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!

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.

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!

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!