On April 2nd, 2024, the Provincial Government announced several proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA), focusing on the requirements for landlords to end tenancies. 

The first changes to come into effect will begin after the legislation’s introduction and include: 

• Banning personal occupancy evictions in purpose-built rental buildings with 5+ units; and 
• Extending the landlord’s occupancy period to 12 months, increased from the current 6-month requirement.  

Upon receiving Royal Assent, the following changes would be effective: 

• Prohibiting rent increases for additional occupants if the occupant is a minor – even if there is a term in the tenancy agreement that states rent will increase with new occupants; and 
• Banning “frivolous notices to end tenancy.” 

Regulations are expected to be released in summer 2024, and at that time the following changes would come into effect: 

• Requiring the use of a web-portal to generate Notices to End Tenancy for personal occupancy;  
• Increasing the notice period that a landlord must provide when ending a tenancy for personal use; and  
• Extending the period where a tenant can dispute a Notice to End Tenancy from 15 days to 30 days. 

The Legislation will set out future regulation-making authority in the RTA to include the following: 

• “prohibit conversion of rental units to specific non-residential uses, such as short-term rental accommodation or storage; 
• prescribe increased amounts of compensation for evicting long-term tenants for landlord use; and 
• clarify the criteria by which the landlord could legally end a tenancy for a problematic tenant.” 

Future regulations could also increase administrative monetary penalties for contraventions of the RTA.