Landlord Notice to End Tenancy
The notice period for ending a tenancy for demolition, renovation or repair, or conversion to another use is now 4 months.
Landlords must give proper notice to tenants if they plan to end a tenancy – there are different notice forms required for different situations:
- Unpaid rent or utilities
- For cause or for end of employment
- Landlord's use of property
- Tenant does not qualify for subsidized rental unit
- Demolition, renovation, or conversion of the rental unit to another use
- Conversion of manufactured home park
By law, tenants must always be given the right amount of notice – even if the landlord uses an incorrect date. This correction can be made without having to go through the dispute resolution process.
Serving a Notice to End Tenancy
All Notices to End Tenancy have multiple pages. The notice is only valid if the landlord serves all pages to the tenant. There are rules about how and when a landlord can serve notice – be sure to do it correctly:
Disputing a Notice to End Tenancy
Tenants who disagree with a notice need to apply for dispute resolution – writing a letter or talking to the landlord isn’t enough. Submit a tenant's application for dispute resolution along with a copy of the Notice to End Tenancy. Choose from these forms groups on the forms page:
- Dispute Resolution Forms - Standard
- Dispute Resolution Forms - Direct Request
If a tenant submits an application for dispute resolution by the appropriate deadline, the notice is suspended until an Residential Tenancy Branch arbitrator makes a decision. If not, the tenancy ends on the date stated in the notice.
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Type of Notice |
Tenant must submit application for dispute resolution… |
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Within 5 days of receiving the notice |
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Within 10 days of receiving the notice |
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Within 15 days of receiving the notice |
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| Within 30 days of receiving the notice | |
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Within 15 days of receiving the notice |
When a Tenant Doesn't Leave
The tenant is required to leave by the last day of tenancy – the effective date stated on a notice. The landlord should talk to the tenant to confirm the moving date. If the tenant doesn’t dispute the notice and does not leave by 1 p.m. on the effective date, then the landlord can apply for an Order of Possession – a legal document from an arbitrator that orders the tenant to leave.
If the tenant still doesn’t leave after being served with an Order of Possession, the landlord must obtain a Writ of Possession from the Supreme Court of B.C. in order to hire a bailiff to remove a tenant or their belongings and, if desired, change the locks.
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A landlord cannot physically remove a tenant, remove a tenant’s possessions or prevent a tenant from accessing a rental property without a Writ of Possession from the Supreme Court. |
The content on this website is periodically reviewed and updated by the Province of British Columbia as per the date noted on each page: June 24, 2020.
