Some Lower Mainland landlords are frustrated with the current landscape of renting and owning, and are looking to gain more rights.
On Sunday, more than 200 upset landlords and their supporters, gathered outside of the office of B.C.’s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon’s office in Delta for a rally.
The rally is in support of a B.C.-based petition, launched in October 2023.
Those in attendance believe the current tenancy laws are being abused by problematic tenants. They believe the current set of rules, regulations and laws are “outdated,” and are discouraging potential and existing landlords from renting out viable spaces.
“We still need some fairness and protection for the landlord,” Feng Lin, a Metro Vancouver landlord, said.
“(We) have very limited protection. For example, if the tenant is not paying rent, it takes months or even longer to have the right to evict a tenant. The procedure takes really long and then in the end even if successfully evict a tenant, the landlord can not get the rent.”
The petition, created by a group called the Landlord Rights Association of BC, claims provincial laws are unfairly slanted toward tenants and result in problematic tenants abusing the system.
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It has garnered more than 15,600 signatures so far, with a goal of 25,000. Landlord Rights Association of BC said it has also gathered more than 14,000 in-person signatures, as well.
“I personally reached out to Mr. Ravi Kahlon three times … he said he was too busy. Then we decided we have no option left,” Baldeep Jhand, a member of the Landlord Rights Association of BC, said. “We want to tell Mr. Kahlon that we, landlords, have some genuine concerns and we are united here. Please look into our genuine demands and make some necessary changes to the laws.”
The landlord’s petition also calls for speeding up Residential Tenancy Branch Dispute decisions, restoring fixed-term tenancies, and increasing the allowable rent increases under the law.
The petition is not supported by the B.C. Landlords Association, which is the main landlord’s group in the province.
Kahlon provided a written statement through email.
“We are in a housing crisis and we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to support renters to ensure they have a stable home, while giving landlords the support they need to confidently rent out their units,” he said.
“We have attempted to create a balance of supports for both renters and landlords at the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) and we have made significant investments over the years to improve services for both parties. We’ve seen a nearly 50 per cent reduction in all tenancy dispute hearing wait times in 2023, despite a 10 per cent increase in applications over the last year.”
Kahlon said the province has made investments into staff and resources to allow landlords to get an Order of Possession “quicker” when a tenant has not disputed end of the tenancy.
“Landlords are an important partner in maintaining and growing the rental housing supply in B.C and our actions are focused on ensuring B.C.’s approximately 1.6 million renters can afford quality housing, while supporting landlords to provide safe, secure housing,” Kahlon said.
“We will continue to work on providing relief to renters and supporting landlords in maintaining their rental properties.”
According to the government, the rally organizers have met with government officials who will be “passing on” the groups suggestions to B.C. Ministry of Housing staff.
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