BC Greens aim to protect new renters from unaffordable rent increases

Currently in BC, if a house or unit that is being rented becomes vacant, there are no restrictions on how much a landlord can increase the rent on their property. 

If they wanted to and thought it would still be rented, they could increase rent by 100% or more. 

However, year-over-year, there is protection in place for tenants who remain in their rented homes. 

A landlord can increase rent by 3.5% once per year, usually on the anniversary of the lease being signed. 

The BC Green Party wants this rent cap of 3.5% to apply to any situation, including when a new lease is being signed—meaning when moving into a new property, a landlord can only charge a small increase instead of being able to charge however much they think they can fetch. 

The legislation amendment is called the Residential Tenancy Amendment Act, or Bill M 201. 

“Rents in BC have become exorbitantly unaffordable for far too many people, and the provincial government has a role to play in solving this crisis,” said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party and MLA for Cowichan Valley. 

“The policy we’re putting forward ties rent to the unit itself. It would prevent rents from skyrocketing when someone new moves in.

“Comparing the average rent to the average income paints a sad picture for B.C. This government needs to step in as Dave Barrett did in the 1970s to prevent further harm to British Columbians,” she continued. 

The BC Greens say they believe this will help prevent needless ‘renovictions’ and will help stabalize the rental market.

Furstenau says that she sees the fear of not being able to rent among British Columbians, with many afraid that they are one or two bad months away from becoming homeless. 

“We must prioritize renters’ right to housing over investor profits in BC’s housing market, as profiteering hurts us all,” said Furstenau. “Consider the ripple effect on our communities.” 

“How many neighborhoods struggle to attract essential workers like healthcare professionals, teachers, and tradespeople due to the lack of affordable housing? How many small businesses have been forced to reduce operating hours because of challenges in finding employees,” she asked.  

According to the BC Greens, implementing vacancy control— which has successfully been implemented in Manitoba as well as countries like Germany—is a tangible solution to some aspects of the current housing crisis.