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Pets

In BC, there is no law that allows tenants to have a pet. In fact, the Residential Tenancy Act explicitly gives landlords the right to refuse pets, or to charge an extra deposit for accepting pets. In order to keep a pet you need to have a term in your tenancy agreement that allows you to keep a pet. If your tenancy agreement doesn’t allow pets, and you get one anyway, your landlord can tell you to remove it. If you don't, the landlord might give you an eviction notice.

See Section 18 of the Residential Tenancy Act

The law in BC requires that you do a condition inspection report with the landlord when you move in and when you move out of your place. You must also do a condition report when you begin keeping a pet if you did not do one when you moved in.

Sample condition inspection report forms can be found at:

• Condition Inspection Report Form

More information for tenants with pets including TRAC’s position on pets can be found here:

• TRAC's pets in rental housing policy
• Security Deposits and Pet Damage Deposits (Residential Tenancy Branch Fact Sheet)
• Pets in Tenancies (Residential Tenancy Branch Fact Sheet)
• Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline #28: Pet Clauses
• Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline #31: Pet Damage Deposits
• BC SPCA Pets in Rental Housing Toolkit

Guide Dogs

If you have an assistance animal covered by the Guide Animal Act your landlord has to accept it. You must not be charged a pet deposit for an animal covered by the Guide Animal Act.