British Columbia Landlord Compliance · Handle a repair request
Repairs, Damage, or Wear and Tear: Who Handles What in BC
Three categories, not two. The landlord's ongoing repair duty, damage a tenant or their guest actually caused, and ordinary wear and tear that isn't anyone's fault. Mixing up wear and tear with damage is where most disputes start.
Written by PlatuniThe short answer
- 1.The landlord must maintain the unit in a state of repair suitable for occupation, and that duty applies even to a unit that was already in rough shape when the tenancy started.
- 2.The tenant pays for damage they, a guest, or a pet actually caused.
- 3.Neither side pays for reasonable wear and tear. That's natural aging, and it's the landlord's ongoing maintenance job, not a chargeable repair.
- 4.A specific, narrow list of issues counts as an emergency repair, with a real process attached to it.
- 5.A tenant who doesn't report a needed repair can end up liable for damage that resulted from staying quiet about it.
Quick reference: who usually pays
- · Landlord: structural repairs, heating, plumbing, and electrical systems, exterior doors and locks, normal wear on paint and carpet over time, pest infestations unless the tenant's own actions caused them
- · Tenant: damage they, a guest, or a pet caused, lost-key replacement, minor upkeep like light bulbs and smoke detector batteries, a clog caused by their own misuse
#1. The landlord's baseline duty
The landlord has to keep the property in a state of repair that meets legal health, safety, and housing standards, and that's suitable given the unit's age, character, and location. This duty exists from day one, including for a unit the landlord rented out already needing work; taking someone's money for a place in disrepair doesn't lower the bar, it just means there's already a repair backlog to work through.
[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, s 32(1)]
#2. What counts as wear and tear, and what doesn't
Reasonable wear and tear is natural deterioration from aging and ordinary use, not misuse. Worn carpet in a high-traffic hallway, faded paint after several years, a mattress spring that's softened with normal sleeping on it, none of that is damage in the sense that shifts cost to the tenant. What isn't wear and tear: a hole punched in drywall, a burn mark from a dropped cigarette, a pet that's chewed through a door frame. If a landlord disputes which category something falls into, the move-out condition inspection report is where that disagreement actually gets recorded and resolved.
[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, s 32(4); Residential Tenancy Branch, Policy Guideline 1]
Do this instead
Photograph the unit at move-in and move-out, not just the inspection report's checkboxes. A photo dated against the move-in record settles more disputes than a written description ever does.
#3. When the tenant pays
A tenant has to repair damage to the unit or common areas that's caused by their own or a permitted guest's or pet's actions or neglect. That's the one category cost genuinely shifts. It's also connected to a real consequence: extraordinary damage, or a failure to fix damage they caused within a reasonable time once notified, are both listed grounds for ending the tenancy for cause.
[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, ss 32(3), 47(f), 47(g)]
#4. The emergency repair process
Emergency repairs are defined narrowly: major leaks in pipes or the roof, damaged or blocked water or sewer lines, a non-working primary heating system, a defective lock giving access to the unit, or an electrical hazard. For something that qualifies, the tenant has to make at least two attempts to reach the contact number the landlord provided for emergencies, then give a reasonable amount of time to respond, before arranging the repair themselves. Do that correctly, keep the receipts, and the landlord has to reimburse a reasonable amount; skip the documentation or the phone attempts, and that reimbursement right doesn't apply. If the landlord never reimburses, the tenant can deduct the cost from rent instead.
[Cite: Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, s 33]
Do this instead
Post the actual emergency contact number where tenants can find it, and confirm it's a number someone actually answers. The two-attempt requirement only protects you if the number tenants are calling is a real one.
#5. Why reporting matters, even when it's not your fault
A tenant isn't required to fix ordinary problems themselves, but they are expected to tell the landlord promptly when something needs attention. If a tenant sits on a known issue and it turns into substantial damage as a result, they can end up on the hook for the part that staying quiet caused, even though the original problem was never theirs to begin with.
[Cite: Residential Tenancy Branch, Policy Guideline 5]
Reading this as a tenant?
Reporting a repair in writing, even a minor one, protects you either way. If it turns out to be wear and tear, you've lost nothing. If it turns out to matter, you've got a timestamp showing you flagged it.
Sources and review
- 1.Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78, ss 32(1) (landlord's repair duty), 32(3) (tenant-caused damage), 32(4) (wear and tear), 33 (emergency repairs), 47(f)–(g) (cause grounds tied to damage).
- 2.Residential Tenancy Branch, Policy Guideline 1: Landlord & Tenant – Responsibility for Residential Premises.
- 3.Residential Tenancy Branch, Policy Guideline 5.
Substantive review means an editor re-checked each cited section against the current code, not that the page was re-saved. Corrections: compliance@platuni.com.
Frequently asked questions on who handles repairs in BC
Who pays for repairs in a BC rental?
The landlord maintains the unit and its systems: structure, heating, plumbing, electrical, exterior doors and locks. The tenant pays to repair damage they, a guest or a pet caused. Neither side pays for reasonable wear and tear, which falls under the landlord's ongoing maintenance.
What counts as normal wear and tear in BC?
Natural deterioration from age and ordinary use: worn carpet in a busy hallway, paint that has faded over several years. A hole in drywall, a cigarette burn or pet damage to a door frame is damage, and the tenant pays for it.
What counts as an emergency repair in BC?
Major leaks in pipes or the roof, damaged or blocked water or sewer lines, a primary heating system that doesn't work, a faulty lock giving access to the unit, and electrical hazards. For these, the tenant must try your emergency contact number at least twice before arranging the repair themselves.
Can a tenant fix something and deduct it from the rent?
Only for emergency repairs. They must first try the emergency contact twice and keep the receipts, and the deduction is allowed only if you then fail to reimburse them. For non-emergency repairs, a tenant who withholds rent risks a 10-Day Notice.
Can I charge a tenant to repaint after they move out?
Only if the walls were damaged beyond normal wear and tear, and only with written consent or an arbitrator's order. Residential Tenancy Branch Policy Guideline 40 sets the expected useful life of items like paint and carpet, and arbitrators use it to decide how much of the cost a tenant owes.