Unpaid rent

The Landlord Rights Association of BC highlights the significant challenges landlords face when it comes to collecting unpaid rent, unpaid utilities, and eviction-related costs from tenants. Tenants can live rent-free for months, leaving landlords struggling to recover losses, especially when it comes to tenants who cause property damage or refuse to pay rent. The difficulties in locating these tenants and recovering owed money make the situation nearly impossible for landlords.

It can often take many months for an RTB hearing. In the meantime, an unscrupulous tenant can withhold rent and utilities and damage the property, while knowing that if the RTB rules against them they can move out and there is little practical recourse the landlord can take to recoup losses. 

Our association suggested four ways to address this challenge, so landlords feel assurance and confidence that system is working fairly to protect them.

a)    Require that during ongoing dispute, the tenant must be under legal obligation to pay rent & utilities to landlord or to the RTB and if they pay to RTB, these funds will be held in RTB trust until final decision.

b)     Create an INSURANCE PROGRAM for tenants. The purpose of this insurance is to assure the landlords that they can recover unpaid rent, unpaid utilities, filing fee, cost for damage and cost related to eviction (such as hiring a bailiff) through tenant’s insurance in case tenant is at fault. Make it mandatory for a tenant to have this insurance in place before start of a tenancy.

c)    Start a “FINANCIAL POOL” or “RENT RELIEF PROGRAM” jointly funded by the province and municipalities. If a landlord unsuccessful to recover money from the tenant, then landlord’s monetary damage must be recovered from this pool. (Source of revenue for this pool will be money collected from Property Transfer Tax (provincial) and Property Tax(municipal)).

d)    Increase damage deposit amount equal to two months of rent rather than half month damage deposit. 

While the BC NDP has mentioned plans to introduce a provincially subsidized insurance program, there has been no clear timeline on how it will benefit landlords. 

We request all the landlords to ask question to candidates that how they are going to address this issue. 

This message is authorized by the Landlord Rights Association of BC, in accordance with the BC Election Act. 604 762 0814