Residential Tenancy Act Legislation Amendments

October 8, 2015

Residential Tenancy Act Legislation Amendments

The B.C. government has introduced legislative changes intended to support tenants fleeing family violence, reduce red tape for landlords and tenants.

Proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Act will allow for the early termination of a fixed-term tenancy, commonly known as a lease, by a tenant who is fleeing family violence or who has been accepted into a long-term care facility. This supports government’s commitment to a Violence-Free BC and supports vulnerable seniors.

A further change will allow landlords to repay security deposits by electronic transfer of funds, supporting the Province’s goal of reducing red tape and embracing changing technology.

Although this has been introduced in the Legislature, these changes if passed by the legislature, will not be in effect for some time, as RTB will need to complete their work on the regulations and implementation of the changes.  LandlordBC and other stakeholders will be working with RTB in the months ahead on the development of the accompanying regulations.