Residential Tenancy Branch
RTB (British Columbia)
The Residential Tenancy Branch runs British Columbia's tenancy dispute resolution and administers the Residential Tenancy Act.
The Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) is the British Columbia government office that administers the Residential Tenancy Act and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act. It is BC's counterpart to Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board, but the two work under different laws, forms and procedures.
The RTB provides information, education, forms and calculators for landlords and tenants. It also sets the yearly maximum allowable rent increase. As of 2026, that limit is 2.3% for increases taking effect in 2026, and it has been set at 2.2% for 2027. A landlord must give at least three full months' written notice on Form RTB-7, and can raise rent only once every 12 months.
When landlords and tenants cannot solve a problem themselves, the RTB offers dispute resolution. There are four processes. A direct request is decided on written submissions with no hearing. Facilitation uses a case facilitator to help the parties agree. A participatory hearing is an arbitration where both sides present evidence. An expedited hearing is for emergencies, and the RTB aims to schedule these within 12 days, or 6 days in urgent cases. Tenants must keep paying rent while a dispute is underway.
An arbitrator can issue orders of possession, monetary orders and orders of compliance, and both parties must follow them. Monetary claims at the RTB are generally limited to $35,000. The successful party enforces the order: orders of possession through the Supreme Court of BC, and monetary orders through Small Claims Court.
Some disputes go elsewhere. Discrimination complaints go to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, and roommate disputes up to $5,000 go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal. Applications can be made online with a Basic BCeID account or on paper.
Sources
- Residential tenancies (gov.bc.ca)
- Tenancy dispute resolution (gov.bc.ca)
- Rent increases, BC Residential Tenancy Branch (gov.bc.ca)
Last reviewed October 16, 2026.
Go deeper
Related terms in Tenancy & Leases
- Standard Lease Ontario's mandatory government lease form for most private residential tenancies signed on or after April 30, 2018.
- Above-Guideline Increase An Ontario rent increase above the annual guideline, allowed only with Landlord and Tenant Board approval on set grounds.
- Assignment and Subletting Two ways an Ontario tenant can let someone else take over the unit: permanently by assignment, or temporarily by sublet.
- Landlord and Tenant Board The Landlord and Tenant Board is the Ontario tribunal that resolves residential tenancy disputes and decides evictions.
General information only, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules change and vary by province; confirm the current details with the relevant authority before you rely on them.