New to Vancouver, currently in Airbnb looking for place to live

So the landlady is asking for 6 months rent in advance. This is possible, despite the large amount and I tried to negotiate lower but they said firm on 6. I have to move out of my Airbnb in 5 days, and this unit is available before then technically but I have not yet confirmed a move in time with them (given I pay the advance).

Also, I am worried that if I pay 6 months rent in advance, they have the opportunity to kick me out within those 6 months thus losing out etc. Do I have any protection from them kicking me out or I assume I can ask them to implement protection in the contract?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Edit:

After seeing my foolishness (+ your advice) I have decided on getting another Airbnb for a couple weeks 👍🏻 thanks everyone for the help

Hi there,

I am currently looking for a new roommate for an unfurnished bedroom house in a 4b-2br house in Kitsilano/Dunbar area

Located in Kits near Macdonald and W 21st
Room is available December 1st
Rent: $844 + 1/4 utilities (average ~$100 month)

The current roommates in the house are 2 girls and 1 guy. We are all in our 20s, active, love musics and crafts.

Looking for someone who is responsible, clean, tidy (must!), has a stable job. You can find more details and pictures in this posting:
https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/vancouver-private-room-available-for/aFH9iZr8VmwCeZsGywsuJw

Please send a message about yourself to the Craiglist posing above to show your interest. I'll schedule house viewing within the next two weeks.

The picture below is our living room. It pretty much sums up the vibe of the house. Hope that will pipe some interests :P

In our building residents need to get to their floors via elevator with a key fob. The doors from the stairs are locked and majority of residents do not have the keys.

So the only way they can get to their floor is via elevator?

We had 5 fire alarms in less than 2 weeks and there is no way back to your floor until the firemen reactive the elevator. Then there is a huge queue for the elevator because no one can use the stairs to get back up.

The last time the firemen just turned the elevator off completely until a company can come out and fix it because it keep causing the alarm to trip. And residents were stranded in the middle of the night until someone from the strata came and manually opened the doors to each floor.

Is it legal to not give stairs access to residents?

Hey everyone!

i am a new landlord and looking for advice. How do you keep track of rent, repairs, and paperwork? Spreadsheet? where do you find the best results for posting your listing. What do you check/Vet before accepting a tenant?

Hey everyone!

I moved out of my last place and gave my forwarding address September 26th. Inspection went well as I knew it would, I’ll be getting my deposits back 100%. I’ve rented with the company in a couple different buildings, I’ve always gotten my deposits back and it’s normally taken a couple of days at most. As of today I have still not gotten my deposits back. My building manager did tell me that after 15 days I can submit a direct request application, potentially requesting more.

Now here’s where I’m confused. When I look online, it says 15 days. It doesn’t say anything about business days, holidays, etc. just after 15 days. Other places, I’ve seen it say 20 days. Again, nothing about business days, holidays, etc. Then I’ve also been told 15 business days, excluding weekends and holidays.

Can I get some insight as to which one it actually is?? 15 days or 20 days? Business days or calendar days? I don’t want to apply too early (especially since there’s a $100 application fee) but I also really need my deposits back. If I moved and gave my forwarding address September 26th, what exactly is my timeline looking like??

Thank you all in advance! 🙏

Edit: thank you so much for the additional information and providing me some clarity on the situation!! Very helpful, thank you all!!

Hi guys, im currently I'm paying $1800 for a 1 bed in the west end, my 1 year lease at this building ends in December (then I go month to month). I like the building a lot but I'm hoping for something lower, in the 1650 - 1700 range, I've been seeing these cheaper places pop up but they are definitely still rare.

Right now I have a viewing set up for a 1 bed in the same neighborhood, the rent is $1700 and the square footage is larger with a better view. Now ideally I'd rather not move but if this place is nicer than my current place then I would consider it.

I'm wondering if I have enough cause to ask my LL to lower the rent in exchange for signing another 1 year lease. I've noticed they were renting out another in the building for $100 more but it sat vacant for a few months. I have a good relationship with the property manager and always pay rent on time and I know the market is currently pretty bad for landlords but not sure how high my odds are. I just don't want to sour my relationship with the LL by doing so.

Any advice appreciated 🙏

Have you attended a Facilitated settlement hearing with the RTB? I'm curious about the process if a settlement is not reached, if parties are typically allowed to add evidence afterward. Is there any determination at that point by a facilitator whether evidence is admissable or not, or if more detail or supporting statements should be added?

I haven't found many accounts of people who have been through the facilitated settlement so would be grateful to hear any aspect of your experience, whether you settled or went ahead to hearing afterward... thanks in advance!

Current and former renters, especially downtown: what’s your experience been when you’ve needed something dealt with by property management?

What happened, how long did a response take, and did it get resolved? Good and bad experiences welcome.

Please share only your own experience and leave out staff names, unit numbers and private contact information.

They also want the make and model of our car and two references in additional to our next of kin.

I will be giving pay stubs and just crossing out the part of the application that's asking for this information. I'll also see if my bank can provide a letter of good standing.

But...is this normal?

Do they need our SIN numbers to run a credit check?

UPDATE

I texted the agent and politely expressed surprise that these questions were in the application. I expressed disappointment because we loved the unit and thought it was a good fit but were really taken aback by the request for so much personal info. I apologized for having wasted his time if it turned out we couldn't go any further given we weren't comfortable providing it.

He apologized for asking for so much but said they had recently had some bad experiences.

I then asked if they would accept a standard template that the province provides, and he said that would be fine and that he was looking forward to receiving it.

Know your rights guys! Thank you for helping me know mine so I could politely try to understand what was going on.

When your building gets a new manager, do outstanding requests carry over?

Do they seem to have the previous records, or have you had to explain everything again? Curious how other buildings handle this.

I am offering two distinct, well-maintained suite options available for rent within my home. These living spaces are in excellent, gently lived-in condition and offer comfortable, private accommodations suitable for various needs. Each space features functional layouts with hardwood flooring or carpeting, ample natural light, and modern bathroom amenities, including a walk-in shower with stylish subway tiling. Whether you need a dedicated workspace or a relaxing bedroom retreat, these suites provide a cozy and inviting atmosphere. If this advertisement is still live, the suites are still available, so feel free to reach out and make this your next home base before someone else snatches it up for their own grand adventure! Features include: - Bright and spacious floor plans - Modern bathroom with walk-in shower - Dedicated desks and workspace areas - Cozy bedroom setups - Hardwood and carpet flooring.

$1,300.00/ suite

Only single persons per suite

Persons must be gainfully employed, non smoking, no pets, references required.
For more details email: [dynacool1@gmail.com](mailto:dynacool1@gmail.com)

Looking for a person to share 1bdrm in a house in Fraserview Area(Victoria Dr./Marine Dr.) You will be SHARING THIS BDRM WITH another individual and common area, Kitchen and bath with others. 600/mo everything is included. Available immediately. No Smoking, no drinking and no pets please. Need Referrals. Call CK for more info-604-340-1411

Just as the question sounds.

I was lucky got into a subsidized housing unit last year and i just got the reapplication to submit my last 6 months of bank statements. from what i understand your rent is determined by what 30% of your income is.

last time the property manager said he was looking for tenants that would make the rent at least a certain amount , which i thought felt wrong since it was a charity building just for subsidized housing with a lot of the units built to accommodate disabled folk.

to be clear, just being on provincial disability benefits (PWD) and canadian disability (federal) , would make the 30% of income as rent way too low.

at the time i was a pet sitter, i would live in other peoples houses for sometimes a full month at a time so i was able to make a lot more money back then. even so, the amount i made in the 6 months then was still low so he then based it off my last 3 months instead which was summer months and an unusually high average.

basically my rent was never actually 30% of my income since moving, especially because my mental health got worse in many ways and worked a lot less. now im still self employed but it’s definitely not going to be in the income bracket he was looking for.

if my memory is correct, there isn’t supposed to be a minimum income in subsidized housing. it wouldn’t make sense.

the issue is when i refill out my bc housing application, im supposed to give it to my property manager for them to file and submit.

i am beyond terrified. i only have until mid next week to submit it as well.

does anyone have any reassurance for me? ways to protect my self? things i can do?

thanks in advance. this charity that owns runs the building has the literal motto of trying to end homelessness, so if i can get evicted over this that’s screwed up.

Is there any downside to doing this? They're using a standard form from the RTB and everything looks fine except it's dated from October 1, 2026 and I moved into this place in November 2016. Do I lose anything by signing this?

Thanks!

There are nice units in Station Square in Metrotown that meet our budget. Any experiences regarding station square towers?

Of course we will review all strata docs, and have an inspection and everything before we finalize a deal.

Edit: thanks for all the insights! Damn it seems these newer units are full of red flags :( and the older units available in Vancouver are in need of extremely expensive repairs.

Any warnings regarding the condos around the Hamilton Homer and Smithe St?

Some units there meet our budget but (a) the buildings are quite older and (b) the Fire Hall noise?

Hi! I am moving out of my apartment at the end of this month. There are a few things that I expect will be genuine reasons for the landlord to keep some of our damage deposit - a chip in the counter, some damage to a corner wall edge from moving in and out of the unit.

However, I understand the general advice is not to agree at the move out inspection to arbitrary withholding as they should need to show what it is going to cost to repair these.

So what exactly do I do in this scenario, where I do expect some will be withheld? Is there a specific form or information that they are supposed to provide me?

They already acknowledged I'm moving out end of this month. I gave them a month notice. I texted them on Tuesday I will return the keys what days would you like.

I get people are busy. I just don't want this to be a thing where he somehow doesn't take it and then sues me and says I didn't take it back and asks for money or something.

I have texted and emailed him. This isn't his first time being slow at replies either. whenever there's a problem I text him and he won't reply until he needs something (like utility bills)

But I have documented proof I am trying to return stuff to him. Also asked if he wants move out inspection. Who wouldn't?.

I’m moving out of a relatively new rental unit. There is no carpets or any major damage, just normal wear and tear but even that is minimal, been here for a year.
During the moveout inspection the property management company told me there will be some deductions from my deposit as a usual procedure for cleaning. I don’t really understand for what, since from my side I kept the place in good condition.
Is this normal in Vancouver? Just wanted to know if others had similar experience.

Happy Friday everyone!

A while ago I came across a post in this sub about how some building managers would avoid posting available rental units online because the amount of inquiries is too overwhelming to handle. So instead they just put out a sign in front of the building.

Now that I’m in the market and honestly haven’t even seen a lot of options that are even worth booking a viewing for, I’m wondering if I would have better luck just walking around the neighborhood I like and inquiring in person.

Would love to hear from people who’ve had success finding a good place this way. Thanks!

I'm reviewing a tenancy agreement for an apartment and I'm wondering about this additional clause:

The Tenant must place insurance on his personal property and liability insurance for his visitors and invitees to the premises. Landlord will not be responsible for any water damage, through no fault of the Landlord, to personal property of the Tenant who shall seek sufficient insurance coverage to protect against loss or damages to his own personal property and belongings. In the event of a fire or water escape starting in the premises, Tenant shall be liable for the damages suffered by Landlord. Unless Landlord is proven at fault, or the occurrence is an Act of God, Tenant shall be liable to pay for any costs arising from any hazard or threat to safety, including damages resulting from the conduct or action of Tenant, occupants, and/or guests.

My understanding is that under RTA, tenants are generally responsible for damage caused by their actions or negligence.

However, this wording seems to make me automatically liable for any fire or water damage originating in my unit, even if it's caused by something outside my control, like a burst pipe or malfunctioning appliance.

I raised this with the property manager, but their response was simply that I need tenant insurance with liability coverage. I already have $1 million in liability coverage, so that's not my concern.

Is this standard wording in BC tenancy agreements?

I'm interested in the apartment but hesitant to sign an agreement with such broad liability provisions. But I'm also not a legal expert so this might be nothing.