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Rental and renter protection

Finding rental housing in Vancouver can be a challenge for residents of all income brackets. For lower-income tenants, it's particularly difficult.

That is why Council is actively working to:

Advocate for renters and help renters understand their rights
Protect the existing supply of rental housing
Provide grants to social and co-op housing providers
Encourage new market rental housing units

Our goal is the make sure every resident has a safe, suitable home.

Protecting renters

How renters are protected during rezoning and development and help for renters.

Includes tips for:

Single Room Accommodation Bylaw

The SRA Bylaw regulates the alteration, conversion, and demolition of low-cost housing Downtown.

Rental disputes and evictions

If you have issues with your landlord
Apply for dispute resolution through the Provincial Residential Tenancy Branch.

Dispute resolution is similar to court, but different in some important ways:
- Hearings are almost always held over the phone.
- Most tenants don't require the assistance of a lawyer.
- The person who runs a dispute resolution hearing, an “arbitrator”, acts similarly to a judge. They listen to both parties, consider the evidence, apply the law, and make a decision.
After the hearing, both the tenant and landlord must follow the arbitrator’s orders.

The standard application fee for dispute resolution is $100. Low-income tenants may not have to pay the fee at all.

Get more information on dispute resolution
- Residential Tenancy Branch
- Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC)
Support from the Province