British Columbia and Vancouver · Interactive tool
Special housing: what needs a different review
Most guidance on this hub assumes an ordinary long-term rental under the Residential Tenancy Act. These situations are governed differently, partly or entirely. Recognising yours is the point of this page; it does not decide it for you.
Outside RTA
Shares a kitchen or bathroom with the owner
A room in the owner's home where the tenant uses the owner's kitchen or bathroom.
What is different
- The Residential Tenancy Act does not apply; the relationship is a licence or contract
- No RTB dispute resolution; small claims or contract law instead
- No statutory deposit, notice or rent-increase rules
Questions to establish first
- Does the occupant share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner (not with other tenants)?
- Does the owner actually live in the unit?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Different Act
Manufactured home site
The tenant owns the manufactured home and rents the site (pad) in a park.
What is different
- Governed by the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act, not the RTA
- Different rent-increase and ending-tenancy rules
- Hub tools built on the RTA must not be used
Questions to establish first
- Is the rental the site only, or the home and the site together?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Partly outside
Supportive or subsidised housing
Housing with support services, or units where rent is geared to income under a program.
What is different
- Parts of the RTA may not apply, depending on the program and the provider
- Rent-geared-to-income increases follow program rules, not the annual cap
- Ending a tenancy can involve the program operator
Questions to establish first
- Which program or agreement funds the unit?
- Is there a program-specific tenancy agreement?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
RTA + strata rules
Strata lot
A condo or townhouse in a strata corporation, rented to a long-term tenant.
What is different
- RTA applies in full
- Strata bylaws bind the tenant too (Form K notice to the strata)
- Strata rental restrictions changed in 2022; age restrictions may still apply
Questions to establish first
- Has the Form K been filed with the strata?
- Do any age or pet bylaws affect the tenancy?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
RTA + Vancouver by-law
Single Room Accommodation (Vancouver)
A room in a building designated under Vancouver's SRA by-law, typically an older downtown hotel or rooming house.
What is different
- RTA applies to the tenancy
- The building is also governed by the SRA by-law: conversion, demolition and rate controls
- Designation is a matter of record; a room count or address does not decide it
Questions to establish first
- Is the building on the city's SRA designation list?
- Is the room rented on a monthly basis?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Outside RTA
Short-term or vacation rental
Stays under 30 days, hotel-style, or a licensed short-term rental.
What is different
- Not a tenancy under the RTA
- Vancouver's short-term rental licence and the provincial STR registry apply instead
- This hub does not cover short-term rentals
Questions to establish first
- Is the stay 30 days or more with the unit as the guest's home?
- Is the room rented on a monthly basis?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
At a glance
Which framework, and whether the hub's ordinary tools should be used.
| Situation | Framework | Hub tools | Vancouver layer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares a kitchen or bathroom with the owner | Outside RTA | Do not use | Licence / standards may still apply |
| Manufactured home site | Different Act | Do not use without specialist review | Licence / standards may still apply |
| Supportive or subsidised housing | Partly outside | Do not use without specialist review | Licence / standards may still apply |
| Strata lot | RTA + strata rules | Use, with the noted additions | Licence / standards may still apply |
| Single Room Accommodation (Vancouver) | RTA + Vancouver by-law | Use, with the noted additions | SRA by-law |
| Short-term or vacation rental | Outside RTA | Do not use | STR licence (out of scope) |