In a worsening rental housing market, the CSU encourages students to know their rights as renters
Luke Faulks (he/him) // Contributor
Siobhan Barry // Illustrator
“I held open office hours for any students to come to just talk about affordability, and [in] 90 per cent of the conversations, students were bringing up navigating the housing rental market,” said Aryanna Chartrand, the Capilano Students’ Union’s vice president external relations.
Student housing is an issue that often comes up for the CSU. North Vancouver, where the school’s main campus is located, recently became Canada’s priciest city in which to rent.
Vancouver students have also been struggling with housing costs for years — and it’s only getting worse. In 2019, a study by the Real Estate Investment Network Canada estimated the city of Vancouver was short on student housing by over 14,300 beds. That, combined with the stress of school and work, places students’ academic progress and mental health at risk.
“It’s significantly contributing to mental health crises in post secondary time and time again, students were telling me that their housing, housing insecurity [and] financial cost of housing is directly impacting their mental health,” said Chartrand. “It seems to be a very big issue that has not shown any signs of going away.”
The CSU is working to inform students of their rights as renters. They are also lobbying the school, the city, the province and the federal government to expand students’ renting rights and housing opportunities.
The CSU recognizes that student housing isn’t covered by the protections listed in B.C. Residential Tenancy Act, which risks shifting the balance of power between tenants and their school in the latter’s favour. The CSU is also a part of the Alliance of BC Students, which provides funding for schools looking to get student housing projects off the ground.
While housing needs vary among CapU students, one key theme has emerged for the CSU; renters need to better understand their rights under B.C. law.
“A lot of people navigating this housing market don’t know their rights as renters, and so many are being taken advantage of,” said Chartrand.
The CSU outlined six areas that students should be aware of:
1. Landlords can’t enter your unit’s private space without notice (mostly)
Landlords need to provide written notice of the date, time and purpose of their visit to the property at least 24 hours prior. Whether it’s for an inspection, maintenance or showing the property to prospective tenants, that written notice needs to have been provided.
One big exception is when a landlord is seeking entry to common areas that are shared with other tenants, like hallways or laundry rooms. Then, no notice is needed.
2. Landlords can’t ask for the first and last month’s rent up front
When you’ve found a place to rent, the deposit cannot also include the first and last month’s rent on the unit.
3. Landlords need to establish cause for one-month eviction
The Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC) — an online repository of B.C. tenancy information — lists a few common reasons for eviction, from “repeatedly paying rent late” to “seriously damaging the rental unit or building” to “endangering the landlord or other occupants,” among other reasons listed in section 47 (1) of the RTA.
4. Landlords can’t raise your rent higher than what the province has set out for the year
The B.C. government set the maximum rent increase for 2023 to two per cent. Anything higher is a violation of your rights. It can also only be raised once within a 12-month period.
5. Landlords must give you three months’ notice before raising rent
In 2021 and 2022, the provincial government released the rent increase limit for the following years in early September—nearly four full months before new rental amounts can kick in. That’s four months for landlords to provide tenants with the required three months notice.
6. Normal wear and tear is not an acceptable reason for landlords to keep your damage deposit
The RTA acknowledges that some damage to a unit will occur over time—like scuffed floors and holes in the wall where a nail might have hung a picture. It’s when wear and tear exceeds normal wear and tear that a landlord can refuse to return a tenant’s damage deposit.
There are limits to what personal information landlords can request from you
Students should also recognize what information is acceptable for landlords to request from them. When applying for tenancy, students can be asked to provide references, a post-dated cheque, and proof of employment—including recent pay stubs, an employer’s letter, bank statements showing regular payroll deposits, and, as a last resort, viewing (but not keeping) copies of income tax assessments.
What landlords cannot ask are questions that infringe upon your human rights. Any question that might give a landlord the opportunity to deny you tenancy based on age, sex, race, place of origin, marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation, is forbidden. Landlords are permitted to ask for your Social Insurance Number, but you are not obligated to give it.
The CSU encourages students to get in touch if they have rental questions, but they also suggest taking questions to TRAC, with whom the CSU teams up to run workshops for renters. They also provide a Tenant Infoline for renters seeking free legal information.
Beyond referrals to housing advocates, the CSU also runs a Facebook group for Capilano students looking for roommates or housing.
The CSU holds a renters’ rights workshop once a semester. They’re currently working with TRAC to establish a date and time for the next one, which will be announced on the CSU’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.