Other Resources for Tenants
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This page from JP Boyd on Family Law and others highlighted in orange explain trial procedure and litigation in BC family law. They are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition. |
Housing alternatives
| BC Active Manufactured Home Owners Association | Information and support for manufactured home owners. | Website: www.amhoa.ca Phone: 250-544-1456 |
| BC Housing | Subsidized housing information. | Website: www.bchousing.org Phone: 604-433-2218 |
| Co-operative Housing Federation of BC | Information for people living in co-ops. | Website: www.bcca.coop/member/co-operative-housing-federation-bc Phone: 604-879-5111 |
Government
| Residential Tenancy Branch | Government department that carries out residential tenancy law. Provides information and dispute resolution services. Visit their website to download forms, see legislation, policy guidelines, and fact sheets. | Website: www.rto.gov.bc.ca Lower Mainland Phone: 604-660-2421 |
| Service BC (Government Agent) | If there is no Residential Tenancy Branch office where you live, you can call or visit Service BC. | Website: www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca Phone: 604-660-2421 |
| Vancouver Property Use Inspector | Repairs, heat, fire safety, City of Vancouver only. | Website: Property Inspection Phone: 604-873-7398 or 311 |
Advocacy and referral services
Lower Mainland
| 411 | Seniors center. Provides information and referrals to seniors. | Website: 411seniors.bc.ca Phone: 604-736-2033 |
| Abbotsford Community Services - Legal Advocacy Office | Information, referrals, and representation. Serving Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. | Website: Abbotsford Legal Advocacy Abbotsford Phone: 604-859-7681 Local 207 |
| BC Centre for Elderly Advocacy & Support | Legal information and representation for tenants 55 and over. | Website: bcceas.ca Phone: 604-437-1940, |
| Richmond - CHIMO Community Services | Advocacy services for Richmond residents. | Website: www.chimoservices.com Phone: 604-279-7077 |
| Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre | Drop-in centre and basic needs services; as well as mental health and legal advocacy, victim services and outreach services. | Website: dewc.ca Phone: 604-681-8480, ext. 221 |
| First United Church | Advocates assist people in the Greater Vancouver area with a variety of issues including welfare, tenancy, EI, and disability. | Website: firstunited.ca Phone: 604-252-9504 |
| Law Students’ Legal Advice Program | Legal advice and information in the Lower Mainland for people who can’t afford a lawyer. | Website: www.lslap.bc.ca Phone: 604-822-5791 |
| Maple Ridge - Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Community Services | Advocacy services. | Website: www.comservice.bc.ca Phone: 604-467-6911 ext. 210 |
| MOSAIC Legal Advocacy | Information, summary advice, referrals, and representation to low-income immigrants and refugees. | Website: MOSAIC Legal Advocacy Phone: 604-629-0061 |
| Surrey - Sources Newton Advocacy Group Society | Advocacy services including information, referrals, and representation. Serving Surrey residents. | Website: Sources BC Phone: 604-596-2311 |
| North Shore - North Shore Community Resources | Legal information, support, referrals and advocacy services for residents of the North Shore (including the city of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lions Bay). | Website: www.nscr.bc.ca Phone: 604-985-7138 |
| Tri-Cities - SHARE Family and Community Services | Information, referrals, and advice. Serving Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra. | Website: sharesociety.ca Phone: 604-937-6982 |
| Seniors Services Society | Information on housing and benefits for seniors. | Website: seniorsservicessociety.ca Phone: 604-520-6621 |
| Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church: Community Advocate | Phone: 604-522-3443 ext. 22 | |
| St. Paul’s Advocacy | Provides information and advocacy on tenancy issues and welfare applications. | Website: St. Paul's Advocacy Phone: 604-683-4287 |
| The Kettle | Provide assistance for people with mental health disabilities with a range of tenancy matters including representation at arbitration. | Website: www.thekettle.ca Phone: 604-253-0669 |
| Wilson Heights United Church Advocacy Office | Provides community advocacy. | Website: Wilson Heights Advocacy Phone: 604-325-9944 |
Victoria area
| Burnside Gorge Community Association | Provides support, information, referrals, advocacy and assistance with basic needs to families in housing crisis. | Website: burnsidegorge.ca Phone: 250-388-5251 |
| The Law Centre | Legal advice, representation and information in Victoria for those who can’t afford a lawyer. | Website: www.thelawcentre.ca Phone: 250-388-4516 |
| Ready to Rent | Information on renting in BC, and community courses on renting. | Website: www.readytorentbc.net Phone: 250-388-7171 |
| Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) | Advocacy for tenants who are having disputes with their landlord. | Website: www.tapsbc.ca Phone: 250-361-3521 |
| Victoria Native Friendship Centre | Housing advocacy for homeless First Nations people as well as information and guidance about rentals, tenant rights, referrals, supportive resources and practical living skills. | Website: www.vnfc.ca Phone: 250-384-3211 |
Vancouver Island
| Campbell River - Island JADE Society | Help with tenancy issues including representation at arbitration. | Website: Island JADE Society Phone: 250-830-1171 |
| Comox BC - Wachiay Friendship Center | Website: www.wachiay.org Phone: 250-338-7793, ext. 229 | |
| Courtenay - Island JADE Society | Phone: 250-871-7708 | |
| Nanaimo - Nanaimo Citizens Advocacy Association | Phone: 250-753-2321 | |
| Port Alberni - Port Alberni Friendship Centre | Legal information and advocacy for tenants. | Website: www.pafriendshipcenter.com Phone: 250-723-8281 |
| Ucluelet - West Coast Community Resources Society | Information on renting in BC, and community courses on renting. | Website: wccrs.ca Phone: 250-726-2343 |
Other areas of BC
| Columbia/Kootenay Advocacy and Education Resource Society | Phone: 250-837-4779 | |
| East Kootenays (Cranbrook) - Traveling Advocate Program | Assistance and information to the public regarding poverty law issues such as tenants' rights and dispute resolutions. | Website: ekadvocate.com Phone: 250-426-4293 |
| Fort St. John - Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society | Information, referrals, advocacy, workshops. | Website: www.fsjwrs.ca Phone: 250-787-1121 |
| Hazelton - Upper Skeena Counseling and Legal Assistance Society | Legal aid intake, advocacy services. | Website: usclas.com Phone: 250-842-5218 |
| Kelowna - Okanagan Advocacy and Resource Centre | Information, referrals, advocacy services for people with mental health issues. | Website: kelowna.cioc.ca Phone: 250-979-0201 |
| Merritt - Nicola Valley Advocacy | Advocacy services. | Phone: 250-378-9632 |
| Nelson - The Advocacy Centre | Legal information, education and problem solving for low-income residents of the Central Kootenays. | Website: advocacycentre.org Phone: 250-352-5777 |
| Penticton - Penticton and Area Access Society | Advocacy services. | Website: accesscentre.org Phone: 250-493-6822 |
| Powell River - Powell River Community Services Association | Advocacy services for low income residents. | Phone: 604-485-0950 |
| Prince George - Active Support Against Poverty | Provides advocacy and referral services to financially poor individuals. | Phone: 250-563-6112 |
| Prince George - Prince George Native Friendship Centre | Website: www.pgnfc.com
Phone: 250-564-3568 | |
| Prince Rupert - Prince Rupert Unemployed Centre Society | Phone: 250-627-8776 | |
| Vernon - Vernon and District Women’s Centre Society | Phone: 250-542-7531 | |
| Williams Lake - Women’s Contact Society | Women’s centre, but also provides advocacy to all members of the community. | Website: www.womenscontact.org
Phone: 250-392-4118 |
Legal help
| Lawyer Referral | Offers advice and information from a lawyer for a fee of $25 plus taxes for the first 30 minutes. | Website: www.cba.org/bc/ Phone: 604-687-3221 |
| Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) | Help with judicial review, orders of possession, co-op evictions. | Website: www.clasbc.net Phone: 604-685-3425 |
| Access Pro Bono | Free legal advice. | Website: www.accessprobono.ca Phone: 604-878-7400 |
| Dial-A-Law | Dial-A-Law is a library of practical legal information. It is operated by the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. You can listen to the Dial-A-Law scripts over the phone, or read them on the website. The scripts are available in English, Chinese and Punjabi. | Website: www.dialalaw.org Phone: 604-687-4680 |
Online resources
| Clicklaw | An Internet portal for public legal information and education in British Columbia. | Website: www.clicklaw.bc.ca |
| MOSAIC Multilingual Legal Publications | Publications on various topics. | Website: www.multilingolegal.ca/multilingual-legal-publications |
| PovNet | Information, resources and advocacy directory. | Website: www.povnet.org |
| This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, 2012. |
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 Tenant Survival Guide © TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.
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