Old Apartment in Kitsilano

The Work and Ministry of St. Paul's Advocacy Office

We had a senior, Pauline, who came in to see us because the apartment she had lived in for 25 years was undergoing a total renovation and everyone was getting an eviction notice.

She visited the St. Paul's advocacy office on behalf of herself and several other tenants who had lived there for 15 to 30 years. She came to us to confirm a relatively new city bylaw which requires that landlords doing total renovations must abide by strict regulations with respect to the number of months notice they must give to tenants. The amound of notice given increases quite substantially for tenants that have lived in one place for a long time.

After consulting with one of our tenancy experts it was determined that she was entitled to 6 months notice as was anyone who had been there for 20 years or more. The landlord had only offered them 3 months notice. She decided to try along with the other tenants to talk to the landlord on their own. I am glad to report that the landlord was compliant and they all got their 6 months. Enough time for them to be able to locate suitable housing.  

Ellen Silvergieter, Advocacy Office Director.