Contact Your MLA: BC Tenants Need Protections Against "Renovictions"

[TenantBC]

Your Name
Your Address

April 16th, 2018

Your MLA
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4

I am writing you today to urge you to vote against the Tenancy Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 12 - 2018) as currently drafted. I am writing as a member of the Vancouver Tenants Union, a group of over 900 tenants committed to improving tenant protections in British Columbia.

While I understand that the intent of the legislation is to offer additional protections to renters, the provisions as written do not effectively address the urgent problem of renovictions, nor the serious consequences that frequently face tenants subject to this abuse.

The reason that unscrupulous landlords abuse renovations as the basis to end tenancies is to achieve market rents. To resolve the problem of renovictions, it is necessary to address this economic incentive that motivates this tactic. The existing language of Bill 12 does not address this incentive, and in fact has the exact opposite effect by entitling landlords to market rents following renovations.

Tenants who have below-market rents will continue to be vulnerable to renoviction under the proposed amendments. Those disproportionately impacted include long include long-term, low income, and senior tenants – the very people most vulnerable in the current housing market. The provisions of Bill 12 also offer no additional compensation to these tenants, who remain entitled to only a single months’ rent in compensation while facing an extremely daunting rental market. Additionally, the proposed amendments will not stop affordable rental units from continuing to disappear across the province, further exacerbating the housing affordability crisis.

A more effective approach would be to offer tenants a right of first refusal at the same rental rate they had previously paid.

The statutory language we believe is necessary was reflected in previously proposed legislation with Bill M-227, the Residential Tenancy (Protection From Renoviction) Amendment Act, 2016:

Right of first refusal

49.2 (1) A tenant who receives notice of termination of a tenancy for the purpose of repairs or renovations may, in accordance with this section, have a right of first refusal to occupy the rental unit as a tenant when the repairs or renovations are completed.
(2) A tenant who receives notice of termination of a tenancy for the purpose of conversion of the residential property to strata title under the Strata Property Act may, in accordance with this section, have a right of first refusal to purchase the property after its conversion to a strata title.
(3) A tenant who wishes to have a right of first refusal must give the landlord notice in writing before vacating the rental unit.
(4) If a tenant exercises a right of first refusal, the terms of the original agreement remain upon the tenant’s re-occupation of the rental unit.
(5) A tenant who exercises the right of first refusal may reoccupy the rental unit at a rent that is no more than what the landlord could have lawfully charged if there had been no interruption in the tenancy.
Landlords would still have to the right to apply for an additional rent increase, as the Residential Tenancy Act already allows them to do. This is a fair and reasonable method for landlords to pursue rent increases based on legitimate investments into a property, and allows for rent increases that are proportionate to the documented expenses of the landlord.

Thank you for taking the time to engage with this proposal and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[evicted]

You must be logged in to read the additional posts in this topic