Residential Tenancy Law
and how we can help you with it
Decisions we've argued have been cited in the RTB Policy Guidelines. We've represented clients through every stage: Residential Tenancy Branch hearings, judicial reviews at the BC Supreme Court, and appeals to the BC Court of Appeal.
The Basics
Tenancy disputes hit close to home — literally. Whether it's the future of your home as a tenant or the future of your investment as a landlord, the stress is real and the stakes are high. On either side of a tenancy agreement, understanding your rights and responsibilities is what protects you, either before a dispute starts, or once you're already in one.
Many people call the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) expecting legal advice from the Information Officers who answer. The RTB provides general information, but it does not provide legal advice, and what you're told may or may not apply to your actual situation.
That distinction matters. Getting proper legal advice early can save you hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars down the line. Get in touch and we'll tell you where you stand.
What you're actually up against
RTB hearings aren't like other disputes. The RTB schedules a single one-hour hearing and expects you to tender all your evidence, make every submission, call any witnesses, and answer the arbitrator's questions, all within that hour.
In practice, that leaves each side roughly 20 minutes to convince an arbitrator of their position, whether you're fighting an eviction or seeking an order for repairs. And you're doing all of it over the phone, not in person.
Arbitrators decide on the strength of what's in front of them. Our job is to make sure your strongest case is the easiest thing in the room to say yes to.
How we can help
We prepare a complete evidence package alongside comprehensive written submissions, laying out your position and the law we're relying on, and we generally file it before the hearing. Then we attend the hearing and walk the arbitrator through it, pointing to the evidence that matters most.
We can't guarantee any specific outcome. What we can do is make sure your case is presented as clearly, completely, and persuasively as the format allows. And if an RTB decision needs to be challenged on judicial review, the groundwork we lay before and during the hearing is what makes that next step possible.
Ways to work with us
Every matter starts with a focused legal advice appointment — 30 or 60 minutes — so you understand your situation and your options before committing to representation. From there, you choose how much help you need:
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Fixed-fee retainer bundles — certainty on cost from the outset, for full representation through your hearing.
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Build-it-yourself retainers — select the specific stages you want us handling.
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Unbundled services — targeted help on the pieces you can't tackle alone, at a price that fits.
Not every tenancy issue needs full representation. Sometimes the right advice is all it takes, and we'd rather tell you that early than have you overspend.
Not ready to retain a lawyer?
Even if representation isn't where you are right now, we've put together a list of resources to help, and we regularly add answers to common tenancy questions on our blog.
