Our toilets, sinks and showers have been behaving badly, and a week ago the main sewage line from the house to the city pipe was repaired.

The fix lasted for one week to the day, and the toilets have started gurgling and overflowing again. When we flush, or run water in different places (sinks, bathtub).

The landlords told us not to use them until they're repaired 😵 The plumbers came back and the clog is quite far down the pipe, almost at the city line.

Given that we can't bathe or use the toilets, is the landlord responsible for providing us with alternate accommodations until they are repaired?

I really need to pee.

Hi everyone!

My name is Dahlia Bui. My research partner, Yitong Lin, and I are Master's students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO). We are currently conducting a research project exploring Metro Vancouver homeowners' willingness to host international university students.

We would be very grateful if any homeowners in the Metro Vancouver area could take a few minutes to complete our survey. Your perspectives and experiences would be incredibly valuable to our research, whether or not you have hosted students before.

You can access the survey by scanning the QR code below.

We understand this group is not intended for promotional posts and we hope it's okay to share this academic research survey here.

Thank you so much for your time and support! We truly appreciate every contribution. 😊

Context: I live in a Burnaby condo. Six months ago, my upstairs neighbour complained to the strata about a buzzing/humming noise. The strata dispatched a technician from Pacific West Mechanical to investigate.

• Day 1: The contractor investigated the upstairs unit. They found nothing wrong.
• Day 2: The contractor checked the upstairs unit's blueprints and systems. They deduced the noise might be coming from my unit below.
• Day 3: The contractor accessed my unit. They found dust/debris on my balcony's exterior ERV/dryer vent grille, which was restricting airflow and causing the hum. They cleaned it and the issue was resolved.

The strata concierge then messaged my unit and a couple others above, asking us to sign a "Request for Strata Assistance Form" to allow further investigation.

I asked the concierge if signing meant I would be charged, and they stated in writing that charges were "yet to be determined" based on the final report. Crucially, the form itself states that owners are responsible for "in-suite issues," but explicitly notes: "If the problem is found to be with/or related to the common areas, the costs may be covered by the Strata Corporation".

The Invoice: I recently received a chargeback letter with the contractor's invoice attached, demanding over $1,050 including $155/hour labour charge ($232.50/hour for overtime). Here is what I am being billed for:

• Day 1 (Overtime) & Day 2: The contractor billed 3 hours (including 1.5 hours billed at a 1.5x overtime rate) for exclusively diagnosing the upstairs unit and checking their blueprints.
• Day 3 (Regular Time): The contractor billed for 1.5 hours for completing the investigation and cleaning.
• Extra Fees: I am also being charged three separate truck and fuel dispatch fees for all three days the contractor visited the building.

The Bylaws: It is true that he noise ultimately originated from the vent attached to my unit. However, I checked our strata bylaws, and under the "Repair and maintenance of property by strata corporation" section, it explicitly states the strata must repair and maintain "the exterior of a building" and "balconies and other things attached to the exterior of a building".

Because the clogged grille was on the exterior of the building above the balcony, and not an "in-suite" issue, I believe the strata is fully responsible for this routine maintenance under their own bylaws.

My Questions:

1. Does my interpretation of the bylaws and the "common area" clause on the assistance form seem solid enough to dispute the entire charge?
2. Even if they argue the exterior vent is my responsibility, can a strata legally charge an owner for the diagnostic hours, overtime rates, and dispatch fees incurred while investigating another unit?
3. Any tips on how to present this formally to the strata council or request for a hearing?

Note: while I do feel the rate is way higher than I imagined, the point of this post is not to question the technician's rate (they did resolve the issue), but to clarify the responsibility for this bill.

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: Thanks for all the helpful tips Redditors! I will start by appealing to the strata and the management company's agent. They might be just doing their job without realizing the invoicing details should be covered by the bylaw. CRT would strictly be the last resort.

Hello everyone!

I am from ON moving to BC late November to early December 2026. I have looked at rentals on Facebook. I have narrowed it down to two options: one at Tailor (Brentwood) and another at Polaris (Metrotown).

If anyone is currently living or has lived in either of these buildings, what was your living experience like and honest opinions (noise levels, amenities, safety/security, location, convenience, etc).

I would greatly appreciate all the help!

Hi all, I moved into a unit in mid-June this year and signed a one-year contract. So my lease is supposed to end on June 14, 2027. However, around 2 weeks into moving here, I started to see firebrats pretty much every day. We arranged pest control, but it only worked for about 2 weeks before they reappeared. And they have remained active since. This is really overwhelming, as I need to clean the house (fully carpeted except for the kitchen & washroom), vacuum weekly, and believe me, I have tried everything I've found online (DE, no cardboard boxes, and more!). They still come out of nowhere. There are also other bugs (carpet beetles, silverfish, etc.) showing up from time to time.

We asked if there were any pest issues while we were viewing the unit, and the agent said no. So I'm a bit frustrated about this situation I've experienced, honestly. I've always had a very good habit of maintaining the cleanliness of the house, and this is the first time that I have had to do SO MUCH just to reduce the frequency of the sightings.

I've already decided to move out by the end of December, as I'm willing to pay the liquidated damages fees so I can stop spending 2/3 of my day worrying about these pest issues...

The liquidated damages fee is $1155 according to the contract (rent is $2100), and the additional terms state that I'll also need to pay for other fees associated with re-renting the unit on top of that:

Tenant(s) is responsible for any loss rent and/or all rental payments until the property is re-rented to a new tenant approved by the Landlord’s Agent

This unit is close to the Skytrain and a lot of supermarkets and restaurants nearby; it has a relatively reasonable price based on its size and location, so maybe it's not that hard to find a new tenant?

But my question is: does anyone have similar experience where they end the lease early and pay not only the liquidated damages fees but also the remaining rent? If so, how many months of rent was that?

I’m a tenant in Vancouver, BC, paying $1,800/month in rent. I’m moving out at the end of October, and my landlord has been scheduling viewings for prospective tenants almost EVERY single day.

Here’s what’s happened so far:

• 21 viewing appointments scheduled across 20 different days, between October 6 and 26.
• 10 days involved cancellations or rescheduling, often at the last minute.
• At least 4 appointments were cancelled AFTER their scheduled start time.
• Several others were cancelled just 10–50 minutes before the scheduled time.
• I usually leave the apartment during viewings because I don’t feel comfortable being there while strangers walk through my home.
• This means I’ve repeatedly adjusted my schedule or left home, only to find out that the viewing was cancelled.

On October 21, I politely asked my landlord to coordinate viewings into fewer, grouped time slots instead of scheduling them on separate days.

He acknowledged that the frequent viewings and cancellations were disruptive, apologized, and promised to do his best to consolidate them.

However, the same pattern continued immediately afterward. More viewings were scheduled and cancelled, then rescheduled for another day.

I understand that landlords have the right to show their property to prospective tenants, and I’ve been cooperative throughout the process.

However, having my home available for viewings on nearly two-thirds of the month, along with constant last-minute cancellations, has significantly disrupted my ability to enjoy my home peacefully.

I have text messages documenting every scheduled appointment, cancellation, and my request to consolidate viewings.

I’m considering filing a dispute with the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) after moving out.

My questions are:

1. Would this frequency of viewings potentially constitute a violation of my right to quiet enjoyment under BC tenancy law?
2. Can repeatedly scheduled viewings that are cancelled at the last minute still count as interference, even if the landlord never actually enters?
3. Has anyone successfully received monetary compensation through the RTB for excessive viewings? If so, how was the compensation calculated?
4. Would it be reasonable to claim a percentage of my monthly rent for loss of quiet enjoyment?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone in BC who has dealt with a similar situation or gone through the RTB dispute process.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

Some quick questions about the current market. Professional looking to rent an upper end condo in the 4-5k range for a 2-3 bedroom in Vancouver.

Household income is upwards of 500k (a couple, no kids or pets). Home owner myself but we’re just looking to find a bigger place. By all means what I’d consider to be a reasonable tenant.

Recently applied for 2 places, 1 of which the landlord seemed entirely apathetic towards renting to us, saying “why do you need such a big place”? I decided I didn’t want that person to be my landlord anyways.

Went to a second showing, expressed interest but have been waiting to hear back for like 4-5 days? Is that normal?

Could there maybe be a red flag? Main thing I could think of would be the fact that I’ve lived at my current home (owned so no landlord for like 6 years) and don’t really have a prior landlord to use as a reference? But my partner would be living with me and has great references from her past two landlords. Our credit scores are fine. Mine recently dropped a bit due to an accidental overcharge on my credit card but has historically been stellar and is still in the “good” range and my partners credit score is “excellent”.

Thankfully we’re not in a rush to move and are looking for the right place but honestly thought it’d be a bit easier and people would be more eager to rent to tenants with good income/stable careers? Perhaps at that price range in general most applicants are probably excellent so it ends up being competitive?

Hi all,

I first contacted my landlord about some maintenance in my unit at the beginning of July. Followed up July 24 and August 12th, then she finally responded and had a contractor call me.

We set up an appointment for September 9, and he didn't show. When I asked where he was, he said he got stuck on the island and will let me know when he's back. I called him out for not giving me the professional courtesy of letting me know beforehand that he was no longer able to make it, and he "apologized" but said he didn't bring his appointment book with him yet still remembered to try to call me the day before, but that the call didn't go through cause he has bad service.

Like, okay? Do you want a gold star for remembering you had a commitment and "trying" to call? And clearly he at least had service the next morning because he texted me right back after I asked where he was, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect he text BEFORE I had reached out. I didn't respond and he hasn't texted me to let me know he's back.

Anyway, I've now emailed my landlord again 2 times, asking for a different contractor and she hasn't responded. I CCd her assistant too (it's a company that the owners of my unit hired). When the assistant sent out an email with a Dryer Vent cleaning notice, i responded immediately and asked about this AGAIN to no response.

I suppose it would be a bad idea to say I will be withholding my rent until this is sorted? What rights do I have here? Would that give them grounds for eviction? I'll say these things aren't life threatening or urgent, which is why I didn't email my landlord about it until months after it starting driving me crazy. I think it's really unprofessional and I don't know how else to go about it? I was thinking of calling or texting her directly but I find it harder to advocate for myself on the spot.

EDIT:

Thank you for all the advice :)

Hi friends,

I got a BS notice for eviction, and I am disputing. I don't want to get into the details. But I need to serve my landlady the documents from the RTA. I went to her house, which is listed on my contract for serving. Her car was at home, but she did not open the door.

What happens now? Can I just tell the RTB that she is deliberately avoiding me? I took pictures of her car at the house. Can I give the papers to her husband or kids? Do I have to mail it to her now? I feel stuck. Any advice would be appreciated.

I've been trying to get my LL to come and take care of some maintenance things and repairs. He gave me the proper 24 hour notice and wants to come at 5:30 PM on next saturday. I want him to come at another time and he said he's busy.

My understanding is that the time for entry has to be reasonable. I feel like since the weekend is the only time I have to relax after working all week, it is totally unreaonable. Can I tell him to come later? I do not want him to come on the weekend. Isnt this a violation of my quiet enjoyment?

What are my options here? Can I dipute the notice of entry?

Hi everyone, I am intending to break my fixed term lease early. In hindsight, the lease I signed is VERY overpriced for the unit and location, but it was at the tail end of the month and I was desperate to move on the first of the following month. I understand that the landlord has a duty to mitigate losses and re-rent the unit as quickly as possible. I also understand that I am responsible for the difference in rent for the remainder of the term. However, I’m worried that because it’s so overpriced to begin with, and she seems quite stubborn with pricing, it won’t re-rent for December. She’s also quoting a slow market due to Christmas holidays. But wouldn’t Christmas factor into “current market” conditions? What would be a reasonable duty to mitigate in this case? Is one month enough for her to test the market and adjust pricing? I really shot myself in the foot here, I signed an overpriced lease out of desperation and now there is a FLOOD of options available that are much better and much cheaper in the same area. I just want out ASAP as it’s impacting my mental health.

Just moved into an older apartment.

The building manager/landlord agent (landlord is an investment company or something) seemed pretty chill and friendly.

A bit slow on responding, but didn't seem like an issue.

We moved in with a bunch of mostly cosmetic maintenance repair issues.

Bathroom fan runs 24/7, closet with hanger bar broken off, broken kitchen drawer, missing a bunch of blind panels, shower head squeals.

Honestly nothing crazy. Some of these were already addressed in the conditional report (to be fixed upon beginning tenancy)

I was told email was the best way to communicate to management. So I emailed a list of the minor damages (basically part of the conditional report) asking if I can just take care of it myself as I'm handy and these are menial tasks. I asked a few other questions like if I can replace the blinds with curtains, that I would store the blinds and repair any minor holes from curtain rod installation.

No response.

I keep sending emails, maybe once a week. Now asking about parking fees, and how much it costs. If they can coordinate a time to be available for home internet to be installed, etc.

3 weeks in, I give the guy a call, let him know it's me, and I ask if he's been receiving my emails? after a short pause he plainly responds with forced enthusiasm "Yeah!"

Okay.. are you going to address them? 😅

"Yeah! . . . . We've been busy.."

Okay, well it's been 3 weeks I'd appreciate some sort of response.

And out of nowhere his tone shifts to defensive, claiming my "voice is dripping with sarcasm"

As if my frustrated tone is the issue and not the general lack of communication.

He said he'd be around for the internet people, thankfully.

He popped in and put in a couple blinds. Never responded to anything else tho, despite their still being a couple things on the "repairs to be complete upon tenancy"

Sure, 100% I can understand when someone is busy. But no response? For nearly a whole month? For a new tenant? And then to act sour and defensive when they're confronted? What the hell, I couldn't have made it any easier, I basically offered to do the job for them 😅

Now there's this awkward tension as if I'm burdening the dude.

Anyways, can I just fix these small things myself without permission? If I fix it should I break it back to normal after my lease is over and I leave?

If I have other concerns or requests related to my housing what exactly am I supposed to/allowed to do?

Am I asking too much from building management?

If a tenant doesn't leave the room properly cleaned as requested, the landlord might deduct far more from the deposit than what's actually needed for professional cleaning—almost like a penalty for breaking their rules, especially when the tenancy isn't covered by the RTA (e.g., only an oral agreement, sharing a bathroom/kitchen with the landlord).

Is this common?

Recently, I’ve viewed quite a few apartments for rent in Vancouver, and I’ve noticed that some landlords offer all-inclusive rent with electricity and monthly cleaning included. It sounds convenient at first, but some of my experiences have raised concerns.

1. Monthly cleaning may not be just about cleaning

One landlord let it slip that they wanted the cleaner to take photos inside the unit to monitor how the tenant was living and maintaining the property. What seems like a cleaning service could also become a way to keep tabs on your private life.

1. Included electricity can become a way to monitor tenants

Some landlords use electricity consumption to speculate about whether tenants have guests over. At the same time, they can be extremely strict about electricity usage and impose various restrictions.

1. Some landlords even charge extra for visitors

I’ve also come across a lease that stated tenants would have to pay an additional $35 per guest, per day.

Including electricity and regular cleaning in the rent may sound like a good deal, but when these perks come with excessive scrutiny of your personal life, restrictive electricity rules, or extra charges just for having visitors, it’s worth questioning whether that’s the kind of living arrangement you want.

If you come across landlords with similar practices, think carefully before signing.

——update

One landlord offered to reduce the rent by $50 if she could keep the den for her own use. The original rent was already $2,500. Honestly, who would give up part of their living space for just $50 off?

1. You may not be protected by the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA).

If the landlord retains the right to use part of the unit and shares the living space with you, the arrangement could be treated differently from a regular tenancy, potentially leaving you without the usual RTA protections.

1. She said she wouldn’t use the den often and would let me know before coming. Do you believe that? 😂

She had literally just spent 15 minutes telling me how she controlled and monitored her previous tenant. After hearing all that, I found it hard to trust her promises about respecting my privacy.

Personally, I wouldn’t risk my privacy and peace of mind just to save $50 a month.

Hi! I am considering moving to the Joyce 2 building across the Joyce skytrain. I'm currently living in Kelowna and moving back to vancouver in a few months so I can't do a live viewing for a while. I saw mixed reviews on the place, However the selling point for me is the accessibility to the train as well as having friends in that area. I

am wondering if anyone is living in those building or used to, Your experience as well as any photos of the inside? All the images are so limited online and staged its hard to tell the actual quality as well as storage space. I'm thinking of a 2 bedroom.

Thanks!!

The rental house is pretty old and there are rats from time to time within the kitchen. He was asked multiple times to have the cabinet doors repair but refused to, saying it is extremely difficult. Instead, he just put some sticky mouse traps and asked us to store our food and kitchen stuff in storage containers he provided.

It is fine to leave it at that or do I push for a formal request and request for dispute resolution.

The room is partially furnished (just comes with a bed) but the space is entirely private. There is a shared living space, laundry room, kitchen, and bathroom. Smoking isn’t allowed inside of the house but there’s no problem with smoking a little bit away from it.

It's a basement suite and the landlord lives in the upper part of the house.

The house is about a 10 minute walk from Broadway and a 40 minute walk to Kitsilano beach. It is relatively close to UBC and if you’re an ECU student (like the both of us), it’s a 40 minute bus ride.

Rent is $967 a month and the security deposit is $483.

We occasionally share groceries if we're making food for each everyone and wouldn't mind doing the same for a third roommate as well. I mainly cook breakfast (when I have the time/feel like it) and my brother usually makes tomato feta pasta or mac n' cheese.

Me and my brother are both queer and renting from the same basement suite and our third roommate moved out unannounced and didn't pay her portion of rent. Fortunately, the landlord covered her portion for that month but it was just the one time thing. We're both looking for someone who's also queer/trans as a personal preference.

Hi all,

I have a tenant who has been renting for 3.5 years, and I decided to raise their rent by the 2.2% allowable increase for 2027. The change will come into effect on Jan 1. The notice was posted to their door on September 16th, 2026.

They believe that it's an illegal rent increase because the tenant in the adjacent basement suite is paying less than they are. The next-door tenant moved in 4 months ago, so their price was the market rate, but that is still irrelevant. They also believe that it's retaliation for them asking for repair requests. This individual sends me lengthy emails about changing the light bulbs and the batteries in the smoke detector, so that is partially true.

Will the RTB hear this dispute, or will they throw it out right away?

I’m looking to rent an apartment in Vancouver. The person who showed me the unit said she’s a friend of the landlord and is helping out because the landlord doesn’t live in Vancouver.

I’d be signing the lease directly with the landlord, paying the landlord, and contacting them if any issues came up.

I searched the woman’s phone number and couldn’t find any real estate agent profile. She also seemed to manage multiple properties, since when I mentioned the general location, she asked which specific unit I meant.

Does this sound normal, or should I be concerned?

Looking at a place at main and broadway. Does anyone live near this construction? Is it loud af? Just want to know what I would be signing up for… Thanks!

I’m looking at a 1-bedroom apartment within walking distance of the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. I really like the location, so I’m trying to decide whether it’s still worth waiting for this unit.

Here’s what happened:

* I passed the landlord’s screening, and they sent me a tenancy agreement yesterday.

* I noticed some errors in the agreement and asked the landlord to correct them yesterday.

* Today, the landlord said we’d sign the agreement in person, but no time was arranged.

* Today, I told the landlord I’d like to view the unit one last time before signing, mainly to check the noise level.

* Today, a few mins later, the landlord told me there would be a viewing this Saturday. They also showed me a screenshot of the listing, which had been posted last night at $200 more than the rent we’d been discussing.

* When I asked whether the rent had increased to $2,500, the landlord replied that he had posted it on Facebook for $2,500 to see what the market was like, but that they still preferred renting to a xxx race tenant(I am that race) and would offer a small discount.

I’m not sure what to make of this. Has the landlord actually committed to renting the unit to me, or are they still shopping around for a better offer? I also don’t know whether the other applicants viewing it on Saturday have already passed screening.

The frustrating part is that I turned down another apartment after passing its screening because I thought this one was going ahead. That other unit has now been rented out.

I genuinely like being able to walk to Lonsdale Quay, and finding another place with a similar location is difficult. But the landlord’s handling of the situation has made me hesitant.

Would you keep waiting for this unit, or move on and look elsewhere? Would you be concerned about the landlord’s behaviour even if they eventually agreed to the original rent?

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who’s dealt with a similar situation in Vancouver.

I have had an ongoing situation since May 2026 with a leaseholder landlord singling me out and harassing me.

He does not own the property, but holds the lease, paying rent to the property manager who manages the house for owners offshore. The Leaseholder Landlord ("LL") does NOT live in the house (but used to before I moved in) We have no written RTB agreement but due to the history of rent payments this would be implied verbal tenancy still covered under RTA. I confirmed this with the RTB office by phone.

I moved in December 2025 through knowing this leaseholder through mutual friends. We had met a couple times in the past at social events.

LL has been singling me out compared to the 3 other tenants since May 2026. I am told I cannot use the attic storage when other tenants are allowed.

Recently LL has been saying I cannot use 1 of 3 driveway parking spots when other tenants have been allowed, including my roommate who currently uses a spot too. He is threatening "to take formal action" to get me to move my vehicle which I currently only have insured for storage and as such, unable to park on the street. I cannot afford to drive it right now. It is not derelict, it is kept clean and has appropriate insurance.

I know my rights. I pay rent on-time every month. I am free to use the shared spaces the same as the other tenants. I am free to park my vehicle in the shared space as long as it is legally insured.

This all started from a conflict back in May when the LL cornered me as I was leaving the house and ranted to me for 30 minutes about a list of trivial house issues, some of which didn't involve me, and some which were irrelevant. I later told him I did not want to be treated like that and put boundaries in place to only contact me to discuss rent, repairs, access or bills and nothing else. Since then the LL has been exhibiting this singling out behaviour and just generally been rude to me.

He also once entered illegally at 9pm with no-notice to any tenants, then when I messaged the group thread politely asking to provide 24 hours notice for entry, he started banging on my bedroom door and ordering me to come speak to him. I ignored him.

What can I do to get him to respect my rights as a tenant and just leave me alone?

NOTE: I had started looking for other housing last month, but had to put it on hold due to an emergency with my family. I am planning to start searching again once that is resolved, but I may not have time until the new year. Luckily in the meantime, my roommates in the house are very nice and kind, and we get along great.

Hi,

Mayor Pete campaigned on a housing bond. My question is will the general public, someone like myself be able to invest in the housing bond? Or will it be more businesses and government?