How to Evict a Tenant in British Columbia

You cannot end a periodic tenancy in BC just because you want the tenant gone. You need a reason the law allows, a notice on the right form, and, if the tenant does not leave, an order of possession from the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB). Only the BC Supreme Court and a court bailiff can then physically remove the tenant.

In practice the route has four stages:

1. Pick the lawful reason and serve the matching notice.
2. Wait for the tenant's dispute window to pass, or go to a hearing if the tenant disputes.
3. Get an order of possession from the RTB.
4. If the tenant still stays, enforce the order through the BC Supreme Court and a bailiff.

A fixed-term tenancy is harder to end early. During the term, neither side can end it except for cause, by agreement, or on the specific grounds the Act sets out. See our guide to landlord notices in BC for the detail by reason. The tenant's side of the same process is in the BC eviction process guide.

The notice you use depends on why you are ending the tenancy. The tenant's time to dispute also depends on it. The table below summarises the main routes. Details are on the RTB landlord notice page.

Reason	Notice	Tenant's time to dispute
Unpaid rent	10 Day Notice, Form RTB-30	5 days
Cause (for example, serious disturbance or illegal activity)	One Month Notice to End Tenancy for Cause, Form RTB-33	10 days
You or a close family member will live in the unit	Three Month Notice, Form RTB-32L	21 days
A buyer or a close family member of the buyer will live in the unit	Three Month Notice, Form RTB-32P	21 days
Demolition or conversion (for example strata conversion, co-op, caretaker or non-residential use)	Four Month Notice, Forms RTB-29 and RTB-29C	30 days
Renovations or repairs that need the unit empty	No notice: you apply to the RTB for an order	Decided at the hearing

The landlord's-use and purchaser's-use notices must be generated through the RTB web portal. Landlord's-use, purchaser's-use, demolition and renovation endings also trigger compensation: one month's rent. If you do not use the unit for the stated purpose, you can owe a further 12 months' rent. The Act sets out the rules in the Residential Tenancy Act.

1. Choose the reason. Match the facts to one row in the table. A wrong reason, a wrong form or a notice not in proper form can sink the whole process.
2. Serve the notice. A 10 Day Notice takes effect no earlier than 10 days after the tenant receives it. The RTB says there is no such thing as a 24 hour or 5 day notice to vacate in BC.
3. Wait out the dispute window. For a 10 Day Notice the tenant has 5 days to pay in full or apply to dispute. Paying the full overdue rent within the 5 days cancels the notice.
4. If the tenant does not dispute, the tenant is treated as accepting that the tenancy ends on the effective date. If they stay, you can get an order of possession without a further hearing. For unpaid rent, the direct request process can also get you an order for the rent.
5. If the tenant disputes, an arbitrator holds a hearing. If the arbitrator upholds the notice or dismisses the tenant's application, and the notice is in proper form, the arbitrator must grant you an order of possession.
6. Serve the order and enforce it if the tenant still does not leave (next section).

The filing fee for an application is $100. A fee waiver is available for low income or hardship. See the RTB fees page.

An order of possession does not move the tenant out by itself. The RTB does not enforce it. Only the BC Supreme Court and an authorized court bailiff can. The steps are:

1. Serve the order of possession on the tenant.
2. Wait for the review period to pass. For an order of possession it is 2 days.
3. Take the order to the BC Supreme Court registry. You need a Requisition (Form 17.2), a Writ of Possession (Form 52) and an Affidavit of Service sworn at the registry.
4. Hire a court-authorized bailiff to carry out the writ.

You can recover bailiff costs by seizure and sale of the tenant's property or through a monetary order. Our guide on when a tenant will not leave after notice in BC covers this stage in more depth, and the RTB order of possession page lists the official steps.

Do not try to speed things up yourself. Changing the locks, physically removing the tenant, taking their belongings or asking the police to carry out the eviction are illegal acts. Taking actual possession of a unit that an overholding tenant still occupies, without a writ of possession, is an offence with a fine of up to $5,000. You can also be ordered to repay the tenant's costs.

Do not cut off or restrict essential services such as heat, water or electricity to push a tenant out. Do not block access to the tenant's belongings. Both are offences with fines up to $5,000, and the RTB can also impose penalties of up to $5,000 per day.

Do not call the police to evict. Per the RTB's police information sheet, police do not carry out evictions unless the person is under arrest or a bailiff acting under a writ asks for help. See the RTB police sheet.

Finally, watch how you handle rent after serving a notice. You may accept rent up to the effective date. Accepting rent for the period after it, without marking receipts "for use and occupancy only", can suggest the tenancy continues.

There is no fixed wait time for an RTB hearing, and urgent matters are heard first. The earliest expedited hearing is usually set about 12 days after the application, or 6 days in extreme cases. The arbitrator must give a decision within 30 days after the hearing ends, and the decision is final and binding. There is no official total timeline from notice to bailiff, so treat any single number with caution. For the wider picture, see how long it takes to evict a tenant.

A party who loses can ask for a review of an order of possession within 2 days, but only on limited grounds: they could not attend for reasons beyond their control, there is new and relevant evidence, or the decision was obtained by fraud. Disagreeing with the result is not a ground. There is only one review per proceeding, and the fee is $50. A judicial review petition in the BC Supreme Court must start within 60 days. See the RTB review page.

BC has no seasonal or winter restriction on evictions.

If the situation is urgent and serious, the Act lets you apply to the RTB to end a tenancy early instead of waiting out a notice. See special circumstances for what qualifies. If a unit is uninhabitable or the tenancy is frustrated, a separate provision applies.

If a tenant leaves without notice, says they will not return, or moves out all their possessions, the unit is considered abandoned and you may enter without notice. Abandoned belongings follow set storage and disposal rules. Our Ask page on what reasons a landlord can evict for gives a quick overview.

This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.