How do BC landlords start a tenancy?

The start of a residential tenancy is a sequence, not a single form: list, screen, sign, collect only allowed deposits, inspect, hand over keys, and keep the paper.

1. List and show the unit accurately.
2. Screen lawfully. Do not charge an application fee.
3. Sign a written agreement that includes the standard terms.
4. Collect only allowed deposits.
5. Complete the move-in condition inspection.
6. Handle locks and keys.
7. Give copies on time: the agreement within 21 days, the report within 7.
8. Keep the agreement, receipts, report, and photos.

The listing should show the unit’s actual condition, and screening has to stay inside the Human Rights Code.

The list and show page says landlords should accurately display the unit’s condition and may screen on factors such as income and employment history. Say when a unit will be unfurnished if the photos still show furniture. If someone already lives there, give proper notice before entering to take pictures, and consider written permission from that tenant before using the photos. A credit check needs the applicant’s written approval. The same page notes that landlords cannot make a copy of identification.

Under the Human Rights Code, landlords cannot use an application to refuse to rent because of a protected category, such as race or family status. Read the Province’s human rights protection page. This guide does not decide whether a particular question is lawful.

Landlords can’t charge a fee for accepting, reviewing, or processing a rental application. That sentence is on the deposits and fees page. Do not add an application charge because a portal or a form asks for one.

Every residential tenancy needs a written agreement that both parties sign and date, and that includes the standard terms.

The tenancy agreements page says landlords must prepare a written agreement for every tenancy. Landlords can write their own form only if it has all standard terms required by the Residential Tenancy Act. The RTB template is Form RTB-1, the Residential Tenancy Agreement. Download the current PDF from the tenancy forms index.

A month-to-month tenancy has no end date. A fixed-term tenancy has one. The agreements page limits when a vacate clause can force a tenant to leave at the end of the term. This page does not explain those cases. Read that page before you add an end-of-term clause.

Landlords must provide tenants with a copy of the tenancy agreement within 21 days of signing it. Keep your own copy, the deposit receipts, and any additional terms that do not contradict the Act. If the agreement is silent, the standard terms still apply. A written copy is what you will want if a term is later disputed.

A security deposit is capped at half of one month’s rent, and a pet damage deposit, if you allow pets, is capped at the same amount.

The deposits and fees page says landlords can charge up to half of one month’s rent as a security deposit at the beginning of the tenancy. The amount is set by the rent in the initial agreement and does not rise if the rent later increases. The page’s own example uses monthly rent of $1,500 and a maximum security deposit of $750. That is an RTB illustration, not a rent and not a Prestige deposit.

Once the tenant has paid the deposit, the tenancy is considered established, and the landlord can’t decide to rent the unit to someone else. Tenants must pay the security deposit within 30 days of signing the tenancy agreement. A pet damage deposit, when it is required, is due within 30 days of when it’s required. If pets are allowed, that deposit can be no more than half of the first month’s rent, regardless of the number of pets. The agreements page says one security deposit and one pet damage deposit can be requested per unit. Landlords can’t charge a monthly pet fee on top of the pet damage deposit.

Guide and service dogs are not pets. Landlords can’t charge a pet damage deposit for certified guide or service dogs. A landlord can’t keep a deposit without the tenant’s written permission or an RTB order. If a required deposit is not paid within 30 days, the deposits page says the landlord can serve a notice to end the tenancy and points to Form RTB-33. Read that page for the notice. This guide does not explain ending a tenancy.

The move-in inspection is the written record of the unit’s condition, and skipping it can cost the landlord the right to claim against the deposits later.

The move-in condition inspection page calls it a walk-through. Use Form RTB-27, the Condition Inspection Report, or your own form if it captures the required information, including the full legal names of the landlord and tenant. Confirm the current PDF on the forms index.

The tenant must be given two opportunities to complete the inspection, and notice of the last opportunity must be in writing on Form RTB-22. The inspection page calls that form the Notice to Schedule a Condition Inspection. The forms index titles it Notice of Final Opportunity to Schedule a Condition Inspection. When more than one tenant is on the agreement, name them on Form RTB-26, the Schedule of Parties. Only one tenant needs to sign the report for the group. Photos and video help. They do not replace the written report.

The landlord must give the tenant a copy of the inspection report within 7 days of the inspection. The landlord loses the right to claim against the tenant’s deposits if they do not give the tenant two chances to schedule the inspection, take part in the inspection, complete the condition inspection report, or give the tenant their copy within 7 days. Do the steps even when the unit looks new. The report is what a later deposit dispute is compared against.

If the locks were not changed after the last tenant moved out, the new tenant can ask for them to be changed, and the landlord cannot charge for that change.

The locks and keys page says new tenants can request that the landlord rekey the locks for free so previous tenants do not still have access. Each person moving in has the right to receive their own keys, and the landlord can’t charge a fee for providing those keys. A tenant who wants the locks changed later, for a different reason, generally needs the landlord’s written permission or an RTB order. That is a different rule from the move-in rekey. Read the locks page rather than guessing which request is which.

You can run this sequence yourself, or you can hire a licensed rental property manager to help. Hiring does not replace the Residential Tenancy Act.

Self-managing your own rental is a lawful option. The choice between keeping the calendar and hiring is a separate decision. Full decision guide →

What the licence covers, and what stays with the owner, is a different page. What a licensed PM does →

Filling a vacancy and looking after the home after move-in are different scopes. Placement vs full →

Rent increases, repairs, entry, and ending a tenancy are later chapters. This page does not repeat them.

Later rent increases are on the BC rent increase guide and the BC rent increase calculator. The calculator does not fill a notice. If the next decision is a sale, read how to sell a tenanted home in BC. The property management hub is the broader starting point.

Rentals by Coldwell Banker Prestige, reviewed by Alex Lam PREC, can talk through tenant placement, ongoing management, or both for a Burnaby or Greater Vancouver rental. The conversation is about who lists, who screens, who collects the allowed deposits, who attends the condition inspection, and which notices stay with you.

Fees are discussed per property. They are not listed here. There is no public rate card, no portfolio size, and no door count. There is no promise about vacancy, rent, or a Residential Tenancy Branch outcome. Request property management, submit your rental if the vacancy is the immediate need, or talk to Alex if you are not sure which scope fits.