The City of Victoria has several housing initiatives to support renters. In Victoria, 61 per cent of residents rent their homes. With a vacancy rate of roughly one per cent, it can be challenging to find a place to rent. The City is working on numerous fronts to improve access to rental housing, prevent renovictions, and help protect the condition of rental properties in Victoria.
Review the renter-focused resources below or reach out to housing@victoria.ca with questions. In addition, the City’s Tenant Assistance Planner is here to help you with any tenancy-related concerns you might have. Call 250.361.0546 or email housing@victoria.ca to get in touch.
Community Resources
Protecting Renters
Council supported the following policies, regulations and committees with the goal of retaining the existing rental supply and protecting tenants:
- Rental Property of Standards Maintenance Bylaw establishes minimum standards of maintenance for rental units and residential properties in Victoria for the health, safety and protection of tenants.
- Renters' Advisory Committee provides advice and recommendations to Victoria City Council on rental housing issues.
- OCP Rental Replacement policy: supports the retention of existing rentals by encouraging the redevelopment of older units.
- OCP Strata Conversion policy: applies to buildings of four units or more, where conversions of rental units to stratified unit are generally not supported.
- Short-term Rental Regulations: increases access to long-term rental housing.
- Residential Rental Tenure Zoning: adds a new definition of Residential Rental Tenure (RRT) to the City’s zoning bylaw to increase the supply of protected rental housing properties. Schedule N of the Zoning Regulation Bylaw lists the new purpose-built multifamily rental developments created through a developer-initiated rezoning process that have been zoned for RRT. The potential application of RRT zoning to existing properties is being explored.
Looking for services not covered here?
You can also dial or text 211 for a free, confidential, multilingual information and referral line to a full range of community, social, and government services. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more about BC 211.