New compensation for tenants of manufactured home parks facing eviction will officially take effect on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.

Changes to the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act will provide more security for park tenants facing eviction as a result of park owners closing or converting a park. Changes include:

• a consistent 12-month notice to end tenancy: Ensuring the effective date of a 12-month notice to end tenancy is the same for all tenancy agreements under the act;
• increased compensation landlords must pay tenants when the park is closed: Compensation for tenants will now be $20,000, an increase from the previous requirement of 12 months of pad rental costs;
• additional compensation if a manufactured home cannot be relocated: Park owners will be required to compensate tenants for the assessed value of the home over $20,000. Previously, there was no compensation if a manufactured home could not be relocated;
• a clarification that tenants are not responsible for disposal costs: A tenant, who is unable to relocate their manufactured home when a park is closed, is not responsible for disposal costs; and
• increasing the amount of compensation for bad-faith evictions: Landlords, who give notice of a manufactured home park closure, but fail to proceed with the closure after eviction, must pay tenants 12 months’ pad rental, or $5,000, whichever is greater.

All updated guidelines, forms and information about the changes, including questions and answers can be found online:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/changes-to-tenancy-laws

Quick Facts:

• The B.C. government recently brought in new protections and compensation requirements under the Residential Tenancy Act for renters who are facing evictions as a result of renovation or demolition. Changes took effect on May 17, 2018.
• On May 28, 2018, the Rental Housing Task Force, chaired by Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End, launched an online and in-person consultation with British Columbians, on additional ways to improve the rental experience for landlords and tenants.
  • The task force will consider further improvements to the Residential Tenancy Act and Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act.

Learn More:

Read Homes for B.C., government’s 30-point plan to address housing affordability for British Columbians:
http://bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2018/homesbc/2018_Homes_For_BC.pdf

To find out what the Province is doing to improve housing affordability, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/bc-government-addressing-housing-affordability-challenges

For changes to the Residential Tenancy Act that took effect May 17, 2018, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018MAH0057-000975 

For information on community meetings with the Rental Housing Task Force, or to participate online, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/rentalhousingtaskforce