bidding wars and 1% vacancy, the Lower Mainland is in a different rental market. Per CMHC’s 2025 Rental Market Report, Greater Vancouver purpose-built vacancy more than doubled year-over-year, reaching 3.7% — the highest level since 1988. BC asking rents fell 8.5% over two years.
Greater Vancouver vacancy (2024 → late 2025)
Greater Victoria vacancy (highest since 1999)
BC asking rent over two years
With provincial rent increases capped at 2.3% and tenants holding real market choice, the math has flipped. Holding a quality tenant for an extra year now beats the modest rent bump a new lease might capture — especially after factoring in vacancy loss, marketing, and turnover cleanup. Tenant retention is the new yield strategy.
Sources: CMHC Rental Market Report, BC Gov News (CMHC 2025 statement).
Section 1
Rent increases — 2.3% for 2026.
For 2026, the maximum allowable rent increase for residential tenancies in British Columbia is 2.3%. The cap is set annually by the Minister of Housing under the Residential Tenancy Act and is tied to the 12-month average change in BC’s Consumer Price Index. There is no “catch-up” for missed years — each year’s cap stands alone.
The three rules to execute one
- Once every 12 months. Measured from the tenancy start or the date of the last increase.
- Three full months’ written notice. A January 1, 2027 increase must be served by the end of September 2026.
- Use form RTB-7. The provincial notice of rent increase. Other formats are not enforceable.
If your rent includes utilities, property taxes, or strata fees that go up, you still cannot increase the rent beyond the 2.3% cap to recover those costs. The cap is on the rent paid, not on operating expenses.
Historical context
| Year | Maximum increase | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.3% | Tied to BC CPI, set Sept 2025 |
| 2025 | 3.0% | Inflation cooling |
| 2024 | 3.5% | Peak post-pandemic inflation |
| 2023 | 2.0% | Cap held below CPI |
| 2022 | 1.5% | Reintroduced after pandemic freeze |
| 2021 | 0.0% | Emergency freeze (COVID-19) |
Above the cap (RTB-52)
Landlords can apply for an additional rent increase via form RTB-52 to recover the cost of major capital expenditures — roof replacement, seismic upgrades, full HVAC overhauls. Arbitrators grant these in narrow circumstances, the approval is phased over 2–3 years, and the application fee is $300 plus $10 per rental unit.
Sources: Rent increases — BC Gov, RTB rent-increase calculator, Residential Tenancy Act, 2026 rate announcement.
Section 2
Security and pet damage deposits.
Deposits in BC are tightly regulated. The 15-day return rule is the single biggest administrative trap independent landlords fall into — miss it, and the arbitrator must order you to pay double the deposit. It is a statutory penalty, not discretionary.
Security deposit
½ month max
Of the agreed monthly rent. Tenant has 30 days from signing to pay it; if unpaid, you can serve a 1-month notice to end tenancy (RTB-33).
Pet damage deposit
½ month max
Allowed in addition to the security deposit, only if you permit pets. Service animals are exempt from this deposit.
Combined cap: never more than one full month’s rent.
The 15-day rule
Once the tenancy ends and the tenant gives you a forwarding address in writing, you have 15 days to do exactly one of three things:
- Return the deposit in full, with accrued interest.
- Get the tenant’s written consent to deduct a specific amount and return the balance.
- File an RTB Application for Dispute Resolution to legally claim some or all of it.
Fail to do any of those within 15 days and Section 38 of the Residential Tenancy Act compels the arbitrator to order you to pay double the original deposit.
Your right to keep any of the deposit also depends on having completed a Condition Inspection Report (RTB-27) at both move-in and move-out, and offering the tenant at least two opportunities to attend each. Skip this step and you forfeit the right to claim damages.
Interest rates by year
Deposit interest is set annually at the prime lending rate minus 4.5%, compounded yearly. For 2026, prime fell below the 4.5% threshold so the rate is 0% — but for any prior year of the tenancy you still need to calculate the accrued interest.
| Year | Rate |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 0% |
| 2025 | 0.95% |
| 2024 | 2.7% |
| 2023 | 1.95% |
Use the official RTB Deposit Interest Calculator — it handles the year-by-year compounding automatically.
How 88West clients handle this
The 15-day deposit window and the condition-inspection requirement are the most common reasons independent landlords lose RTB hearings. 88West tracks both per-listing: deposits are held in trust, condition reports are completed and signed at move-in and move-out, and the 15-day clock starts the moment a forwarding address arrives. The double-deposit penalty isn’t a risk our clients carry.
Sources: Tenancy deposits and fees, RTA s.19, 20, 38, Condition inspections.
Section 3
Lawful entry and the deemed-delivery rules.
Outside of genuine emergencies, you cannot enter a rented unit without prior written notice. Tenants have a statutory right to quiet enjoyment, and an arbitrator will treat unauthorized entry as a serious breach.
The 24-hour notice
- At least 24 hours in advance, at most 30 days.
- Entry time must fall between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- The notice must state the date, time, and reason (inspection, repair, showing).
- Tenants can be present but cannot block lawful entry.
Deemed delivery — the math admins miss
Under the RTA, “received” doesn’t mean “sent.” The 24-hour clock starts when the notice is deemed received, which depends on how you served it:
| Method | Deemed received |
|---|---|
| In person | Same day |
| Posted on the door | 3 days after posting |
| Mailbox or mail slot | 3 days after deposit |
| Registered mail | 5 days after mailing |
| Email (with tenant’s written consent only) | 3 days after sending |
Practical takeaway: a notice taped to the door on Monday is not valid for Tuesday entry — 3 days for deemed delivery plus 1 day for the 24-hour minimum means you need at least four days of runway. Miscalculating this is one of the most common reasons landlords lose entry-related disputes.
Sources: Landlord access to rental units, RTA s.29 + s.88–90.
Section 4
Ending a tenancy — the four most common paths.
Evictions in BC are formal procedures with specific forms, notice periods, and dispute windows. Using the wrong form or miscounting deemed delivery voids the notice and forces you to start over. As of July 2024, personal-use evictions can only be generated through the RTB’s Web Portal — hand-completed PDFs are legally unenforceable.
10 Day Notice — non-payment of rent
Serve the day after rent is missed. Tenant has 5 days to pay in full (which automatically cancels the notice) or file a dispute. If they do neither, you can apply for an Order of Possession through the RTB’s Direct Request process — no hearing required, decision based on the lease, the notice, and proof of service.
Form RTB-30 · tenant dispute window: 5 days · Direct Request Process
1 Month Notice — cause
Used for repeated late rent, significant disturbance to neighbours, illegal activity affecting the property, or extraordinary damage. The grounds need to be specific and well-documented — arbitrators routinely set aside notices that read as personality conflicts rather than RTA breaches.
Form RTB-33 · tenant dispute window: 10 days
3 Month Notice — landlord or purchaser use
For the landlord or a close family member (parent, spouse, or child of the landlord or their spouse) moving in, OR for a buyer’s personal use after a binding sale. Siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles do not qualify. Buildings of 5+ rental units owned by the same entity are excluded entirely.
Notice period
3 months
Tenant dispute window
21 days
Compensation
1 month’s rent
Min occupancy after
12 consecutive months
Mandatory web portal. Since July 2024, these notices can only be issued through the RTB’s Landlord Use Web Portal, authenticated via BCeID. The portal generates form RTB-32L (landlord use) or RTB-32P (purchaser use) with a unique notice ID. Hand-completed PDFs are void.
The 12-month rent penalty. If the named person doesn’t actually occupy the unit for 12 consecutive months — or if the unit is re-rented at a higher rate, or converted to a short-term rental — the displaced tenant can claim up to 12 months’ rent as compensation. The burden of proof falls on the landlord at the hearing. “Extenuating circumstances” (e.g., death, fire) is the only defence.
4 Month Notice — demolition or conversion
Used when demolishing the building, converting to non-residential use, or stratifying. All municipal permits must be finalized and in hand before serving the notice. One month’s rent compensation is also required. Form RTB-29. Because the documentary requirements are extensive, professional representation is strongly recommended.
How 88West clients handle this
The 12-month occupancy rule and the documentary burden behind a no-fault eviction are why this is the single most expensive mistake an independent landlord can make. Our brokers complete the RTB Web Portal entries personally, retain the supporting documentation (purchase agreements, family ID, intent records), and represent owners at any subsequent RTB hearing. If you’re considering selling or moving in to a unit you currently rent out, talk to us before you do anything else — the sequence matters.
Sources: Types of evictions, Landlord Use Web Portal launch, RTA s.46–52.
Section 5
Short-term rentals (STRAA).
BC’s 2024 Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act made it illegal in most Greater Vancouver municipalities to operate a standalone investment property as an Airbnb or VRBO listing. The intent: return investment units to the long-term residential market. If you’re considering using your rental between tenants for short stays, you need to know the rules first.
The principal residence rule
In municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more, short-term rentals (stays under 90 days) are limited to:
- The host’s actual principal residence, where they live the majority of the year.
- A maximum of one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property (laneway home, basement suite, etc.).
Standalone investment condos and houses listed exclusively for short-term use are no longer permitted in most of the Lower Mainland. Pre-existing “legal non-conforming use” protections (grandfather clauses) were specifically stripped away by the STRAA.
The provincial registry and platform enforcement
All legal STR operators must register with the province and display their registration number on every listing. Booking platforms (Airbnb, VRBO, Expedia) are legally required to validate registrations against the provincial database and remove non-compliant listings. The Compliance and Enforcement Unit can issue Administrative Monetary Penalties up to $10,000 per day, per infraction.
Exemptions exist for genuine strata hotels, fractional ownership arrangements with specific legal structure, true seasonal properties without year-round habitability, and resort municipalities (Whistler, etc.) — but the criteria are narrow and rigorously verified.
Sources: BC Short-Term Rentals overview, Principal residence requirement, STRAA statute.
Section 6
Vacancy taxes — provincial SVT and Vancouver EHT.
BC operates two overlapping vacancy taxes. Both require an annual declaration from owners — even if your property is fully tenanted and exempt. Skip the declaration and the tax is automatically assessed at the maximum rate.
Provincial Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT)
Applies to properties in designated taxable regions (most of Greater Vancouver, Capital Region, Nanaimo, etc.). Declaration due March 31 each year for the prior calendar year. Rates increased substantially for 2026:
| Owner type | 2025 rate | 2026 rate |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian citizens / permanent residents | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| Foreign owners + untaxed worldwide earners | 2.0% | 3.0% |
Vancouver Empty Homes Tax (EHT)
Levied on properties within City of Vancouver boundaries. Declaration due in early February. The 2025 and 2026 rate is 3.0% of the assessed value. The provincial SVT and the municipal EHT both apply to a vacant Vancouver home — meaning a foreign-owned vacant Vancouver property faces a combined annual tax of up to 6.0% of assessed value.
The year-end timing trap
Liability rests on whoever is the registered owner on December 31. Because the Land Title Office takes a few business days to process transfers, a property sold December 30 may still show the seller as registered owner on December 31 — making the seller liable for the declaration. Buyers should claim the “just bought or inherited” exemption rather than relying on the standard principal-residence exemption in the year of purchase.
How 88West clients handle this
We don’t file your taxes — that’s your accountant’s job — but we do maintain the records that prove tenant occupancy (lease dates, rent receipts, BC Hydro account assignments) so you can complete the SVT and EHT declarations cleanly each year. Properties that we manage are documented for exemption from day one.
Sources: Speculation and Vacancy Tax, Vancouver Empty Homes Tax.
Section 7
Dispute resolution — knowing the right venue.
Most landlord-tenant disputes go to the Residential Tenancy Branch, but a handful belong elsewhere. Filing in the wrong venue means dismissal, lost fees, and months of restart.
| Venue | Scope | Claim limit |
|---|---|---|
| RTB | Almost all RTA-governed landlord-tenant disputes — evictions, deposit claims, monetary orders, rent-increase applications. | $35,000 (no cap for bad-faith eviction penalty under s.51) |
| Civil Resolution Tribunal | Disputes between roommates who share a kitchen/bathroom with the landlord (exempt from RTA), strata bylaw issues, co-tenant disputes. | $5,000 |
| Small Claims Court | General civil claims not covered by RTB; enforcement of unpaid RTB monetary orders. | $5,001–$35,000 |
| BC Supreme Court | Claims above $35,000; judicial review of RTB decisions (60-day deadline, requires “patently unreasonable error” standard). | No limit |
The RTB’s standard application fee is $100 (waivers available for low-income applicants); the arbitrator typically orders the losing party to reimburse it. RTB decisions are legally binding and filed with the BC court system for enforcement if needed.
Sources: Tenancy dispute resolution, Civil Resolution Tribunal.
Section 8
Tenant screening under PIPA.
BC’s Personal Information Protection Act limits what landlords can collect about applicants. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) is the enforcement body, and they’ve been explicit: collect only what you genuinely need to assess suitability for the tenancy. Generic Americanized application forms downloaded from the internet routinely violate BC law.
You can collect
- ✓ Full legal name and contact info
- ✓ Previous addresses to verify rental history
- ✓ Previous-landlord references (OIPC’s preferred indicator)
- ✓ Employment + income verification (pay stubs, T4 — enough to confirm the 3× rent ratio)
- ✓ Number of occupants (for fire code / occupancy limits only)
- ✓ Credit check — with explicit written consent
You cannot demand
- ✗ Social Insurance Number — name + DOB is enough for Equifax/TransUnion
- ✗ Full bank account numbers or historical statements
- ✗ Blanket criminal record checks as a condition of tenancy
- ✗ Any BC Human Rights Code protected ground: religion, ethnicity, marital/family status, ages of children, disability or medical info
- ✗ Information collected for one purpose, reused for another, without new consent
How 88West clients handle this
Our application pipeline is PIPA-compliant by design: we don’t request SINs, we use named credit-bureau partners with documented consent, we keep references and income verification separately retained with defined retention windows, and we don’t reuse applicant data for marketing. Owners get a screening summary; we hold the underlying records.
Sources: OIPC guidance for landlords/tenants, Personal Information Protection Act.
Section 9
Utility transitions between tenants.
One of the more boring but expensive landlord mistakes: a tenant closes their BC Hydro account on move-out, the power gets physically disconnected, and you face a reconnection fee plus a delay before you can show the unit. Both major BC utilities offer programs to prevent this.
BC Hydro Rental Premise Agreement
With an RPA in place, when a tenant closes their account, service automatically transfers into the landlord’s name — no physical disconnect, no reconnection fee. When the next tenant registers, the account transfers to them seamlessly. If they don’t register, the landlord remains on the hook for billing, so it’s worth confirming.
Set up an RPA →FortisBC (natural gas + electricity)
FortisBC doesn’t physically shut gas off on tenant move-out (heating is needed to prevent frozen pipes), but to avoid unassigned usage charges during vacancy you’ll want to contact them to reinstate the account in the owner’s name between tenants.
Start, stop or move service →Section 10
Federal taxation — the CRA T4036 + Form T776.
Rental income is reported federally to the CRA. The framework is governed by the T4036 Rental Income Guide, with annual filing on Form T776 (Statement of Real Estate Rentals), which attaches to your personal income tax return. The single most-asked CRA question for new landlords is the distinction between current and capital expenses.
Current expenses
Recurring costs that don’t extend the property’s useful life — advertising, minor repairs, property management fees, insurance, utilities (if paid by the landlord), routine maintenance. Deductible in the year incurred.
Capital expenses
Improvements that provide a lasting benefit — new roof, full HVAC replacement, new appliances, structural renovations. Not fully deductible in the year incurred; instead, claimed over time as Capital Cost Allowance (CCA).
Misclassifying a capital improvement as a current expense is a common CRA audit flag. When in doubt, consult an accountant familiar with rental real estate.
Sources: CRA T4036 Rental Income Guide.
Section 11
Tenant subsidy programs — useful to know.
BC Housing administers two rent-subsidy programs that go directly to qualifying tenants in private market rentals. They’re worth knowing about because a tenant receiving a stable government subsidy is a more reliable rent payer than one juggling cash flow alone — and proactively pointing a struggling tenant at these programs is generally a better outcome for everyone than initiating an eviction.
Rental Assistance Program (RAP)
Monthly subsidies for working low-income families with at least one dependent child. Paid directly to the tenant, who continues to pay the landlord normally.
RAP details →SAFER (Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters)
Monthly subsidies for BC residents aged 60+ whose rent exceeds 30% of gross income. Particularly valuable for long-tenured tenants who can no longer keep up with market rent.
SAFER details →Section 12
Curated external resources.
The official primary sources we cite throughout this page, categorized for quick reference. Bookmark whatever applies to your situation.
Provincial law and policy
Forms and calculators
Eviction-specific
Industry organizations
- · LandlordBC — the provincial landlord association: vetted addendums, helpline, contractor program.
- · TRAC (Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre) — tenant-facing, included so landlords know what advice tenants are reading.
- · BC Housing rental assistance programs
Tax and utilities
Short-term rentals
Municipal nuances: Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, and other Lower Mainland municipalities maintain their own business-licensing requirements and zoning bylaws that may apply on top of the provincial rules above. Check your specific city’s housing portal.
Frequently asked
Common landlord questions.
Want this handled for you?
88West clients don’t track rent caps, deposit windows, RTB portal versions, or condition-inspection forms. We do. You get a quarterly statement, your tenant gets a single point of contact, and the regulatory compliance is our job.
Disclaimer: This page summarizes BC landlord-tenant rules for general reference. It is not legal advice. Rules change, and individual situations vary. For specific situations, contact the Residential Tenancy Branch or a qualified BC lawyer. Last reviewed: May 2026.