Residential Tenancy Act Archives

5 Common Mistakes Tenants Make

Posted in Tenants, Tips on July 21, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Renting a home can be an eye opening experience. If you’re a Tenant considering renting a property, here are 5 mistakes Tenants make – that are easy to make and avoid! Mistakes Tenants Make Not knowing what your Tenancy Agreement says. If you listened to your parents growing up, you know never to sign anything you haven’t read. Make sure you go through the whole tenancy agreement before you sign it and clarify any areas of concern. Once you’ve signed it, it’s too late and you’re bound by the conditions in the agreement. Not getting copies of the Tenancy Agreement…

Serving A Notice To End A Tenancy

Posted in Landlords, Residential Tenancy Act on June 28, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Part 4: Notice to End Tenancy Series We’ve looked at the different types of Notice to End Tenancy that a Landlord can use. Properly Serving a Notice is as important as the notice. Keep in mind, the method of delivery is important for determining when the notice is deemed received by the Tenant, which can also affect the effective date (in the case of a 10 Day Notice). 3 ways to serve a notice In Person. If you physically hand the Notice to the tenant, or an adult person who appears to reside at the rental property, it is deemed delivered to the…

Two Month Notice to End Tenancy For Landlord Use

Posted in Landlords, Residential Tenancy Act on June 22, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Part 3: Notice to End Tenancy Series Did you know a Landlord can end a tenancy by giving the Tenant two months notice to end Tenancy for Landlord use of the property? There’s only a handful of circumstances under which this can be done and as always, the Landlord should check with the Residential Tenancy Branch for details specific to their situation. When can a Landlord end Tenancy for Landlord use? The Landlord or a close family member of the Landlord (father, mother or child) is going to be moving into the rental property. This also applies to an individual (or their close…

One Month Notice to End Tenancy For Cause

Posted in Landlords, Residential Tenancy Act on June 16, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Part 2: Notice to End Tenancy Series As a Landlord, what recourse do you have if your Tenant isn’t really holding up their end of the bargain? Under a few specific circumstances, you can end the tenancy by giving the Tenant a One Month Notice to End the Tenancy For Cause. 7 reasons that qualify as a Cause to issue a One Month Notice Repeated late payment of rent (the Residential Tenancy Office defines this as at least 3 times, and it should be over a relatively short period of time, for example 3 times in 6 months) Illegal activity that has or…

10 Day Notice to End Tenancy For Unpaid Rent or Utilities

Posted in Landlords, Residential Tenancy Act on June 10, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Part 1: Notice to End Tenancy Series When the tenant hasn’t paid the rent (or utilities) on the day it’s due (usually the first of each month), Landlord’s may consider issuing a 10 Day Notice to End Tenancy for Unpaid Rent or Utilities. The form is available online at the Residential Tenancy Branch website. 10 Day Notice to End Tenancy For Unpaid Rent form #RTB-30 here. Delivery effective date The day you are delivering or sending the notice is not counted, so if you issue a 10 Day Notice on the 2nd of the month, the ten day period actually commences…

5 Common Mistakes Landlords Make

Posted in Nanaimo Rentals on May 25, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Are you a Landlord looking after your own rental property? If so, watch out for the following common mistakes Landlords make. Mistakes Landlords Make Incomplete or improper paperwork. Make sure you complete a Tenancy Agreement with your new tenants before they move in. This details all the important information relating to the property, the rent, security and/or pet deposits, as well as who is responsible for what type of maintenance etc. If you have additional rules, make sure you attach a list of these as well so everyone knows what’s expected. Each tenant on the agreement, as well as the…

How Can A Landlord Terminate A Tenancy?

Posted in Landlords, Residential Tenancy Act on May 13, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Occasionally a Landlord wants to take back possession of their rental unit or investment property. At times it’s to renovate, sometimes to move back in, and other times because the Tenant is not paying rent on time. In this series, we’ll take a look how a Landlord can terminate a Tenancy and the different types of Notices to End Tenancy that are available to Landlords, and under what circumstances each one can be used. Terminate a Tenancy The three main types of termination notices are: 10 Day Notice to End Tenancy for Unpaid Rent or Utilities 1 Month Notice to End Tenancy for Cause…

What Happens When the Landlord Gives a Two Month Notice to End Tenancy?

Posted in Tenants on March 1, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

Did you know that a Landlord can end a tenancy by giving the Tenant two month notice to end tenancy? There are only a handful of circumstances under which this can be done and you should check with the Residential Tenancy Branch for details on that, but here’s what you should know. Two month notice to end tenancy The Landlord must give a Tenant two clear months notice. This means the Landlord can’t give a Tenant notice on January 15 requiring the Tenant to move out by March 15. Instead, the notice would be effective March 31 – with February and…

RTA Part 5 – Rent Increases

Posted in Tenants, Tips on January 21, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

For our final installment of the 5 key sections of the Residential Tenancy Act, we’ll take a look rent increases. How often can rent be increased? How much can rent increases be increased by? How much notice does the Landlord have to provide the Tenant before they increase the rent? Rent increases A Landlord may only increase your rent once per year in an amount established by the Residential Tenancy Office each year. For 2016 the allowable increase is 2.9%. This means if your rent is $1000, it can only be increased to $1029 – not a huge amount. If you…

RTA Part 4 – Rental Security Deposits

Posted in Tenants, Tips on January 18, 2016 by Property Management RE/MAX of Nanaimo

In RTA Part 3 we talked about move-in and move-out condition inspections. Today we’ll take a more detailed look at rental security deposits. How much can be charged? How many rental security deposits can be required? What can deposits be used for? Is a Tenant entitled to interest on their deposit? Rental security deposits A Landlord may collect a Security Deposit of up to a maximum of one half-month rent as a condition of entering into the Tenancy Agreement. If a Tenant has pets, the Landlord may also require a separate Pet Damage Deposit, which may also be to a…