B.C.’s Rental Housing Task Force to tour the province this summer

The province’s Rental Housing Task Force will tour 10 B.C. communities in June.

The tour is part of the task force’s review to modernize and balance provincial tenancy laws to provide safe, secure and affordable housing.

Focus will be on both renters and rental housing providers, with the public from these communities getting a chance to provide feedback on a range of issues as well.

The task force will take an in-depth look at the issues and challenges facing renters and landlords and will work throughout the summer to better understand what’s needed to modernize B.C.’s tenancy laws.

That includes:

• Consulting with the public, rental housing providers, renters, manufactured homeowners, manufactured home park owners and other stakeholders on their views and experiences with current tenancy laws and processes.
• Identifying options to improve security and fairness for both renters and rental housing providers, while addressing the challenges of affordability.
• A review of the existing laws and how they apply to different housing models.
• Reviewing innovative approaches in other jurisdictions.

"Together we can build a greater understanding of everyone's rights and responsibilities, helping to avoid conflicts in the renter-landlord relationship," said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, and Rental Housing Task Force member.

"Every landlord needs a renter and every renter needs a landlord. Our primary job is to create a situation where the landlord-tenant relationship can thrive."

The task force will report its findings, along with policy recommendations, to Premier John Horgan and Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing, in the fall.