BC's Rent Freeze Is Coming To An End & Here's How Much You Could Be Paying Next Year
Make sure you know your rights.
Get ready for a bit of a price hike when it comes to your monthly bills because B.C.'s rent freeze is officially coming to an end starting January 1, 2022.
To help out renters struggling to make ends meet, the province froze the price of rent at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measure was extended until the end of this year.
"B.C.'s maximum allowable rent increase amount for 2022 is being set at 1.5%, based on inflation," said the news bulletin from the Ministry of Attorney General and Responsible for Housing.
So if you're currently paying $1000 per month for rent, it could go up to $1015 next year. If you pay $2000 per month, it could go up to $2030, and if you pay $3000 per month, it could go up to $3045.
If your landlord is hiking your rent up, they must give you a warning at least three months in advance and they can only legally increase rent once a year.
And if your landlord tells you that your rent is going to go up for the rest of 2021, that is null and void, according to the release, and you do not have to pay the increase.