Is the Residential Tenancy Branch favorable towards tenants?\

This is a phrase I hear all the time from Landlords, people who have rented before or who are not familiar with the rental laws in BC. The simple answer is yes, the Residential Tenancy Branch leans towards protecting the rights of tenants, as the government doesn’t want to make a person homeless unless the process has been followed correctly.

Recently a friend mentioned their friends’ experience in renting out their basement suite. They spent  good money fixing it up, rented it to two “professionals” only to have them “trash” the place and fail to pay rent. They had a difficult time evicting the people and had significant costs to repair the unit. 

The above issues have nothing to do with the direction of the Residential Tenancy Branch. My dad always told me “the game of golf is simple, It’s just not easy”.  Renting a property is simple, being a landlord is not easy, yet many people think they understand the issues and can manage them on their own without a professional. I have rented many properties to “professionals” and I have turned down many professionals who applied to rent units. The tenant selection process requires a lot of reading between the lines to find out as much information before you allow a person to occupy your investment property. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, taking your time to thoroughly investigate and review the applicant’s information provided is a necessary step to a positive experience in renting your property.  

Doing your due diligence and reading between the lines will often raise red flags, as I call them, that you should consider another applicant. It’s a process that should never be rushed, and good applicants will provide the right information you need to make the right choices.

How do you read between the lines?. Recently I had a landlord show me some documents from her applicant which turned out to be a negative experience. The application form said he earned $5,000 per month. The tax document provided, which turned out not to be his, said he made $150K the previous year. Simple math shows this information to be inaccurate and the landlord should never have rented to this person.

A recent applicant to a property we manage advised they worked for a Canadian Airline and when asked if they were still flying and indicated they were. A few pointed questions led me to believe the information was inaccurate and eventually the person admitted they were laid off due to the pandemic. It’s not prudent to rent to a person who provides inaccurate information in the application process. 

Many of the laws on renting have been created or amended due to Landlords over reaching the boundaries of the laws causing governments to make changes to protect the renting public. It is my experience when a landlord follows the laws they can have a positive experience renting their property. 

Need assistance with your rental property contact us for an evaluation of your needs.

Cartref Properties specializes in managing rental units located within Strata Corporations. 

www.cartrefproperties.com