BC plans to ban "bad faith evictions" and rent increases when having kids

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BC Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has announced that the province is planning to eliminate “bad faith evictions” and rent increases in some situations.

More on the proposal is expected to be shared later this morning, but Kahlon spoke briefly about what the bill proposes at the BC legislature on Tuesday morning.

The bill is called the Tenancy Statutes Amendment Act, and Kahlon says it will “improve the security of tenants” while also keeping landlords’ rights intact.

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Among the proposals is a plan to ban bad faith evictions and rent increases in situations where renters have a child.

Kahlon, standing by a seated BC Premier David Eby, suggested that the move would improve security for tenants while preserving the interests and rights balanced between landlords and tenants.

“This bill delivers on our government’s commitment to eliminate rent increases when people have children,” the minister said.

The bill would apply to families who add a child under the age of 19 as occupants to their rental homes.

He also said the bill “would ban evictions for personal use in purpose-built rental buildings with five or more units, and include a clear prohibition on issuing invalid eviction notices intended to harass or bully tenants into moving out.”

“While most landlords and tenants play by the rules, we know that too many people in BC are still facing unfair evictions under false pretences.”

The bill would also require landlords to use “a web portal to generate a notice to evict a tenant for personal use.”

The minister suggested the bill would help educate landlords while creating a standardized process for serving notices.

There are some other notable changes the bill proposes.

For one, the amount of notice a landlord has to give a renter when ending a tenancy for personal occupancy would be increased. Tenants would also have 30 instead of just 15 days to dispute a notice to end a tenancy.

Landlords would also be prohibited from evicting tenants for personal use in purpose-built rental buildings that have five or more units, and evictions for the conversion of rental units to specific non-residential uses would also be prohibited.

“These changes are critical to protect good renters and landlords from those who try and cheat the system for profit,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, liaison for renters and MLA for Vancouver-West End, in a statement.

“We know of too many people who act in good faith that are facing the consequences of those who take advantage of the system, and this legislation is crucial to put an end to that.”

Click here for more info about the bill.

Have you been impacted by rent increases or evictions as a BC renter? Let us know in the comments.