r/vancouverhousing

I currently have a wall-mounted vented dryer that has stopped working and landlord has asked me to replace it, they will reimburse the expense to me later.

1. Would you recommend replacing it with another vented dryer or switching to a ventless condenser/heat-pump dryer? Any specific 24-inch models you would recommend for a condo setup?
2. Is there a meaningful energy-cost saving with a ventless dryer especially a heat-pump model compared with a conventional vented electric dryer?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has made a similar switch.

I’m looking for a place to stay for around a month until my first paycheck comes in from my new job. I have called around shelters but there’s no space for us anywhere. It’s myself and a 4 year old girl. I’m 5 months pregnant. I’m willing to go to nearby cities if we can get there on transit.

We bought a 1910s house in Kensington-Cedar Cottage with an equally old—but much less loved—garage on it. The foundation/slab damage put it beyond repair. It sat next to a beautiful and established garden, but only a tree and a rhubarb plant made it through demo.

After conversation with my in-laws we decided to build a laneway house in early 2024. My wife was due later that year so having parents close by made sense. My in-laws are in Ontario and helped finance the laneway as their future home, using a mix of cash and a construction loan.

We toured a few builders' active sites before choosing one. The tidiness and organization of the jobsites told us more than the sales pitch did. In the end we chose Smallworks for the design and construction.

Design took about 5 months, five meetings, working through floorplan first, then finishes. Because the build was fixed-price, anything outside their standard catalogue counted as an "upgrade." Our designer said that phrase so often it became a running joke in our house.

Permits from the City of Vancouver took 6 weeks, way faster than the multi-year horror stories we'd heard about for.

Construction started in November 2024. Things moved fast: tree barriers, sewer scoping, excavator on site. My wife's water broke that same week, so we spent a couple days at the hospital and came back to find the garage gone, 4 feet of earth removed, and foundations going in. The slab took until the end of 2024, and they built the house itself in January. The house was framed from prefab panels, and went from flat to fully framed in 2 days, which was surreal to watch.

Electrical and plumbing went in by February, drywall by March, floors by May. We were tracking the original 32-week timeline until siding (one of our upgrades) shipped from Finland hit a delay. A few small site decisions had to be made, mostly HVAC clearance issues, including one pocket door that had to be converted because the HRV duct needed that wall. We had two change orders, one was a toilet upgrade that the in-laws realised they needed in the nick of time.

The construction manager was the best part of the whole process. Even-keeled, checked the site weekly including weekends, made a stressful process feel controlled.

Landscaping was the low point. Our designer made a basic plan as per the city's requirements, so most calls got made last-minute. The landscaping contractors were affordable but rigid, open to input during the initial walkthrough and then not really after that. The result was a fence that didn't meet my neighbours expectations, and they refused to split the bill. My neighbour and the landscaper haven't spoken since.

The landscapers did a reasonably good job otherwise. They got a huge amount of work done fast, credit where due, but this was the most stressful stretch of the whole build.

Handover was in September 2025. The team walked us through every system, caught a few paint touch-ups. I flagged one issue myself and was told it was fine. It wasn't and needed to be fixed by the contractor later on. Lesson learned there: if something looks off at handover, trust that instinct and follow up anyway, even if you're told not to worry about it.

Almost a year in now, everything's held up well. The neighbour relationship recovered. Our kid runs around the shared backyard. My in-laws have a cozy spot when they're in town, and it doubles as a home office and guest room when they're not.

It was genuinely one of the more meaningful projects I've been part of. Feel free to ask me anything about any stage of it.

I’ve lived in my current rental unit for over 7 years. During this time the carpet has been damaged with stains and tears. When I first moved in, they were just starting to replace the units from carpet to laminate, we are one of the few units that still have carpet in them. The company I’m renting from is very fair and they do everything well by the book. Will they be charging me from my damage deposit (or more) to take out the carpet and replace with laminate?

Hey guys,

I’m moving from kelowna to new west. I found a place (1 bed/1 bath for me) shared in a townhouse setting. The rent is around $1300. Am I overpaying for it? Or is it fine? What do you guys think?

I am seeking return of $750 deducted from my security deposit of $1600 plus any other remedy the Residential Tenancy Branch determines is appropriate.

My tenancy ended July 31 2026. My landlord and I arranged a move-out inspection for July 31. Before the inspection, the landlord advised me that she would be giving the keys to the new tenant and that the new tenant would be moving in “right away”. On July 31, the landlord confirmed by text that she would meet the new tenant at 5:30PM to hand over the keys.

I participated in the move-out inspection with the landlord on July 31. My recollection is that the condition inspection report was completed, the landlord wrote “everything is fine” and we both signed it. I provided my forwarding address.

I was not provided a copy of the signed report. When I later requested a copy, the landlord initially told me that she had thrown it out. On August 14 2026, she provided the copy and stated that we have signed the move out portion and asked me to sign it. I did not agree to revise or sign a new version of the report.

After the inspection, the landlord advised me that the new tenant had provided pictures of items I left behind and cleaning that needed to be done. The landlord stated that she would deduct $600 for cleaning and $150 for half of the dumping fees from my security deposit. I did not sign a written agreement authorizing a $750 deduction.

After I emailed the landlord regarding the security deposit and condition inspection report, I requested that she communicate with me by email rather than text. The landlord forwarded my formal written letter and a revised condition inspection report containing my personal information to the new tenant, an individual I do not know and to whom I had not consented to have my personal information disclosed. I have retained the correspondence showing the disclosure.

The landlord ultimately returned $876.11 from my $1600 deposit, retaining $750.

My goal was to ask the RTB to determine whether the landlord was entitled to retain the $750 and whether the landlord complied with the requirements concerning the inspection report and security deposit.

I have screenshots of text messages and emails that are dated.

Today Aug 17, I sent an email to her stating that I acknowledged that I agreed to deductions but that I did not sign an amount and didn't receive a copy of the report. I politely told the I would take matters to resolve this appropriately and they immediately returned the remainder of the $750 from the deposit.

I could take the win. I don't want revenge. I am not vindictive. However, I do believe in fairness and justice. Is it wrong that I still want to proceed with applying for dispute resolution?

It was never about the money for me. I just wanted things to be handled appropriately and legally.
Moving was very stressful and this whole interaction with my landlord caused a lot of distress for me to the point where it was affecting my mental and physical health. I don't need to explain that to the RTB. I just want to make sure my previous landlord knows what they did was not okay and to learn how to resolve matters appropriately.

I'm planning to move out from my toxic parents but I am not allowed to have a job. I do have 7k in my bank account and my credit score is as high as it can be. Is it possibly to rent a room without a pay stub? I do plan to work after I move out. Should I find a cosigner?

We lived in a garden suite underneath some very noisy, and in our opinion, disrespectful landlords. We ended up moving due to their lack of care for repairs for the place, and we ended up having the suite, professionally cleaned, and painted a majority of it to ensure that we would receive our damaged deposit back without any concerns.
When we did the walk-through with the Landlord, they were very happy and we signed, saying that there were no issues and now the landlord was going to return the money. In the back of our head, we knew that they were going to try and put off paying us given how cheap they had been in the past.
We have all proper documentation saying that we provided our forwarding address as well as our email and that both parties agreed there was no money to be kept. On day 18 the landlord tried to send us the original deposit and we said no we are now pursuing the double amount and he freaked out.
He tells us we can take him to court and that he doesn’t think he will have to pay it. We called the tenancy board and of course they cannot give definitive answers, but said all of our documentation liens heavy on our side.

Has anybody ever gone this way and collected double? Had our landlords been much kinder and respectful we would’ve just accepted their payment 18 days later however if we have this opportunity, we are going to go for it since we had a very bad experience dealing with them delayed on many other issues

Hey everyone,

I'm renting out a room in a house/apartment around Downtown Vancouver, long-term (6+ months). The location is a big selling point — it's close to transit, shops, restaurants, and major workplaces, so it's great for commuting, students, or anyone who wants to be near the action without paying full downtown-core prices.

I've listed it on the usual sites but haven't had much luck getting eyes on it. Wondering if anyone here has tips on:

Best platforms/sites for long-term room rentals in Vancouver (besides Craigslist/FB Marketplace) — any local Reddit threads, Discord groups, or apps people actually use?

How to make a listing stand out — what details or photos do renters here actually look for?

Any Vancouver-specific rental groups or communities (Facebook groups, university housing boards, etc.) worth posting in?

Any advice from people who've successfully rented out rooms here would be super appreciated!

I saw that there’s a piece of paperwork that you’re supposed to do stating the state/cleanliness of the place. My place was filthy upon moving in and I took my own pictures of course but the landlord didn’t do that on his part. If I move out does this benefit me at all in getting my deposit back?

Hi all, I(27M) am starting a new job at Amazon and moving to Vancouver from Montreal. Very excited to be in the new city and explore the mountains. I love hiking, kayaking, just chilling in parks/cafes and exploring new food places. Also want to restart sports, likely tennis or badminton.

I am looking for recommendations on which neighborhoods are great to rent a large studio or 1Bed apartment. I am looking to utilize transit for daily office commute but also planning on owning a car in few months for other uses and long trips.

Is it realistic to get an apartment under 2100/month including utilities and after negotiating? which neighborhoods can fit in this budget? What is a good budget in main Vancouver city?

What are the best places to look for renting? I found craigslist has cheaper options than marketplace. If craigslist legit or filled with scammers? Or should I just target rental companies through their websites (I don't know any in Vancouver yet).

I know its a lot of questions, I am overwhelmed currently. Thank you in Advance for the help ✌️

We just received an email to all tenants, announcing this ban. I’m glad to see it, but can this be enforced against long-term tenants (like me) who signed their leases before this stuff even existed?

I know the economy is bad and everyone is struggling to live by. I have been hearing that the condo market has been declining a bit.

In my early 30s, and the most I can afford is a $1.2million condo 2b2b.

How are people in Vancouver able to buy single family homes in Vancouver? I feel like I will never be able to catch up and falling behind.

Just saw the latest rental numbers and they surprised me.
Apparently asking rents across B.C. are down about 4.5% compared with last year, and some Lower Mainland cities have dropped quite a bit more. Abbotsford is down 12.4%, Langley 7.6%, Coquitlam 7.3%, New West 6.6% and Richmond 6.1%.
Maybe the market really is starting to cool, but I’m curious if people actually looking for apartments right now are noticing it.
Are landlords genuinely lowering prices, or are the statistics making the rental market look better than it actually feels?

Genuinely wondering

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long post but I’m hoping to get some advice on this roommate situation.

I have been living in a 2b2b apartment for over 4 years and I am the primary tenant. So whenever a new roommate has come in, I have to let the landlord know of the change in occupancy, but the roommate themselves doesn’t get a separate lease to sign.

My most recent roommate moved in on Sept 1st 2025. She was a friend/acquaintance so I felt very comfortable and relaxed about her moving in and I neglected making her sign a roommate agreement. But the arrangement was that she would send me her share of rent by the first of each month as full rent is withdrawn from my account via direct debit. We also agreed that she would need to give at least 30 days notice if she will be moving out, otherwise she would still need to pay rent for the following month (similar terms to the lease agreement).

We became very good friends and had a very good roommate relationship overall. However, on July 4th, 2026, she informed me that she would be moving out in early August and that she would obviously pay August rent. That was a bummer, but fell in line with what would be reasonable so that was fine. A few weeks later she revealed she would actually be leaving on July 31st but would of course still pay August rent. When she left on July 31st, she left behind a bunch of her property including her bed, 2 mattresses, a table etc and did not do a move out clean. On August 2nd, when I asked her about her rental payment, she said she was having issues with her bank but would pay by the 4th. I have since followed up 3 times and she has been ignoring my messages.

So not only did she not leave the apartment in good state, but she has also failed to pay rent she was supposed to. I know I cannot go through the RTB in this case, but I can file a claim against her through the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal. From some preliminary research, it seems like I have a relatively strong case especially because I have evidence (through text) that she understood she was meant to pay August rent and was planning on, but then didn’t. But some of this is coming from my searches using Co-Pilot so I was wondering if others have experience going through the CRT process with a roommate and whether they have had any success. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

TLDR; Roommate gave verbal notice on July 4th that she would be moving out mid-August (and thus would pay August rent), but then later decided to leave on July 31st instead (but would still pay Aug rent). Now she has not paid still and is ignoring my messages. Can I successfully file a CRT claim against her?

Do you think it will be possible to own a townhouse at a reasonable price soon?