Vancouver approves motion to offer tenant protection against 'renovictions'

Dec 6 2018, 1:23 am

A motion to protect renters in Vancouver from “renovictions” and “aggressive buyouts” was passed unanimously by city council on Tuesday night.

The motion, put forward by Councillor Jean Swanson and entitled Protecting Tenants from Renovictions and Aggressive Buyouts, calls for the city to immediately amend its Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy  to:

  • Apply to all forms of rental accommodation, all areas of Vancouver and to
    all permits which will result in the temporary or permanent displacement
    of tenants.
  • Require landlords to offer displaced tenants the opportunity to temporarily
    move out for the necessary duration of the renovations without their
    leases ending or rent increasing, in accordance with the Residential
    Tenancy Act and the Residential Tenancy Branch Policy Guideline 2 of
    May 2018.

It also resolves that the city:

  • Devise methods to keep track of all apartment buildings sold in Vancouver and immediately provide affected tenants with information as to their
    tenancy rights by mail.
  • Explores measures, including changes to the Vancouver Charter if necessary, to regulate and publicly register all tenant buyouts.
  • Immediately and forcefully call on the province to implement effective vacancy controls for British Columbia, or alternatively, to give Vancouver the power to regulate maximum rent increases during and between tenancies.

Swanson tweeted her satisfaction of the result and credited the “courage” of tenants who risked “being blacklisted and evicted,” for their part in getting the motion passed.

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