BC landlords can once again issue eviction notices as of today
After a temporary ban on evictions was introduced in March, BC landlords can once again issue eviction notices as of today.
And while the province said renters will need to pay their monthly rent in full beginning September 1, “the repayment framework is designed so renters will not have to make their first payment until the first rent due date following 30 days of notice from the date of the repayment plan,” said BC Housing Minister Selina Robinson.
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For most renters, this will be October 1, “assuming their landlord provides them with a repayment plan before the end of August,” the province said.
To ensure renters have a “reasonable timeframe to pay back any rent they owe from the emergency,” the BC government said the framework of its repayment plan requires the landlord to give the tenant until July 2021 to repay any outstanding rent, as long as monthly instalments are paid.
For example, the province said that a renter owing $2,000 will receive a repayment framework that sets out:
- The total amount of rent still owed ($2,000)
- The amount the renter is expected to pay each month, with the total owing split into instalments (e.g., $200 each month from October 2020 to July 2021)
- The date of the first payment is due (October 1, 2020)
The province said this framework “will also leave some flexibility for landlords to work with renters to further adjust the payment amounts.” For example, allowing lower payments in the beginning of the agreement and gradually increasing the payment amounts over time or extending the duration of the repayment process past July 2021.
In the early stages of the pandemic response, landlords were temporarily prohibited from charging rent increases as part of government’s efforts to help people financially impacted by COVID-19.
These rent increases will continue to be restricted until December 2020. In addition, in order to protect the health of building residents, landlords will continue to have the ability to restrict access to common spaces when required for COVID-19-related health reasons.
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