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There are several rights and responsibilities that come with being a homeowner, landlord and a tenant alike. These guidelines are in place to keep everyone involved safe and to maintain order.


What are the rights and responsibilities of renters and landlords?
Renters and landlords alike have specific guidelines they have to follow in a tenancy agreement.

Renters must be sure to pay their rent on time and pay the adequate amount. They also should ensure that they keep the space they are renting in good condition. They are responsible for the costs of damage that doesn’t fall under “reasonable wear and tear,” or the natural deterioration of things that happens over time. Renters are always entitled to a safe and liveable space within the rental unit. In addition, renters have the right to be treated with respect and fairness by their landlord, regardless of factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender, or family status.

Landlords should keep the condition of the rental unit as accurate as possible when putting it up in a listing. They need to ensure that their rental unit meets basic health and safety standards. For every tenancy, landlords have to have a written agreement prepared, and both the renter and the landlord must sign the agreement. Within that agreement, landlords need to communicate properly with tenants before increasing rent. This includes giving their tenants three months notice before the rent increase. Landlords may only increase the rent every twelve months. If the tenancy agreement is on a month-to-month basis, landlords have the right to evict renters for the landlord’s personal use of the property with two to four months notice. Landlords are responsible for covering the costs of repairs related to heating, plumbing, electricity, locks, fire escapes, and other important repairs.

What are the rights and responsibilities of homeowners?
Homeowners are responsible for paying their property taxes every year, as well as keeping their home in proper living condition. Some homeowners, including those over fifty-five years old or those with a disability and living with a parent or guardian, are eligible for property tax deferment programs.




What can you do if you have a bad landlord? What about bad neighbors?
In the case of a bad landlord, you can file a formal complaint to authorities. In BC, this means sending an email or a letter to the Residential Tenancy Branch.
In the case of a bad neighbour, there are several steps you can take. At first, you should try and handle the problem yourself by communicating with your neighbour, but if that doesn’t work, you can start documenting evidence. After gathering your evidence, you can try writing a letter to your neighbour with the details of your issues. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you can try involving a third party to mediate. Finally, if you are still having concerns, try reaching out to your local municipality, and afterwards take legal action if all else fails.