Can a rental building raise your parking fee in BC?
Many rental buildings in Vancouver and beyond are issuing parking fee increases above the 3.5% rent increase limit. Are the landlord’s fee hikes legal? And do renters have to pay?
Daily Hive reached out to the BC Ministry of Housing and a lawyer and tenant advocate with the BC Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC) for an explanation. As it turns out, the answer depends on how the parking fee is incorporated into the tenant’s lease.
If parking is included in a tenant’s lease for their unit, it can only be raised by 3.5% in 2024 — the rent increase limit set by the provincial government.
But if the landlord has the tenant on a separate agreement that deals with their parking spot, then Residential Tenancy Act protections don’t apply. The landlord can raise the parking fee by however much they see fit.
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Robert Patterson with TRAC says his organization has seen a spike in landlords handing out significant parking increases ever since the pandemic rent freeze.
“At that point, some unscrupulous landlords were looking for any excuse they could find to increase rent,” he said. “It’s very clear what the objective is here. It’s not like the price of providing parking is going up.”
Daily Hive has heard from several tenants who’ve seen parking fee increases beyond the 3.5% rent control amount this year. Residents in The Victoria in East Vancouver saw their parking fees increase from $100 per spot to $135 per spot in just two years.
A letter to residents of The Victoria about parking fee increases. (Submitted)
Another renter in Marpole said his building’s parking fees increased from $25 per month to $85 per month between 2021 and 2023. The increase was so drastic he said some tenants moved their cars out to the street.
BC’s Ministry of Housing said any tenant who believes they’re being served an illegal parking fee increase can take the matter to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB), where an arbitrator will issue a legally binding decision.
“The [rovince is committed to making housing more affordable for everyone in BC, so people arenāt priced out of the communities they call home,” the Ministry told Daily Hive in a statement. “We encourage tenants who feel they are being charged fees that are outside of their rental agreement to contact the RTB for assistance.”