My family and I recently moved out of an apartment in Chilliwack, BC, where we lived for over two years.
Before moving out, we spent considerable time cleaning the apartment.

We left the apartment empty and clean, and I have video & photos showing the condition of the floors, kitchen, bedrooms, and other areas after moving .

However, our landlord is now proposing to keep our entire security deposit of over $1,000.

I understand that tenants are responsible for damage beyond normal wear and tear, but after living somewhere for more than two years, I would expect some reasonable wear and tear.

I've already contacted the BC Residential Tenancy Branch, and they advised me to formally provide my forwarding address as the first step, which I'm doing.
I'm curious to hear from other BC renters and landlords:
Based on the video , does the apartment appear to have been left in reasonable condition?

Has anyone experienced a landlord attempting to retain an entire security deposit?

What was your experience disputing deductions through the RTB?

I'm not opposed to paying for legitimate damage, but I believe any deductions should be reasonable and supported by evidence.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

So the landlord lives in the same house, we got shared living and kitchen space so i believe the RTA doesn't apply to my situation. So what options am i left with if the landlord refuses to pay back my security deposit at the end of tenancy. I do not have a signed lease either. However i do have WhatsApp chat for the proof of payments.

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are applying for an apartment in Metro Vancouver at $1,700/month, and I'd love a reality check from people who've been through this (renters or landlords).

Our situation:

\- Combined net income is about $7,000/month ($4,000 from my full-time salary, about $3,000 from my wife's two part-time jobs)

\- Credit score is 678. It dropped because of high utilization on one credit card, and I've since paid it down to about $600 remaining. It was much lower before and is climbing back

\- No missed payments, collections or other bad debt

\- One car loan, paid monthly

\- About $6,000 in savings set aside for rent and moving costs

\- Rent would be about 24% of our take-home

Questions:

1. Do you think we'd be approved on this profile?

2. Do landlords care much about a 678 score when income and savings look good?

3. Does my wife's part-time income count against us since it's two jobs?

4. What can we do to strengthen our application (reference letters, extra deposit, explanation letter, etc.)?

Thanks so much in advance, any tips are appreciated!

im soon to be moving to Vancouver as an 18yo girl, going to college. Is there a specific place to look for like affordable housing or people to house with? Or anything i should know? please help! thank you!

On RTB-1 landlord only provides an email address and phone number but no physical mailing address, is that normal? Is he trying to hide anything, in case something goes wrong I won't be able to properly serve him? like RTB hearing etc

Thanks for answering.

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.

Hey everyone!

My partner and I are looking to move to the Vancouver area and could use some advice from people who actually live there.

We're both city people and currently live in pretty walkable, lively neighborhoods. We love being able to step out for coffee, try new restaurants, walk around nice streets, and generally feel like there's something happening nearby. At the same time, we appreciate greenery, parks, scenic surroundings, and somewhere that feels safe and comfortable to walk around, including in the evenings.

The one complication is that one of us will need to drive to the Seattle area about twice a week for business. So we're trying to balance the commute with actually enjoying where we live. We don't necessarily need to live in downtown Vancouver, but we'd love reasonably convenient SkyTrain access to downtown.

After some research, here's our current shortlist, in order of preference:

1. Cambie Village / Riley Park (roughly 16th–29th Ave, Cambie to Main)
2. South Cambie / Oakridge (33rd–49th Ave)
3. Richmond Centre / Minoru Park
4. Olympic Village / False Creek
5. Richmond Olympic Oval / River Green
6. Marine Gateway / Marpole
7. Richmond Capstan Village
8. Metrotown / Central Park
9. Uptown White Rock
10. King George Hub, Surrey

We're hoping to stay around $2,400 CAD/month for a 1-bedroom or 1-bedroom + den. We'd prefer a newer, well-maintained apartment (managed buildings would be great), ideally with parking.

A few things we're curious about:

• Are we overlooking any neighborhoods that might suit us better?
• Is the drive to Seattle noticeably better from Richmond than from Cambie/Riley Park, especially during weekday mornings?
• How different do Cambie Village, Oakridge, and Richmond feel in terms of walkability, restaurants, general energy, and safety?
• Would you choose a more interesting neighborhood with a slightly longer drive, or somewhere farther south with easier highway access?

We're planning to visit in November to explore neighborhoods and schedule a few apartment viewings, so we'd love recommendations for specific areas, streets, or even buildings worth checking out.

Thanks in advance!

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 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?

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 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. 😊

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.

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.

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.

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?

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 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?

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?

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.

I've been collecting anonymous rent numbers from people around Metro Van, and 50 people have added theirs so far. A few things jumped out:

- Typical rent across all unit sizes is $2,350/mo, and the middle half pay between $1,850 and $2,750

- Typical 1-bed (dens included) is $1,950, about 8% above CMHC's $1,807 average

- People who moved in 2024 or later pay about $2,550, and people who moved in earlier pay about $1,950. That's a $600/mo penalty just for moving

- East Side comes in around $2,550 typical and Burnaby/New West around $2,250

CMHC's number includes people who've been in rent-controlled units for years, so it always looks lower than what you'd actually pay if you moved today.

It's still a small sample. Once more people add theirs, it'll be able to compare by neighbourhood and even by building, so you can see if your place is out of line.

Curious: if you moved in the last year or two, how much more are you paying than at your old place?