[COVID-19] BC Housing is giving out free money for tenants and landlords during COVID-19 period

“BC Housing is working with the Province of BC, BC’s health authorities, the BC Centre for Disease Control, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and other partners to monitor COVID-19. “

$500 per month for those who are impacted

Many people working in BC are experiencing loss of employment or loss of income during this COVID-19 crisis. BC Housing is developing a new temporary rental supplement program to help these people. At the time this article is written, each household can receive up to $500 per month towards their rent. This may seem like much, but the supplement program is on top of other federal and financial support for those who are facing financial hardship. This COVID-19 based supplement program also benefits those who do not qualify for existing rental assistance programs. 

The money goes directly to the landlord

This fund is targeted to help both tenants and landlords, thus it will be paid directly to landlords to make sure the landlords continue to receive a rental income. However, this also means that the landlords are not permitted to issue eviction notices to end the tenancy for any reason (except for extreme cases where there are safety concerns).

Restrictions for the landlords

During this state of emergency, the landlords are not permitted to ask for the annual rent increase. They are also not permitted to access rental units without the tenant’s consent. To reduce the potential transmission of COVID-19, renters and landlords can now give notices via email. 

Source: (https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020MAH0048-000561)