Described as the first of its kind in North America, British Columbia’s rental housing advocacy organization LandlordBC is set to unveil a comprehensive landlord registry and education platform this January.

 

“The goal with LandlordBC’s new Landlord Registry is two-fold,” says LandlordBC CEO, David Hutniak.

 

“One is to give landlords a tool by which they can learn the Residential Tenancy Act, learn and respect tenant rights and learn about their rights. The second is to give tenants the opportunity to assess whether their next home is managed by a landlord committed to the Residential Tenancy Act and the principles of our mandatory I Rent It Right™ education program offered through the Registry.”

 

The initiative, Hutniak says, is focused mostly on small and independent landlords who may be unaware of the extent of their obligations and those of their tenants.

 

“I Rent It Right™ is designed to help mitigate disputes between tenants and landlords. This is particularly useful for smaller operators who may not be familiar with the full breadth of the Residential Tenancy Act and who may have no formally trained housing management staff at their disposal.”

 

For tenants, the Landlord Registry is a tool to assess whether their potential new home is managed by a landlord who abides by I Rent It Right™ and who fully understands tenancy regulations.

 

“Tenants deserve a registry of this kind,” Hutniak says. “Knowing that a landlord has an I Rent It Right™ certificate will be a key factor when searching for a new home. It communicates to renters that they’re entering into an arrangement with someone who takes their role seriously and is committed to providing a professional service.”

 

Participation in the Landlord Registry is available for $39 plus GST for a three year certification, which includes an I Rent It Right™ competency certificate upon successful completion of the e-learning program and test. The nominal fee is intended to remove a financial barrier to access the program and reinforces LandlordBC’s commitment to the Registry’s educational component.

 

“We’ve kept the fee at under $40 in order to make it affordable for all landlords to take full advantage of the Registry,” Hutniak says.

 

“If you’re a landlord, this is a knowledge opportunity for you, it helps you mitigate risk, you’ll be less likely to end up in a drawn out dispute, and you’re making an effort to help professionalize this industry. This is a win-win for all stakeholders in British Columbia’s rental housing industry.” C

 

To learn more about the Landlord Registry, view the official website here.