🍁 For rentals in British Columbia, Canada
The easiest way to start a tenancy in BC
A simple checklist for landlords and tenants in British Columbia: lease agreement, deposit, move-in inspection, utilities, insurance, and next steps.
An independent BC resource — not affiliated with the government.
Free, with official links.
Landlord checklist: before your tenant moves in
🖨 Print this checklistEleven steps, from screening to move-in day, with official BC government links. Check them off as you go.
Before you sign
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Screen tenants fairly
Use a written application, check references, and get consent for a credit check. Keep it within the BC Human Rights Code — you can screen for ability to pay, not for family status, ethnicity, or source of lawful income.
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Prepare the tenancy agreement
Every BC tenancy needs a written agreement with the standard terms required by the Residential Tenancy Act. Use the official form (RTB-1) — or join the waitlist for a guided online version.
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Collect tenant details
Get full legal names, contact info, and emergency contacts for everyone on the lease before move-in day. You will need them for the agreement and the inspection report.
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Review deposit rules
Security deposits are capped at half of one month’s rent (same cap for a pet deposit). You must return deposits within 15 days after the tenancy ends or apply to keep them.
Before move-in day
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Get landlord insurance
A standard home policy usually does not cover rentals. Landlord (rental property) insurance covers the building, liability, and lost rent — and ask your tenant for proof of their own tenant insurance.
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Check the building move-in requirements
If the unit is in a strata: book the elevator, get the move-in forms, confirm the move-in fee, and check insurance and key/fob rules — then pass it all to your tenant a week before the move.
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Test smoke alarms and do a safety check
Before move-in day: test smoke and CO alarms, check locks and window latches, and fix loose railings. Five minutes of checks, documented in the inspection report, prevents real liability.
Move-in day & after
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Complete the move-in inspection
Walk through the unit together and record its condition on the official Condition Inspection Report (RTB-27). Skipping it can cost you the right to claim against the deposit.
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Share key move-in information
Give your tenant keys, garbage/recycling schedules, parking and strata rules, and your contact details for repairs. A short welcome sheet prevents most early disputes.
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Set up rent collection and a ledger
Decide how rent arrives (e-transfer with auto-deposit works well), and start a simple ledger of payments and receipts from month one. Clean records win disputes.
Estimate my rental income & tax
- Annual gross rent
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- Annual net rental income
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- Estimated tax on rental income
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- After-tax rental income
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Rough estimate using 2026 federal + BC brackets. Not tax advice — see what you can deduct in our guide. →
🔒 Nothing you type is stored or collected — the math happens in your browser and never leaves it.
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Keep signed documents safely
Give the tenant a copy of the signed agreement within 21 days and keep your own copies of the agreement and inspection report for the entire tenancy.
Ending a tenancy instead? Notice rules, the final inspection and deposit return →
Checklist complete — well done! 🎉
Your tenancy is starting on solid ground — proper paperwork, a protected deposit, and far fewer disputes ahead.
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Raising rent later? You’ll need the official notice and at least three months’ warning — see the BC rent increase rules ↗
What we’re building
We’re building a guided online flow that lets landlords and tenants complete BC tenancy paperwork without manually filling PDFs.
- Guided lease agreement
- Tenant invite link
- Electronic signatures
- Deposit payment option
- Move-in checklist
- Rent increases & move-out inspections
Never fill another BC tenancy PDF
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If you’re a tenant
Free. Always.
$0 — forever. Reviewing your agreement, signing it, and keeping your own copies never costs you a cent. No fees, no account upsell, nothing to cancel. And inviting your landlord gets them 20% off.
If you’re a landlord — or just offering a place
Pay once. No subscription.
Less than one month of the subscription tools — and you never pay again.
Building your tenancy is free — you’re charged once, when you finalize, which is what unlocks the official RTB-1, sends your tenant the invite, and runs the e-signing. No subscription.
Renting out a place
$69one-time
No subscription
- One price for the whole tenancy, however long it lasts
- Guided, BC-specific checks — official RTB-1, addendum & lifecycle notices, all e-signed
- Your tenant reviews & signs online; every document saved to your account to download anytime
- $55 when your tenant invited you
Just renting a room
$29one-time
No subscription
- Each room is its own lease and RTB-1
- Perfect for a roommate or a single spare room
- Guided checks, e-signing & permanent downloads — same as a place
- $23 when your roommate invited you
We donate 15% of our profit to the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC), BC’s non-profit for tenant rights — and we publish our donation receipts every year.
Prices in CAD, tax included. Each price is per tenancy agreement — re-renting to a new tenant later is a new agreement. General information for British Columbia, not legal advice; both parties are bound by the official RTB-1 and any addendum they agree to.
All guides
- Deposit not returned in BC: what actually works
- Eviction notices in BC: deadlines and your real options
- Is your BC rent increase illegal? Check, then act
- The BC landlord checklist: forms and steps
- What you can (and cannot) expense as a BC landlord
- The BC move-in inspection (RTB-27), step by step
- Move-out notice in BC: tenant and landlord rules
- BC rent increase rules: the 2026 guide
- The BC Residential Tenancy Agreement, explained
- BC security deposit rules, explained
- The BC tenant checklist: before you move in