On March 25, 2020, the Government of British Columbia announced a number of relief measures for residential tenants and landlords in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures are summarized in our blog post here.
On March 30, 2020, a Ministerial Order (the "Order") pursuant to the province's Emergency Program Act was made by the Minister of Emergency Preparedness to enact these measures, and the Order provides additional detail of the government's measures. The key additional details that will impact Landlords and Tenants are as follows:
- The Order applies commencing March 30, 2020 and ends on the date on which the state of emergency (or its extension) expires or is cancelled;
- Landlords may not issue any new notices to end a tenancy, for any reason, during the period the Order is in effect; and
- Any notice to increase rent that was effective after March 30, 2020 is not effective until the date on which the state of emergency (or its extension) expires or is cancelled.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.