Hello, I have been living in a rental in Vancouver for about 2 years with my brother. My brother is moving out due to some personal reasons and I asked the landlord about replacing my brother with a friend of mine and she said it’s good. She said she would increase rent after it’s been 1 year since the previous increase and it was all good.
Now one day before my friend is about to move in, she suddenly is demanding 20% rent increase and also forcing us to pay for electricity which was previously included in a rental. We rent a laneway unit and they control the garage part and washer/dryer as well. They charge their electric cars there. The washer dryer part of the laneway is also shared with other tenants that live in their basement.
What can I do?
Depends if it’s officially classified as shared accommodation rather than a rental unit.
By your description it doesn’t sound like shared accommodation to me (people sharing the same living space). I don’t think sharing a laundry room counts.
I suspect some landlords are being loose with the definition of shared to try and bypass tenancy regulations.
Best to talk to the tenancy board. If it’s not shared the rent increase is limited. If it’s shared, they can do whatever they want more or less.
I contacted the Tenancy board. What they’re doing is illegal. They also did a rent increase last year more than the prescribed limit and also we weren’t given a 3 month notice, so I was informed that I can file for reimbursement there too.
Good to know. I’ve been on both sides of the fence as a tenant and a landlord. We never play silly games with rent and the rules.