The organization that represents rental property owners and managers in B.C. believes it can overcome a lack of incentive and get landlords to voluntarily buy into a new landlord registry.
LandlordBC, which launched the first Canadian registry of its kind Wednesday, hopes that within five years it will have as many as 25,000 landlords signed up, in a bid to professionalize the industry.
“It’s time that landlords start to treat the rental unit they manage like a business,” said David Hutniak, chief executive of LandlordBC. “This registry gives renters a tool to see if the person they are renting from has credibility and knowledge.”
Hutniak said it would be an easier sell to get landlords to take the online course and get registered if vacancy rates were higher and they had to stand out from the crowd. But he believes it is time to act.
The rental vacancy rate in Greater Victoria is at 0.5 per cent, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
“I won’t deny it would clearly be easier [to get them to sign on], but as an organization and industry we are really serious about improving the quality of rental housing and landlords,” Hutniak said. “Do we wait till we see the three or four per cent vacancy rate? That will take some time and, in the meantime, because of the tight market there are landlords not behaving as they should.
“We are committed to fixing that, and this is one step.”
The registry will allow tenants to screen potential landlords to ensure they are familiar with the basics of the Residential Tenancy Act — the guideline for rental agreements in B.C.
Hutniak said while they don’t know the exact number of landlords in the province — LandlordBC estimates it could be as many as 50,000 — they do know there are more than 550,000 rental units around the province.
Landlords who want to register pay $39, which covers them for three years, and they complete a two-hour online course that familiarizes them with the Act. There is a test, and landlords who receive a grade above 80 per cent are registered.
Those landlords will then be added to a searchable database, which Hutniak believes could be used as a marketing tool. He said if two neighbours are renting out suites in their homes, the one who has registered will have an edge. “I don’t care how tight a market it is, it will make a difference,” he said.
Victoria landlord Derek Pinto, the first to be registered in the province, said the program was educational. “I can now implement a lot of the things I have learned,” he said. “I encourage all [landlords] to take the program. They will be able to do their job in a more competent way with more confidence in the actions they decide to take or not to take.”
Tenant advocate Russ Godfrey applauded the registry, saying anything that offers information and education will make a difference in a sector rife with conflict.
“There’s a battleground out there,” he said, noting in markets such as Vancouver and Victoria where the vacancy rate is low, landlords have been taking advantage of the situation.
Godfrey said most large landlords generally play by the rules, but it’s the secondary market that needs education and guidance.
Hutniak said the vast majority of landlords are well intentioned, but he acknowledged there is a significant number who do not understand the legislation.
