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B.C. landlord registry aims to certify well-kept buildings

Landlord B.C. has launched a new quality assurance program to let tenants know whether a building has a good reputation before they sign a lease.

Buildings listed in the Certified Rental Building Program must meet mandatory requirements in terms of resident management, human rights management, building management, financial management and insurance, energy conservation and sustainability. Buildings are also subject to audits for compliance.

David Hutniak, the president and CEO of Landlord, B.C. says they established the program to increase consumer confidence.

"It's not necessarily a widespread issue," he told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko of problem buildings. "Clearly there's an opportunity here for the industry to show leadership to ensure we're delivering the best product possible."

Currently, if tenants have an issue with a landlord who isn't taking care of a building and its upkeep, they usually have to resort to protections in the Residential Tenancy Act — although the act has been criticized for "loopholes" in the past.

Hutniak says the aim of the program is to avoid conflicts in the first place.

"Our goal is to improve the overall standards and quality of rental housing in British Columbia, and equally importantly, the people who are working in this industry," he said.

The program is based on a similar one in Ontario that has only enrolled about 40 per cent of residential buildings.

"That's actually really fantastic penetration. This is a voluntary program, it does take time," Hutniak said. "I'm very optimistic that we're going to exceed that. … We have a pipeline of landlords who are going to be participating in this in the new year."

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Slumlords need not apply: registry aims to find well-kept buildings