What if tenant fails to pay rent on time?

When the rental payment is in arrears for 5 days or more, a landlord can do the following to protect his/her rights:

1. Give the tenant a 10-day notice to pay, the tenant must pay within 5 days from this notice;

2. If the tenant still refuses to pay, the landlord may apply to the Government of BC’s Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) for a “Landlord’s Direct Request” to ask the tenant move out of the property. The cost is $100;

Website: www.2.gov.ca/gov/content/houseing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/apply-online/direct-request

3. RTB mails to the landlord a “Landlord’s Direct Request Proceeding Package” to fill in the forms and to submit the evidences back. The landlord must give the tenant a copy of the forms in due course, either by hand or by registered post;

4. RTB in 3 weeks notifies the landlord and the tenant a hearing time (usually 1 month later) for both parties to testify;

5. RTB calls the landlord and the tenant respectively on the hearing day to hear their testification. A ruling will be made and a judgment granted on hearing day.

6. If RTB judges the landlord win, the tenant is given 2 days to move out of the property;

7. In case the tenant refuses to move out, the landlord may apply to the Supreme Court for a Final Eviction Notice, at a cost of $120;

8. Once the eviction order is granted, the landlord selects a Bailiff to execute the eviction order, during which the Bailiff will enter the property, secure the tenant’s personal belongings in carton boxes, and change the door lock. The carton boxes are placed in the property’s common area awaiting the tenant to retrieve in 2 days;

9. A ‘No Entry’ sign is posted and the tenant is prohibited from re-entering the property. Until then, the landlord regains his access right of the property.

如何處理租客欠租？

當租客逾期5天或以上不交租，業主可循以下程序追討欠租：

1. 業主先向租客發出「10天付租通知書」，租客在收到該通知書後5天內交欠租；

2. 若租客在限期過後仍欠租，業主可登入卑詩政府 的「住宅租務科」（Residential Tenancy Branch, 簡稱RTB) 的網頁申請「業主直接要求」(Landlord’s Direct Request) 租客搬出，費用為$100；

網址: www.2.gov.ca/gov/content/houseing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/apply-online/direct-request

3. 業主在2星期後收到RTB 寄來的「業主直接要求程序包」 (Landlord’s Direct Request Proceeding Package), 填好表格及附上証據後寄回 RTB。業主同時需在限期內抄送租客一份表格副本，以親手交或掛號郵寄方式亦可；

4. RTB在3星期後通知業主和租客開庭時間 (約一個月後），以聽證形式去解決問題；

5. RTB在開庭當日分別致電業主及租客，聽取雙方陳詞。裁決在聽證當天作出，並發出判決書；

6. 若裁決判房東勝，租客要在裁決後2天內搬出；

7. 萬一租客仍不肯搬出，業主可向高院（Supreme Court) 申請「終極驅逐令」(Final Eviction Notice), 費用為 $120；

8. 業主擇選執達利公司（Bailiff) 執行驅逐令，約好時間到物業進行破門、清場、換鎖。 執達利清場時將租客私人財物封箱好，存放於大廈公眾地方，待租客在指定2天內取走。

9. 執達利於物業門上張貼「不准進入」告示，禁止租客再進入。致此，業主收回出租物業。