B.C. government refuses to prohibit Olympic evictions in Vancouver

B.C. government refuses to prohibit Olympic evictions in Vancouver

By Carlito Pablo
Georgia Straight -  June 24,2009

Vancouver-area tenants who are afraid of being kicked out by landlords out to make a quick buck from visitors during the 2010 Olympics may have a reason to fear some more.

The B.C. Liberal government isn’t budging on a request by the City of Vancouver to amend the Residential Tenancy Act to prohibit evictions between June 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, other than by reason of tenant default.

In a letter received by the office of Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson on June 15, B.C. housing and social development minister Rich Coleman stated that the existing provisions of the law already make it difficult for landlords to evict tenants.

Coleman also pointed out that “making changes that affect one group of landlords as distinct from another based on geographic location creates a policy that may be seen as discriminatory”.

“Affecting the rights of property owners in the manner suggested may also be seen as unfair to those property owners,” the minister wrote. “In a time where housing is scarce and private landlords are providing a valuable housing alternative, it is important to encourage them rather than discourage them.”

On April 9, Vancouver council passed a motion by Coun. Geoff Meggs that asked the province to amend the Residential Tenancy Act to prevent Olympics-related evictions.

Also included in the motion was a request that the province open a full-time staffed office of the Residential Tenancy Branch in the downtown core or along the Broadway corridor for one year, encompassing the period before and after the Games.

Coleman told Robertson that he is “mindful of the challenges landlords and tenants will experience in the time surrounding the 2010 Winter Games”.

However, Coleman stated, there are no plans by the provincial government to make changes to the act “at this time”.

NEWS: City rental vacancies up, report says

Source: Westender

Posted By: Jackie Wong

06/18/2009 12:00 AM

If the apparent proliferation across the city of lawn signs advertising apartment vacancies seems unusual — especially given last year’s media coverage highlighting Vancouver’s record-breaking shortfall of rental accommodation — it’s part of a national trend. Vacancy rates in Metro Vancouver and across Canada have risen in the past year, according to the spring 2009 rental market report released last week by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The report suggests Metro Vancouver vacancy rates are up to 1.9 per cent, from 0.9 per cent at this time in 2008. Meanwhile, average monthly rents in the region remain the highest in Canada, with the report showing the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Metro Vancouver to be $935, up from $857 last year.

Vancouver Olympic Tenant Registry

The City of Vancouver has created a tenant registry to help prevent short term evictions by over-eager landlords or homeowners looking to cash in during the Games.  Whistler also has a tenants registry.

If you are a renter and are concerned that you may find yourself evicted because of the Games, take steps to protect yourself by enrolling  in Vancouver’s Tenant Registry at the link below:

Link to Tenant Registry:
City of Vancouver  Website – Temporary Accommodation bylaw explained

The temporary accommodation bylaw has several purposes.  One, it aims to  create more supply of  temporary accommodation  by making it legal for owners  to rent their homes – or bedrooms in their homes –  to visitors.  Previously,  short term rentals less than 30 days were not allowed in the city.  Two, the city has created a Tenant Registry to protect existing tenants from displacement. Three, the city has asked the Province to amend the Residential Tenancy Act and open a full time Residential Tenancy Office in the downtown core.

The Tenant Registry program enables the City to cross check to see if a unit is already occupied, before granting a temporary accommodation license to an owner seeking to rent out their unit between June 30,2009 and March 31, 2010. If the city discovers  a registered tenant is already occupying that unit , the permit would not be granted. If an owner does not comply, penalties include an injunction and/or fines of $2000 per offense, plus an additional $50 for each day the offense continues.

The BC Provincial Government also needs to support the City of Vancouver’s efforts to ensure  citizens of Vancouver are not displaced over the next ten months as a result of the Games.  This fall, when the legislature sits, the Government must amend the Residential Tenancy Act to prevent evictions (other than for cause) from June 30- March 21, 2010.   However, to date, the  Provincial Government has refused to  impliment the city’s recommendations to amend the RTA to protect renters from evictions. It is time for the BC Government to step in and protect renters now more than ever.  Profit driven evictions are not the Olympic legacy BC wants to leave behind.

City asks province to help ensure renter protection during Games

NEWS: City asks province to help ensure renter protection during Games

WestEnder Staff

06/04/2009 12:00 AM

The City of Vancouver has begun rolling out a long-awaited temporary-accommodation strategy that aims to balance the needs of homeowners, renters, and visitors during the 10-month period leading up to and following the 2010 Games. Applications for temporary accommodation licenses, which will allow homeowners to rent out a portion of their home during Games time, are now being accepted by the City. As well, council has asked the provincial government to introduce temporary measures to protect tenants from displacement during the Olympic period.

According to City housing planner Celine Mauboules, Mayor Gregor Robertson has written a letter on behalf of council to Premier Gordon Campbell, who has referred it to Housing Minister Rich Coleman for response. “We’re still waiting for [Coleman] on that front,” says Mauboules of the letter. Minister Coleman did not return WE’s phone calls by press time.

The letter from council includes recommendations for the provincial government to amend the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) to prohibit evictions between June 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, other than by reason of tenant default; to increase provincial residential tenancy services by opening a full-time Residential Tenancy Office for a 12-month period around the Games; and to provide $40,000 in funding for a tenant assistant worker, to be hired this spring. “It is the Province that governs the Residential Tenancy Act, and they really are the ones that can prevent those evictions,” says Mauboules. “I think our mayor and council are on record as hoping for some strengthening of the RTA.”

Without support from the Province, however, housing advocates are concerned that the City’s efforts to protect renters during the Games will fall flat. “As a supporter of this Vision [Vancouver] council, I’m profoundly disappointed at the lack of consultation in the implementation of this policy,” says Am Johal, chair of unofficial watchdog group Impact on Communities Coalition. He contends the enforcement mechanisms put forward by the City to protect renters have “no teeth.” Similar to the mass evictions that occurred during Expo ‘86, Johal predicts the worst for 2010. “Come December, January and February, hundreds of tenants will be evicted in Vancouver,” he says.

Information on applying for temporary-accommodation licenses is now available at Vancouver.ca, by phoning 604-873-7011, or at the City of Vancouver Licence Office (443 West 12th, east wing, 2nd floor).

NEWS: More Renovictions, What Next For Renters?

Posted May 22nd, 2009

in  Think City Minute

In the wake of the provincial election results and an April ruling that granted a landlord’s request for excessive rent increases,renters in British Columbia are more at risk than ever before say tenants’ rights activists.

“Extreme rent increases or the threat of losing your home due to renovations that are really market-driven evictions in disguise are here to stay – for now,” said Renters-at-Risk spokesperson Sharon Isaak. “The setbacks of the past month mean that BC renters continue to live in fear. Affordable housing advocates must continue their efforts pressing all levels ofgovernment for solutions, immediately.”

The first setback came in late April when the Residential Tenancy Office (RTO) slapped a group of West End tenants with rent increases of up to 38 per cent – nearly $500 a month over-and-above existing lease agreements. For 82-year-old Roland McFall and his 93-year-old sister Mary who’ve lived in the Seafield Apartment building for 48 years, their housing costs will now jump by nearly $6,000 a year.

The Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) allows landlords to raise residential rents by 3.7 per cent annually. But landlords can apply for an additional increase if they can prove the increase will put their units on par with a geographic area’s current market rents. As well, landlords can evict tenants under the pretext of renovations, and re-rent the spruced up suites for much higher rents – a practice known as “renoviction”.

According to the 12-page Seafield ruling, landlords are allowed to raise the rent in three increments, with three months notice in between each increase. The ruling goes on to note that the Seafield’s landlords didn’t have to prove rents are significantly lower than all comparable apartments in the West End, but merely prove there are two or more nearby units with higher rents. The Seafield tenants are appealing the ruling at BC Supreme Court.

A second setback came with the provincial election on May 12. Renters missed an opportunity to elect more MLAs who would support rental reform. The re-election of the BC Liberal government has dampened hopes for changes to the RTA.

“During the election campaign, BC Liberal candidate Laura McDiarmid (Vancouver-West End) described the Seafield ruling as ‘a win for these tenants,’ said Isaak. “McDiarmid lost in the West End because residents here understand the Liberals do not support rental reform and renters used the power of the ballot box to elect a candidate who does. That was not the case in other ridings across the city and BC.”

“Renters-at-Risk has presented solutions to the BC Liberals to curb rental abuses, but Minister Rich Coleman told us recently it is not necessary to change the Act,” said Isaak. “Even more troubling is the news that BC Housing is working with the BC Apartment Owners Association and Momac Consulting to put on seminars instructing landlords how to raise rents above the yearly allowable amounts.”

“Despite these setbacks, there is a new sense of urgency to step up the fight for renters rights across the city,” said Isaak. “Over 50 per cent of Vancouver citizens rent. We know this problem is only going to get worse as we draw nearer to the Olympics.”

“Last week, 22 remaining tenants at the Berkeley Apartments in the West End were hit with renoviction notices which will force them out of their homes by July 31,” said Isaak. “Thankfully, the City is doing something to combat the rental problem by initiating an eviction ban until after the 2010 Games and a tenants’ registry.”

And what happens after the Olympics? Vancouver still faces a serious challenge when it comes to meeting the demand for low-and middle-income rental housing.

“Forced mass displacement to the suburbs is not the solution to Vancouver’s affordable housing crisis,” said Isaak. “For the next three years, city council has the opportunity to enlist renters in the fight to secure long-term housing solutions.”