The Minimum Rental Standards Bylaw 1870 allows the City to assist tenants who live in unsafe and unhealthy accommodation due to poor building maintenance. The City may investigate properties on a proactive (identified by staff) and reactive (identified by public complaint) basis.
Minimum Rental Standards Complaint Form
Please also submit your complaint to the Residential Tenancies Branch.
Guidelines and Procedures
Review the City's guidelines and procedures when a complaint is submitted.
Enforcement
- The City does not have sufficient resources to proactively monitor all rental properties as well as respond to numerous complaints of minimum rental standards non-conformance.
- The Chief Building Official will prioritize and initiate investigations depending on resources available to initiate and complete investigations and enforcement actions. Consideration will also be given to the capacity of human resources available to initiate investigations and proceed with enforcement actions.
- The Director of Development Services will be responsible for reporting file numbers and resourcing to Council for determinations on levels of activity and resource allocations for actions on minimum rental standards files. The City reserves the right to not investigate properties on either a proactive or complaint basis based on lack of available resources.
- Complainants are required to make complaints in writing and are encouraged to utilize the City’s online complaint form. Complainants unable to submit written complaints may work with Building Inspection Staff to fill out a complaint form.
- Complaints must include:
- The name, address, telephone number or other relevant contact information of the complainant; and
- A description of the nature and location of the alleged contravention.
- Vexatious complaints will not be acted on. A vexatious complaint is a complaint that is made for retaliatory or bad faith purposes, or otherwise forms part of a pattern of conduct by a complainant that amounts to an abuse of the process.
Confidentiality
- Confidentiality is necessary to ensure complainants are not exposed to retaliation or other adverse actions as a result of the complaint, and to maintain effective investigation techniques. The identity of the complainant and any identifying information will not be disclosed to the alleged offender or any member of the public, except as required by law. Likewise, the details of an investigation or enforcement steps will not be disclosed to the complainant.
- Despite the foregoing, the City will not guarantee the anonymity and confidentiality of complainants and may disclose personal information in bylaw enforcement files in the following circumstances:
- If the complaint has been publicly disclosed by the complainant;
- If the investigation results in enforcement proceedings and disclosure is necessary to proceed with enforcement;
- If disclosure is required pursuant to the terms of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or pursuant to an order issued by the Information and Privacy Commission under the Act; and
- Where disclosure is otherwise required by law.
- If the complaint has been publicly disclosed by the complainant;
Investigations
- The Chief Building Official will give notice to the owner/representative that they are requesting an inspection of the identified and prioritized property for non-compline of the Minimum Rental Property Standards.
- Written notice of an inspection will be given to the occupier of the premise at least 24 hours prior to the inspection, and such notice will include the reasons for the inspection.
- Following investigation the Chief Building Official will forward a written list of all deficiencies to the owner of the property that must be corrected, provide a timeframe for correction and date by which a re-inspection must be scheduled.