Proposal brought forward for new rental protections in Vancouver

Vancouver renters living in poorly maintained buildings may soon have more options when it comes to getting their landlords to fix issues — which in some cases have impacted their health.

A motion passed by city council aims to make big changes to Vancouver’s bylaw on property maintenance standards.

Currently, these standards don’t enforce issues related to mould, water damage, or indoor air quality issues.

In one West End apartment, these issues have plagued tenants for years.

“I feel it is a small victory for all of us,” said João Luiz Goncalves, a resident of Regency Park.

“Not just Regency Park renters, but all renters in the city.”

Goncalves says he has lived in the building for 11 years. Last year, The Leader Spirit shared the story about the residents of the apartment building, located at 1225 Cardero Street, where for years, he and others have been reporting issues of poor air quality, water damage, mould, and a corporate landlord working too slowly to fix any of the problems.

“I cannot breathe properly,” Goncalves said in December 2024.

“I’ve got a sinus infection. I’ve got asthma. I can’t sleep in the summertime, it’s too hot inside the apartment.”

Coun. Pete Fry says he brought forward the motion because saw what Regency Park residents were suffering from, saying the windows on the building were upgraded a few years ago.

“… So they went from old, single-pane, breezy windows to triple-glazed seal windows that didn’t allow that ingress and egress of air,” Fry said. “That’s what changed the air quality. It wasn’t even really through malice or neglect as much as it was a change into the mechanics of the building.

“And because we don’t actually assess indoor air quality, now we will — and it will give us more tools to ensure that property owners are maintaining properties to standards that are appropriate to human health.”

Former tenant and housing advocate Aïssa Aggoune says he’s grateful that Vancouver councillors voted unanimously to support the motion Wednesday.

“It’s a big change, not just for the Cardero case, but for every resident in Vancouver, and potentially in B.C., if it sets a precedent that other municipalities want to follow,” Aggoune said.

Fry says part of what council is asking for is a straightforward online information space for renters to see if there is a problem that needs enforcement.

“Tenants will be able to go to a city website and say, ‘Oh wow, look at that, I do actually have a standards-of-maintenance issue that the city can enforce. It’s impacting my health and my safety and I’d like the city to look into this,’” he said.

City staff will bring forward the specifics of the bylaw change at a later date.