Vancouver Island · Landlords & tenants
From repair disagreements to eviction proceedings, Khurana Law helps Duncan landlords and tenants address RTB disputes, rent and deposits. The firm serves Vancouver Island through remote consultations offered in English, Punjabi and Hindi. Keep written repair requests and the responses that followed them.
The reason for ending a tenancy determines the notice and its requirements: unpaid rent, cause, personal occupancy or demolition and conversion. We review current forms and distinguish the separate order process for major renovations from an ordinary eviction notice.
Challenging a notice means more than telling the landlord you disagree. We review the filing deadline, identify the grounds for a response and prepare evidence for the requested cancellation.
An arbitrator’s possession order and a court enforcement process serve different functions. We advise on the application, the hearing response and the documents needed if possession must later be enforced.
Unpaid rent is not the same issue as alleged property damage. We address each claim separately and explain the evidence needed to establish a loss or challenge the amount requested.
At the end of a tenancy, document the inspection and the delivery of a forwarding address. Advice can clarify the return deadline, any permitted retention and the remedies available for non-compliance.
Rent-increase advice considers the effective date, prior increases and the approved notice. The applicable year’s rules and any lawful exception should be verified before the amount is accepted or challenged.
Repair complaints should identify the problem, requests made and the effect on the tenancy. We advise on maintenance obligations, essential services and appropriate RTB remedies rather than assuming rent can be withheld.
We review complaints about unreasonable interference, privacy and lawful use of a home. A dated account of incidents and responses helps explain the claim without treating every inconvenience as a breach.
We help clients understand what can lawfully follow an unpaid monetary order or unfulfilled possession order. Court requirements differ, so the document and intended remedy must be assessed first.
Duncan tenants should keep proposed repair appointments, notices of entry and replies about access. Explain any practical difficulty attending an appointment and the condition that needs attention. The evidence should show the actual exchange rather than simply alleging that repairs were refused.
Seek advice early enough to identify the notice-dispute deadline. Trying to resolve an issue informally does not necessarily stop time running for an RTB application.
A Duncan landlord arranging repairs should document the work requested, access notices and any agreed appointment. If the tenant disputes your response, contractor records and correspondence can help explain it. Avoid assuming a failed appointment alone resolves responsibility for the condition.
Service records are part of the file, not an administrative afterthought. Retain the notice actually delivered and details of the authorized delivery method, recipient and date.
For rental disagreements arising in Duncan, an organized file makes the provincial procedure easier to navigate. These stages distinguish getting a decision from enforcing or challenging it.
Start by checking that the RTB can decide the issue. Select the relief you need and submit the proper application before time expires.
Serve the application package and required records in an accepted way. Keep proof of the recipient, delivery method and date rather than assuming notice was received.
Organize the tenancy agreement, notices, payment records, photographs and correspondence. Follow the RTB rules and your hearing package for submission and service deadlines.
Confirm the hearing format and attendance details from the RTB package. Remote participation, commonly a telephone conference, still requires preparation and an accessible copy of your records.
Read the decision and each order, including any date for payment or possession. Assess compliance first, then determine whether a separate enforcement step is needed.
An RTB review is available only on permitted grounds, not simply because you disagree. Its deadlines can be very short and depend on the decision involved.
A challenge in BC Supreme Court addresses legal or procedural review grounds rather than a fresh tenancy hearing. Obtain advice promptly about the filing deadline and any stay application.
For Duncan renters and owners, time usually runs from a legally significant event, not from the day advice is obtained. Confirm receipt and deemed-service rules before counting days.
| Issue | Deadline or limit | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Dispute a 10-day unpaid-rent notice | 5 days after receiving the notice. | RTA s. 46 |
| Dispute a one-month notice for cause | 10 days after receiving the notice. | RTA s. 47 |
| Dispute a landlord or purchaser occupancy notice | Current three-month notice: 21 days after receiving it. Do not rely on the former two-month / 15-day rule. | RTB occupancy notices |
| Dispute a four-month demolition or conversion notice | 30 days after receiving the notice. Major renovations use a different RTB order process, not this notice. | RTA ss. 49, 49.2 |
| Return a security or pet damage deposit, or claim against it | 15 days after the later of the tenancy ending and receipt of the tenant’s forwarding address in writing, subject to statutory exceptions. | RTA s. 38 |
| Apply for judicial review of a final RTB decision | 60 days from the date the decision is issued. The court has a limited power to extend time; do not assume an extension or automatic stay. | ATA s. 57; RTA s. 5.1 |
| RTB monetary claim limit | $35,000, matching BC’s Small Claims limit. Larger claims generally belong in BC Supreme Court, except certain 12-month-rent compensation claims under RTA ss. 51(2) and 51.3. | RTB monetary jurisdiction |
Some online guides still describe superseded BC eviction routes. Personal occupancy generally now uses three months’ notice and a 21-day dispute window. A four-month demolition or conversion notice must not be presented as a renovation notice: major renovations generally require an RTB application for an order. Two-month notices currently address loss of subsidized-housing eligibility. Confirm the exact document and how it was served.
Tenancy representation at Khurana Law includes work for landlords as well as tenants, with lawyers who attend court and RTB hearings. English, Punjabi and Hindi consultations help clients discuss the file directly. The Surrey and Vancouver team explains options in ordinary language and keeps outcome promises out of the advice.
You can represent yourself at the RTB. A lawyer may be useful when the notice, jurisdiction or evidence raises difficult issues, but representation is a choice rather than a hearing requirement. Begin by reviewing the application, the remedy requested and the instructions in your hearing package. Access and maintenance facts should be separated before selecting the hearing evidence.
Yes, Khurana Law can assist with an RTB matter remotely from its Surrey and Vancouver offices. Residence elsewhere in BC does not by itself prevent representation. Consultations are offered in English, Punjabi and Hindi, and the hearing notice confirms how you and your representative are to participate. Remote review can compare appointment proposals with the repair request timeline.
Renovations alone are not a substitute for the required legal process. Where the work requires ending the tenancy, the landlord generally seeks an RTB order under section 49.2. The tenant can respond to that application with relevant evidence; a claimed need to renovate should not be confused with personal occupancy. Necessary repair access does not alone establish grounds to terminate the tenancy.
A written forwarding address and proof of its delivery are important first steps. Generally, the landlord must repay the deposit or file a claim within 15 days of the later triggering event: tenancy end or receipt of that address. Review inspections, deductions and statutory exceptions before calculating a possible remedy. Note any unrepaired defect already present before the move-out inspection.
A landlord can request advice on a rent claim, from calculation through potential enforcement. Evidence should establish the tenant’s obligation and account for every payment credited. The choice between notice, application and later collection steps depends on the relief needed; having a debt does not authorize a lockout. A disagreement about scheduling does not itself determine the rent balance.
No standard turnaround can be guaranteed for a tenancy application. Different RTB procedures address different situations, and the assigned hearing date controls ordinary preparation. If the circumstances seem urgent, obtain advice about eligibility for an expedited route while preserving the deadlines that already apply to your file. Arrange witnesses and records before the evidence deadlines in your case package.
Start with the notice, the deadline and a short account of what happened. Contacting us does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
