B.C. rents can rise just 1.4 per cent after freeze ends
Glen Korstrom • September 10, 2020
Residential rental rate freeze ends in December but landlords will have to keep rental increases at low level into next year, province says
The B.C. government plans to end its freeze on rent increases starting in December, 2020.
Starting in 2021, landlords will be allowed to raise rents by a maximum of 1.4 per cent. The freeze on raising rents went into effect in March, and landlords are only able to raise the rent once a year, so the freeze on rent hikes did not help all renters, but impacted all landlords.
Any tenant who received a notice to increase rent that would have gone into effect after March 18 is allowed to pay their current rent until November, 2020, the B.C. government said in a statement on September 3.
B.C. landlords must provide tenants with three months' notice using a notice-of-rent-increase form so the earliest that the new 1.4 per cent increase could kick in would be January, 2021.
Before 2018, B.C. landlords were able to raise rents by the rate of inflation, plus an additional 2 per cent This translated into a maximum 2.6 per cent increase in 2020, before the rent freeze came into effect.
B.C. landlords must provide tenants with three months' notice using a notice-of-rent-increase form so the earliest that the new 1.4 per cent increase could kick in would be January, 2021.
Starting in 2021, landlords will be allowed to raise rents by a maximum of 1.4 per cent. The freeze on raising rents went into effect in March, and landlords are only able to raise the rent once a year, so the freeze on rent hikes did not help all renters, but impacted all landlords.
Any tenant who received a notice to increase rent that would have gone into effect after March 18 is allowed to pay their current rent until November, 2020, the B.C. government said in a statement on September 3.
B.C. landlords must provide tenants with three months' notice using a notice-of-rent-increase form so the earliest that the new 1.4 per cent increase could kick in would be January, 2021.
Before 2018, B.C. landlords were able to raise rents by the rate of inflation, plus an additional 2 per cent This translated into a maximum 2.6 per cent increase in 2020, before the rent freeze came into effect.
B.C. landlords must provide tenants with three months' notice using a notice-of-rent-increase form so the earliest that the new 1.4 per cent increase could kick in would be January, 2021.
The B.C. government removed the ability to add the extra 2 per cent rent hike in 2018 – a tweak that means that renters living in a $1,320-per-month apartment, which is the cost of the average two-bedroom rental unit in B.C., will save up to $317 in 2021, and people living in an average two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver will save about $420, according to the B.C. government. It said the end to the freeze on rent hikes enables property owners to make investments and repairs to maintain safe housing, while ensuring rent increases are moderate and predictable.
Fraser Valley Real Estate Market Update | 2025 Year-End Review I love looking at the numbers. Not just the headlines, but what the numbers actually tell us when you slow down and connect the dots. And the headline for 2025 is simple. π Sales in the Fraser Valley fell to their lowest level in more than 20 years. That sounds dramatic. But this wasn’t a collapse. It was a pause. π₯ In this video, I walk through the full year-end 2025 statistics from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, break down what really defined the market, and explain what actually matters going forward. π Here’s what I cover in this update: π 2025 Fraser Valley sales volume and historical context ποΈ Why rising inventory changed buyer behaviour π What the sales-to-active listings ratio tells us π² Benchmark pricing by property type π§ Why confidence matters as much as the numbers π How buyers and sellers should position heading into 2026 π Market data referenced in this video: • Year-end statistics from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board • Benchmark pricing and HPI trends • Sales-to-active listings ratios • Detached, townhome, and apartment breakdowns β οΈ Important note: Market statistics provide context, not guarantees. Real estate is local. Strategy matters. π Full market stats link: https://rly.forsale/DecStats
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SURREY, BC – Decade-high inventory and softer prices failed to spark buyer demand in the Fraser Valley in 2025. Despite favourable conditions and increased negotiating power, many buyers stayed on the sidelines, making it one of the slowest years for sales in decades. The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board recorded 12,224 sales on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in 2025, a decline of 16 per cent over 2024 and 33 per cent below the 10-year average. The City of Surrey accounted for the majority of 2025 sales at 48 per cent, with Langley and Abbotsford accounting for 24 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. On the supply side, buyers had more choice than at any point in the past four decades, as new listings climbed to 37,963. The composite Benchmark home price in the Fraser Valley closed the year at $905,900, down six per cent year-over-year, and down 24 per cent from the peak in March 2022.
