For many renters, just hearing the news of a possible renoviction or demoviction can send us into panic mode. Landlords know this, and many use it to their advantage. Know what you are entitled to, and don’t move until you’ve secured what is owed to you.
My landlord wants to renovict me. What are my rights?
Laws around Renovictions in B.C. have recently changed. Landlords must apply at the Residential Tenancy Branch before they can evict you for repairs. Learn more HERE.
My landlord says they are going to demolish my home. What are my rights?
Any landlord in BC must follow the provincial rules at a minimum if they intend to demolish the building you are renting.
Depending on what city you live in, your landlord might be required to provide additional supports and compensation. Currently, the city with the best local tenant protections is Burnaby - FIND OUT WHY.
DEMOVICTION RIGHTS
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Provincial (anywhere in BC)
Your landlord must serve the proper eviction form (RTB-29) which includes:
- Four Months Notice
- Compensation equal to one months rent (or final month is free)
- Up to 30 days to dispute eviction at RTB
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If you live in a building with 5 or more units, you can claim right of first refusal to move into one of the newly rebuilt units BUT your landlord can reset the rent to whatever they want.
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City of Vancouver
The city has a formal process that requires landlords who want to redevelop their rental property to help relocate and/or compensate tenants for displacing them. This is called the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy (TRPP).
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The policy only applies to:
- Buildings with five or more units, in designated geographic areas
- Multiple properties that are being consolidated (land assemblies), where proposed development is for 5 or more units
It includes:
- Compensation for tenants to leave ranges from 4-24 months rent, depending on the length of tenancy, plus moving costs
- Extra supports for low income tenants to find below market housing
- A limited right of first refusal, which is a 20% discount on a unit when the new building is complete
- "Enhanced protections" for tenants include supports to maintain your same rent - including a top up during construction and a suite in the new building at the same rent (plus annual allowable increase)
- Areas within 800 meters of a Skytrain station, 400 meters of a major bus station and areas within Broadway Plan area and apartment areas within the Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood qualify for enhanced protections. See map below:
Read the full policy in detail here.
All tenant protections are detailed in the full city policy linked above, as well as in this pamphlet:
Click here to download
Click here for printable booklet format
As soon as you find out your building is being redeveloped, contact the city staff to find out if you qualify for the TRPP. (Feel free to CC the VTU: [email protected])
Don’t leave - Bargain!
The City of Vancouver's TRPP is supposed to protect tenants who are being forced out of their homes. However the actual policy only offers small lump sum payments and often leaves people priced out of their communities altogether. Vancouver Tenants Union members want this policy changed so tenants can move back at the same rent they were paying before. VTU members have successfully organized and bargained better deals than the bare minimum that the city requires. Read about how renters have won HERE, and HERE.
Contact the VTU if you and your neighbours are interested in collective bargaining for a better deal.
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Other Cities
Organized renters in New Westminster, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam have fought for and won stronger protections against renovictions and demovictions.
Read our Guide Municipal to Tenant Protections in the Lower Mainland
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Further Reading
