Premier John Horgan gave a press conference recently in which he made a strong statement about landlords trying to hike rents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People are losing their jobs left and right across our province. People are struggling just to pay the rent today (April 1). Things are dire for people and Horgan made his stance pretty clear.
"This is not the time to seek rent increases and there is just zero per cent chance of that happening," said Horgan. “Landlords will be prevented from legally raising rents starting April 1. Increases slated to take effect on April 1 will no longer be applied.”
Ah, but that hasn't stopped some heartless landlords from announcing that they want the rent increased in the coming months.
I was contacted by Jane (she doesn’t want her real name used in fear of repercussions from her landlord), a post-secondary student living in Burnaby.
Right after Horgan announced the freeze on rent hikes, Jane received notice from her landlord that he was hiking her rent, to take effect in three months.
What a scummy move.
Yes, technically it’s legal to do, but read the room, you jerk, and find some humanity.
I get that landlords are freaking out about not being able to evict people or that renters will stiff them on April 1, but deciding in the middle of this pandemic that this is the perfect time to announce a rent increase?
Child, please.
Jane is just shaking her head about that one. She’s confused about what, if anything, she can do as she worries about layoffs. She has no idea where she'll be at in three months. Based on what health officials say, it seems unlikely this all will be gone in a few months. Perhaps the freeze on rent hikes will still be in effect. Who knows?
But this move by her landlord just added more stress to her life.
“I am not sure what my rights are since we don't know how long this COVID-1919 crisis and state of emergency will last,” Jane told me.
Nice move, Mr. Landlord.
COVID-19 has brought out the best in some people, but it’s also brought out the worst. I hope those extra few bucks make your stupid, pathetic life more enjoyable.
Here are the other measures the province recently announced. I’m sure landlords are combing through them looking for more loopholes.
- The new temporary rent supplement will provide up to $500 per month, paid directly to landlords.
- Halting evictions by ensuring a landlord may not issue a new notice to end tenancy for any reason. However, in exceptional cases where it may be needed to protect health and safety or to prevent undue damage to the property, landlords will be able to apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch for a hearing.
- Halting the enforcement of existing eviction orders issued by the Residential Tenancy Branch, except in extreme cases where there are safety concerns. The smaller number of court ordered evictions are up to the courts, which operate independently of government.
- Preventing landlords from accessing rental units without the consent of the tenant (for example, for showings or routine maintenance), except in exceptional cases where it is needed to protect health and safety or to prevent undue damage to the unit.
- Restricting methods that renters and landlords can use to serve notices to reduce the potential transmission of COVID-19 (no personal service and allowing email).
- Allowing landlords to restrict the use of common areas by tenants or guests to protect against the transmission of COVID-19.
To further support renters and landlords, the Residential Tenancy Branch will implement several additional actions, including adjourning and rescheduling hearings in situations where people need additional time to prepare and extending timelines for filing applications for dispute resolution.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
