Mortgage Helper | The reality
Choosing a Tenant When They Live in Your Building
Every landlord decision is amplified when the person lives on the other side of your floor. That makes screening more important and does not relax the rules.
The short answer
Screen on ability to pay and rental history, verified. Human rights law limits what you may consider, and it applies to a suite in your own home. Getting a good tenant is the single biggest thing you control in whether this works.
What you can screen on
Ability to pay, rental history, and references, all verified rather than taken at face value. A conversation with a previous landlord is worth more than any document.
Be consistent. Applying the same questions and the same checks to everyone is both fairer and considerably easier to defend if anyone ever asks.
What you may not consider
BC human rights law prohibits discrimination on protected grounds in tenancy, and renting a suite in your own home does not exempt you from it.
This is worth reading properly rather than assuming you know. Some of the grounds are less obvious than others and the consequences of getting it wrong are serious.
Why it matters more here
In a separate rental property a difficult tenancy is a problem you visit. In your own building it is a problem you live above.
Taking an extra week to find the right tenant is cheap compared with the alternative, and the pressure to fill a vacancy quickly is exactly when people skip the checks.
- → Verify income rather than accepting a stated figure
- → Speak to a previous landlord, not just the one they nominate
- → Use a written tenancy agreement, always
- → Be consistent in what you ask every applicant
Read next
Common questions
Can I refuse a tenant for any reason?
No. BC human rights law prohibits discrimination on protected grounds in tenancy, and renting a suite in your own home does not exempt you. Screen on ability to pay and rental history, and apply the same process to everyone.
Should I use a written tenancy agreement?
Always. It sets out what both sides agreed and it is what any dispute process will look at. A verbal arrangement with someone living in your building is an unnecessary risk.
How thoroughly should I screen?
More thoroughly than for a separate property, because a difficult tenancy is one you live above rather than one you visit. Verify income, speak to a previous landlord, and resist the pressure to fill a vacancy quickly.
Where these figures come from
- BC Residential Tenancy Branch
Checked
Find homes with a suite
Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and combine a suite with price, bedrooms, parking, and distance to a station.