Recommendations put to Province should address local landlords’ top concern

A modernized rental housing system is the purpose of a new report from the Rental Housing Task Force.

Recommendations will be given to the provincial government following a process that included 430 written submissions, over 1,400 online survey responses, and stakeholder and community meetings from eleven BC communities, including one in Prince George.

The main challenge rental housing providers in the city voiced to the task force was about insufficient damage deposits. Recommendation 18 directly affects these concerns.

A solution PG landlords expressed about issues they had was to improve the RTB processes, which is in part addressed in various recommendations including 12 and 13. As for renters, they would like to increase the rental supply while protecting the existing rental stock.

“‘Fair’ would not have a policy or pet exclusion based on assumptions but rather assume compliance and deal with exceptions,” said one PG renter at the community meeting, which a total of 37 people attended.

The task force has brought 23 recommendations to the Province for potential new or amended legislation or regulation. Safe and secure housing, strengthened enforcement and policies, housing supply, and processes are all improvements aimed at addressing. One other major issue is renovictions.

“Our hope is most landlords and tenants will renovate their building, without requiring to send any eviction notices or anything, because they communicate with their renters, explain the process, and all agree to work together to get the job done,” said task force chair Spencer Chandra Herbert.

“As long as you’re willing to accommodate, the renovations can go ahead. No eviction notice would ever need to be issued, no dispute would ever happen at the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB). I think it would actually help speed up other cases because we won’t have so many of these cases going back and forth through the RTB and in some cases the Supreme Court.”

To view the full final report, click here.