Renting with a pet in Vancouver
The local picture
In Vancouver, a pet often has to get past two sets of rules. One is the tenancy agreement, which in British Columbia can lawfully say no pets. The other, if you are renting a condo, is the strata corporation’s bylaws.
Since 2022 the Strata Property Act has barred strata corporations from screening tenants or restricting the rental of strata lots. What a strata can still do is make pet bylaws, and those bind tenants as much as owners.
The law, which is the same everywhere in British Columbia
In British Columbia, the tenancy agreement decides
Section 18 of the Residential Tenancy Act allows a tenancy agreement to prohibit pets, or to restrict their size, kind or number. A landlord does not have to allow pets at all, and a no-pets term in your agreement holds. If a landlord agrees to your pet, have that written into the agreement.
Where pets are allowed, the landlord may require a pet damage deposit of no more than half of one month’s rent (section 19), separate from the security deposit, which has the same cap. Only one pet damage deposit is allowed per tenancy, however many pets are agreed (section 20), and a non-refundable pet fee is not among the fees the Residential Tenancy Regulation permits. Certified guide and service dogs are not treated as pets, and no pet damage deposit can be charged for them.
In a strata building the strata’s bylaws bind tenants too, and the landlord must give you the current bylaws and rules before you rent (Strata Property Act, section 146). Pets and tenancy law, province by province.
Disputes go to the Residential Tenancy Branch.
Strata bylaws come before the landlord’s yes
Before a landlord rents you a strata unit, the Strata Property Act requires them to give you the strata’s current bylaws and rules and a Notice of Tenant’s Responsibilities (Form K) to sign. If they don’t, you are still bound by the bylaws, but you can end the tenancy without penalty within 90 days of finding out, and the landlord must pay reasonable moving costs up to a month’s rent.
Read the pet bylaw before you sign, because a landlord’s permission cannot override it. One protection runs your way: a new bylaw banning pets does not apply to a pet that was already living there lawfully when it was passed. Strata disputes, tenants’ included, go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
Practical notes for Vancouver
- The City of Vancouver requires a licence for every dog three months and older.
- TRAC, the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, runs a free Tenant Infoline with legal information for tenants across British Columbia.
- Ask for the strata bylaws, the rules and Form K before you sign, and check what they say about pets.
- Certified guide and service dogs are not pets under BC tenancy law, and no pet damage deposit can be charged for them.
What there is to buy
A letter, if you would like help with one. We write the pet request letter from your answers, for British Columbia, with a one-page pet resume to go with it: $35 on its own, or $55 with the certificate. Or copy the free letter template and write it yourself: it is the same kind of letter. Neither obliges a landlord to agree. We would rather you sent a good letter than no letter.
One payment, delivered by email. With the certificate and card, $55 for both. Prices are in US dollars. Any sales tax is calculated by Creem and shown at checkout before you pay.
Not a legal document. Canada ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official register of emotional support animals exists in Canada. It does not give you a legal right to keep a pet, to housing, or to access with your animal.
Other cities
Not a legal document. Canada ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official register of emotional support animals exists in Canada. This page is general information about renting in British Columbia, not legal advice.