The provincial government has launched a new online portal that requires landlords to be more transparent when issuing notices of evictions to renters.
Launched on July 18, the Landlord Use Web Portal is meant to address BC’s high no-fault eviction rate, which is when tenants are evicted when they have not violated their lease.
Landlords are permitted to reclaim unites for personal reasons like for a close family member to move in. However, landlords may have other intentions like leasing the unit to other renters with an increased rent. The portal is specifically meant to prevent this situation by having landlords document their claims and to warn landlords of heavy penalties if they engage in bad faith evictions.
In a 2023 study, UBC researchers found over 85 per cent of evictions in BC in 2021 were no-fault evictions, the highest in the country and above the national average of 64.7 per cent. The online portal is one step taken by the province to address this by specifically targeting bad faith evictions. Now, notices of evictions are to be generated on the portal, and landlords are required to enter the details of those occupying the unit when the unit is vacated, allowing tenants to “have a better sense of the landlords’ intentions,” according to the province.
Such documentation of changes in occupancy can also be used by tenants in dispute hearings as proof of bad-faith by landlords. The government is also taking several other initiatives to better renter rights. Landlords are now required to provide four months’ notice, up from two months, when evicting for personal use, the new tenant must occupy the unit for 12 months and evicted tenants now have 30 days, previously 15 days, to dispute notices of eviction.
“The portal will also provide [the] government with a window to better understand when and how often these evictions occur so that we can continue to build on our work to improve services for renters and landlords,” said Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon in a press release.
While these changes also benefit students living in units throughout the city, these changes do not apply to those living in UBC Residence as it does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Residential Tenancy Act.
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