Being a tenant is often stressful when it comes to the nitty gritty rules and regulations. In many cases, your rights as a tenant may not be properly addressed or is disregarded completely. It is important that you are aware of any changes that may arise that could affect your tenancy agreement. These include rent increases, repairs and maintenance, and…
Bill C-46 criminalizes marijuana-impaired driving. As mentioned in previous posts, using cannabis prior to driving will leave you facing significant and expensive penalties. Being in a parked car or pulling over prior to consumption does not negate this effect. Additionally, amendments have been made to the Motor Vehicle Act in an attempt to lessen the amount of drug-impaired drivers. These…
Limitation periods are often difficult to deal with and even more so if they are missed. Consequences could even be devastating. For traffic tickets in British Columbia, you are able to dispute them if you believe that it was issued unfairly, want to reduce the fine, or delay the payment. However, these disputes must be done within: 30 days of…
What is the British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal? The British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) is Canada’s first online tribunal. This means that it can resolve: Motor vehicle injury disputes up to $50,000 Small claims disputes up to $5,000 Strata property disputes of any amount Societies and cooperative association disputes of any amount by late summer of 2019 The CRT…
According to the B.C. Residential Tenancy Guide, all disagreements present between a landlord and tenant should be acknowledged during its early stages. It is important that both parties attempt to resolve them before they develop into larger issues. In turn, whether you are the landlord or the tenant, it is crucial that you know your rights and responsibilities under the…
Do you know what the difference is between the B.C. Speculation Tax and the City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax? With the recent introduction of the B.C. Speculation Tax soon after the City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax, many are left wondering: what’s the difference? It’s not uncommon to be misinformed or left confused about the nature of each type…
What is the B.C. Speculation Tax? In 2018, the NDP government introduced the B.C. Speculation Tax in an effort to dampen the hot housing market. The goal of this annual tax is to: Reduce the amount of empty homes so that more living spaces are available to B.C. residents. Reprimand foreign buyers and domestic speculators who do not pay taxes…
In some cases, buyers may change their minds or realize that they are no longer financially able to follow through with their purchase. However, reneging has proven to be quite expensive and stressful. Therefore, it is important that buyers are well aware of what they are getting themselves into and the terms by which their offer is based on. An…
Canadian home sales have fallen due to the tougher mortgage qualification rules that have deterred prospective buyers. The real estate market tightened its regulations in an attempt to make certain that buyers will be able to sustain potential fluctuations in their economic standing. This may be in terms of interest rate volatility, should their interest rates surpass that of their…
Vancouver’s real-estate market has been on the rise and contractors are in high demand. From the maintenance of a real-estate investment to renovating or building a house; more people are generally inclined to enter into an agreement with a contractor or builder. An agreement struck with a contractor for restoration, renovation or building services fall within the scope of contract…