Friday October 31, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC Greens on October 28 introduced a Private Members’ Bill to bring back vacancy control and stabilize rent prices for tenants across the province.
Under B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell’s proposed amendment to current legislation, landlords would only be allowed to raise rent on a vacant unit by the same amount as on an occupied one, eliminating an incentive to evict tenants.
Here is the exact wording of the proposed amendment [BILL M 218 – 2025 – RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AMENDMENT ACT, 2025]:
“If a rental unit rented under a tenancy agreement becomes vacant, the landlord must not require an amount of rent payable in respect of the unit that is greater than the amount that the landlord could have required under this Act had the unit not become vacant and continued to be rented by the tenant who caused the vacancy.”
In other words, rent increases would be tied to units, not tenants.
Current scenario:
Currently in BC, landlords may only increase rents for existing tenants once a year — based on the inflation rate — and must first give three months’ notice.
Currently no limits:
“Right now, there are no limits on how much landlords can raise rent between tenancies — rent increases are only regulated within existing tenancies,” says Rob Botterell, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands.
Botterell is the BC Greens House leader.
The practice of evicting a tenant for the purpose of charging a lot more to the next tenant is commonly referred to as ‘renoviction’.
“If we want affordable housing fast, we need to look at the housing we already have. This bill will change that equation,” said Botterell.
Vacancy control is not new:
“Vacancy control is not a new concept in British Columbia. In the 40 years since it was removed between tenancies, the province has devolved into one of the least affordable rental markets in Canada, earning the title of Canada’s eviction capital,” said Botterell, who is one of two elected BC Greens in the BC Legislature.
Botterell and BC Green Party Leader Emily Lowan addressed media about this on Tuesday.
Renters need more protection:
Lowan outlined how proponents for rent control are renters, union and anti-poverty organizations. Opponents to the idea are primarily investors and landlords.
“Renters — who make up one in three British Columbians — are a trampled afterthought in this government’s housing strategy,” said Lowan.
“The BC NDP is catering to corporate developers, while starving investment in the affordable, social housing that renters need. This bill from my BC Green Caucus colleagues will help stabilize rents for British Columbian renters by blocking predatory landlords from hiking rents and evicting renters for profit. This will set the stage for bold action: a rent freeze,” she said.
Botterell pointed out that its REITS and large investors who financialize the rental market. People who can manage to get a mortgage because the home they wish to buy includes a suite for rental income are also part of the mix that the BC NDP government seems not to want to tamper with.
Politics of it all:
“The NDP has supported comprehensive rent control before by implementing vacancy control in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and the Housing Minister backed it as a city councillor,” added Botterell, referring to the current Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle. “We hope this bill earns support across the aisle so renters can have real stability.”
“While the BC NDP claims rents are decreasing, the BC Greens know that a few percentage-point drops does not erase years of skyrocketing costs in this province,” said Jeremy Valeriote MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
“This legislation is not intended to target homeowners—it’s designed to protect renters and strengthen the overall rental market by preventing unnecessary rate hikes,” said Valeriote in this week’s BC Greens news release.
Energizing the BC Greens:
Lowan was quite strident in her remarks in the press conference, with Botterell being more tempered including saying that the proposed legislation will “set the stage to the bigger piece, in time”.
But Botterell commended Lowan, adding that the new leader’s impact on BC Greens is one of being “so cheered up and energized by (Lowan)”.
The BC Greens note that according to a 2023 report from the Maple, more than 20% of BC’s MLAs owned investment properties, and a 2022 Times Colonist report found that 93% of MLAs were homeowners.
“This imbalance reveals a serious lack of renter representation in the Legislature. We need to get more renters elected, who will truly fight for and protect renter rights.” Lowan added.
How it would work:
The Residential Tenancy Amendment Act will require vacant rental units to follow the same rules for rent increases as occupied units, stabilizing housing for renters. This bill will help mitigate evictions across the board, so landlords aren’t incentivized to evict their tenants in order to increase profit from rent.
The majority of evictions in BC are no-fault evictions and recent data from Metro Vancouver showed that evictions were the cause of homelessness for nearly half of respondents in the 2025 homeless count. Many seniors face evictions from long-term, affordable housing, due to shrinking affordable and subsidized housing options.
The BC Greens says that research shows no correlation between vacancy control and a decline in new rental construction.
“Factors like taxation, interest rates, and the relative profitability of other investments play a much greater role in determining new rental supply,” say BC Greens.
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NEWS SECTIONS: HOUSING | MOVING & RELOCATION | BC 43rd PARLIAMENT | BC GREENS