Discussions

As a landlord can you take your tenant to small claims court? If not what is, if any the best recourse to get what is owed?  
 
Thanks,

You can contact the Residential Tenancies Branch at 1-800-656-8481 if it is a landlord tenant-matter. If your renter is not paying hydro or other utility bills, I think it would be up to those companies to follow-up with collections?

if the tenant rakes up bills up bills and skips with out paying, I suspect the landlord may be stuck paying as it is attached to not only the name but also the house address.  
 
google residential tenancies branch they have a lot of good information and dispute resolution.  
 
the office is located in the provincial building on 9th st. I would go there in person rather than phoning.

You will be stuck paying the water bill. Electrical/gas will not default to the landlord as long as the invoice is in the tenants name to begin with, but they may shut off the electrical in the summer or load limit it in the winter so just the furnace and a few lights would run.  
I don't think the water bill is fair, the tenant dosent pay, but can move and have the water hooked up in their name again at a different location the next day, city does not care as the owner has to pay or have it added to their taxes

Most landlords include water in rent. It's better than getting a water bill with interest on your property tax bill.

voiceofthepeople said "You will be stuck paying the water bill. Electrical/gas will not default to the landlord as long as the invoice is in the tenants name to begin with, but they may shut off the electrical in the summer or load limit it in the winter so just the furnace and a few lights would run.   I don't think the water bill is fair, the tenant dosent pay, but can move and have the water hooked up in their name again at a different location the next day, city does not care as the owner has to pay or have it added to their taxes "

The landlord is running a business. It is not the city’s responsibility to help them run their business.  
 
I don’t want my taxes to go up because the city has to pay a collection company or hire someone to track down delinquent tenants.  
 
Smart landlords will i:nclude the cost of water within the rent.

Good luck with the tenancies branch. Just know that the tenant seems to have more recourses against the landlord than the landlord against the tenant. The landlord is often having to defend or prove their claim while the tenant continues to rack up the bills!  
I could write a book on how difficult and time consuming this can be.....

Hey! said "Most landlords include water in rent. It's better than getting a water bill with interest on your property tax bill. "

This landlord does NOT i:nclude the water bill in the rent. When you do that the tenant almost always uses double or more water than they would if they were paying for it. So call it a Green Initiative if you want.

Linnie said "Good luck with the tenancies branch. Just know that the tenant seems to have more recourses against the landlord than the landlord against the tenant. The landlord is often having to defend or prove their claim while the tenant continues to rack up the bills!   I could write a book on how difficult and time consuming this can be..... "

quite agree with that.