More B.C. tenants are evicted through no fault of their own than anywhere else in Canada

Renters in British Columbia face the highest eviction rates in Canada, but it's through no fault of their own, according to a new report from researchers at the University of British Columbia.

UBC's Housing Research Collaborative found that B.C. continues to have the highest eviction rate in the country. Between 2016 and 2021, 10.5 per cent of renter households in B.C. reported being forced to move by their landlord, nearly double the 5.9 per cent national average.

Craig Jones, the co-author of the report, says B.C.'s elevated eviction rate is driven by higher rates of no-fault evictions, which involves tenants being forced to move so landlords can sell, renovate, demolish or move into the unit.

About nine per cent of renters experienced a no-fault eviction in B.C. between 2016 and 2021, compared to 4 per cent nationally.

"It tells me that having residential stability as a renter in B.C. is hard," said Jones, who recalled his own experience with two no-fault evictions more than a decade ago.

"An eviction is a potentially traumatic event. It's a difficult thing to go through."

The report analyzed results from the 2021 Canadian Housing Survey, which collected self-reported data from 41,000 tenants in private rental units.

No fault-evictions made up about 85 per cent of evictions in B.C. but only 65 per cent nationally.

Meanwhile, B.C.'s rates of at-fault evictions for late rent, property damage or excessive noise were similar to the rest of Canada. 

Late or non-payment of rent accounted for 5.5 per cent of evictions nationally, while about 20 per cent of evictions were related to tenants' behaviour.

High housing prices and rapidly rising rents incentivize landlords to evict longer-term tenants through sale or renovation so that they can rent to someone who will pay more, said Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University's city program.

It creates a "certain level of great precarity," for renters, Yan said.

"And that talks to the type of hostile cities we are developing for those who want to set roots."

Rents in B.C. are approximately $500 per month higher than the national average and house prices average $300,000 more than elsewhere in Canada, according to the study.