THE MYTH
“If the landlord isn't fixing the place, the tenant can just stop paying rent.”
WHAT'S TRUE
Never. Rent still flows. Failure to pay is a separate breach that lets the landlord evict. The remedy for bad repairs is a dispute resolution application.
THE DETAIL
Even where a landlord is in clear breach of repair obligations, section 26 of the Residential Tenancy Act requires the tenant to continue paying rent in full. Non-payment is itself a ground for eviction on a 10-day notice under section 46. The correct remedy for a tenant facing unaddressed repairs is an application to the RTB for an order for repairs, rent abatement, or compensation, not self-help withholding.
Related myths
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Tenant myth
24 hours' written notice, stating a reasonable purpose, between 8am and 9pm. No notice is only allowed in genuine emergencies or if the tenant agrees at the time.
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Tenant myth
Once every 12 months. Capped to the annual provincial maximum. 3 months' written notice on Form RTB-7. Anything else is unenforceable.