British Columbia Landlord Compliance · Raise the rent

What Landlords Cannot Do in Vancouver

The city adds its own rental licence and relocation rules on top of the BC Residential Tenancy Act. Here's what that rules out, where it applies, and what to do instead.

Written by Platuni

The short answer

1.Raise rent above the annual allowable increase (2.3% for 2026) without giving three full months' written notice.
2.End a tenancy without the specific notice period and grounds the Residential Tenancy Act requires for that reason.
3.Collect more than half a month's rent as a deposit, skip the annual interest, or deduct for ordinary wear.
4.Enter the unit without 24 hours' written notice, outside 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., or without a stated reason.
5.Operate a long-term rental in Vancouver without a valid business licence.
6.Screen or reject an applicant based on a protected ground, including their lawful source of income.

This Covers

· Apartments, condos, duplexes, laneway houses, and secondary/basement suites rented for 90 days or more
· Both month-to-month and fixed-term tenancy agreements
· Rentals managed by an agent or property manager, not just the owner directly

Usually Exempt

· Arrangements where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the tenant
· Short-term stays under 30 days (Vancouver's separate short-term rental licence covers these, not this bylaw)
· Supportive and transitional housing, which follows its own entry and notice rules under a separate provincial order

#1. Raise rent above the annual allowable increase

One increase every 12 months, and it doesn't take effect until three full months after you've served written notice on the approved form. For 2026 the ceiling is 2.3%, reset annually against the Consumer Price Index. Some provinces exempt newer buildings from their rent caps. BC doesn't: a unit finished last month is capped exactly the same as one built in 1962.

An increase you skip disappears. Miss 2025 and that percentage doesn't roll into 2026's allowance; it's just gone.

[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, s 42; Residential Tenancy Regulation, BC Reg 477/2003]

Do this instead

Confirm the date of your last increase, work out the new rent at current rent × 1.023, and serve Form RTB-7 at least three full months before the new rent starts. [Rent increase guide →]

#2. End a tenancy without the right notice and grounds

Every landlord-issued notice needs a specific reason and a matching notice period, and serving the wrong one is the single most common way an eviction falls apart at dispute resolution.

Non-payment gets ten days, and the tenant kills the notice just by paying in full within five of those. A material breach, repeated late rent, or illegal activity calls for a One Month Notice, which the tenant can dispute within ten days. Planning to move in yourself, or has a buyer asked you to end the tenancy so they can move in? That's three months' notice plus a month's rent, and "you" in that sentence covers a spouse, parent, or child too.

Demolition, renovation, or conversion moves slower: four months, permits already in hand, thirty days for the tenant to dispute. If they want back in once the work's done, you owe them first refusal on the unit, forty-five days' notice it's ready, and a new tenancy agreement to sign. Skip that step and the compensation can run to a year's rent.

[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, ss 46, 47, 49]

Do this instead

Match the reason to the correct notice and form, confirm permits are approved before serving a renovation notice, and keep a dated copy of everything you serve. [Ending a tenancy guide →]

#3. Hold a deposit above the limit, or skip the interest

Half a month's rent. That's the ceiling on a security deposit in BC, and a separate pet damage deposit can add another half month on top, never more than one month combined. You can't charge a pet deposit against a certified service or guide animal. Both deposits earn annual interest at whatever rate the province publishes; for 2026 that's 0%, though the obligation to calculate it doesn't go away just because the number is small.

Once the tenant moves out and hands you a forwarding address in writing, the clock gives you 15 days to return the deposit with interest, get their written consent to deduct from it, or file a dispute. Miss that window and they can claim double the deposit back.

[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, ss 17–20, 38]

Do this instead

Run a condition inspection at move-in and move-out, keep both reports, and start the 15-day clock the moment the forwarding address is in hand. [Move-out documentation checklist →]

#4. Enter the unit without proper notice

At least 24 hours and no more than 30 days before entry, in writing, stating the date, the time, and a reasonable purpose. The entry itself has to land between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. unless the tenant agrees otherwise. Housekeeping already written into the tenancy agreement, an abandoned unit, and an order from the Residential Tenancy Branch are the exceptions where notice isn't required. An emergency is the only one that needs none at all.

[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, s 29]

#5. Operate without a valid business licence

Renting a unit in Vancouver for 90 days or more takes a Long-Term Rental Business Licence from the city, on top of everything the province already requires, even when a property manager runs the day-to-day. The city's Licence By-law ties Residential Tenancy Act compliance directly to that licence: violate the Act and you risk the licence itself, not just a provincial complaint against you. Fines run $250 to $10,000 per day. One or two lodgers inside your own home is exempt; three or more tenants in a house you don't live in generally isn't.

Buildings heading into redevelopment or major renovation pick up one more city-specific layer. Vancouver's Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy can add relocation support on top of what the province's four-month notice already covers.

[Cite: City of Vancouver Licence By-law No. 4450, ss 3(1), 6(5), 19.1]

Do this instead

Keep the licence current and posted, and if the building's heading into redevelopment, check the city's relocation policy before serving any notice. [Business licence checklist →]

#6. Screen or reject an applicant on a protected ground

You can verify that an applicant's income covers the rent. You can't base a decision on where that income comes from. The BC Human Rights Code protects lawful source of income alongside race, family status, disability, and the other familiar grounds, so turning someone down for receiving disability assistance or a housing subsidy is discrimination, not caution. A credit check needs the applicant's written consent, and you're the one who pays for it, not them.

[Cite: Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c 210, s 10(1)]

Reading this as a tenant?

The rules above apply to you too. The Residential Tenancy Branch's information line and the tenant version of this guide are the better starting points.