Send a Letter to Repeal ARI-C

Send a Letter

We're asking everyone to show their support directly to their MLA (list below), the Minister of Housing, and the Premier by sending a letter asking for the regulation that allows ARI-Cs to be repealed in its current form. It is not being used how our government claims they intended, and instead being used for corporations to increase their income by making expenditures that primarily benefit them, not their tenants.

Dear MLA, Minister of Housing, and Premier,

I am writing to express my concerns about the Additional Rent Increase for Capital Expenditures (ARI-C) regulation in British Columbia. As a constituent in [Your City], I am alarmed by how this policy is worsening housing affordability, deepening inequality, and unfairly burdening tenants at a time when economic concerns are front of mind for many Canadians.

The ARI-C policy allows landlords to increase rents up to an ADDITIONAL 3% which compounds with the yearly rent increase. This can add up to more than 19% in just three years. At $2,529, the average asking rent of a one-bedroom in Vancouver, that would be an additional $5,889 annually. These increases are PERMANENT, even after the tenants would have "paid off" the expenditure, allowing landlords to indefinitely increase their profits at the expense of tenants.

This policy is particularly problematic because:

1. It shifts the financial burden of repairs and maintenance onto tenants who have no ownership stake, equity, or decision-making power in the property.
2. It disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including seniors on fixed incomes, people with disabilities, and other low-income individuals.
3. The process misplaces the burden of proof for matters such as inadequate routine / preventative maintenance, forcing tenants to attempt to demonstrate that something DIDN'T happen, without full access to records and with limited expertise.
4. It exacerbates the affordability crisis, especially in cities like Vancouver where rents for new tenancies have risen much faster than inflation.
5. It allows corporate landlords, real estate investors, and speculators to offload their business costs onto tenants while increasing their profits.
6. Unlike other areas of tenancy legislation, there is no duty to minimize losses or costs, leading to ballooning expenses with no recourse for tenants.

Published ARI-C decisions indicate that approximately one-third of applications are from landlords who recently purchased the property, and should have known about upcoming expenditures beforehand. These costs likely factored into a reduced purchase price, a form of "[payment] from another source" that is not officially recognized by the Residential Tenancy Regulation. It also indicates that, in the event this landlord isn't yet making a profit, it is because they have paid an inflated cost for their asset, and their primary expense is financing. Why should tenants be subsidizing a speculative gamble?

When constituents have raised these issues with your government, they have received contradictory answers. On one hand, we are told the average tenancy only lasts three years, and are unaffected by the rent increase being permanent instead of temporary. On the other hand, we're told that landlords need these increases so they can afford to maintain their buildings. However, if turnover is that frequent, and since British Columbia's current rent control is tied to a particular tenancy, shouldn't landlords already be able to make these increases in rent during natural tenant turnover?

Maintenance of buildings is important, but there has been no evidence presented that the ARI-C regulation, or similar policy in Manitoba or Ontario, is actually providing the improved maintenance it intended. However, tenant experiences repeatedly show that landlords prioritize work that improves the landlord's financial situation, and often have little or no positive impact on the lives of the tenants who live here. Actually impactful maintenance issues continue to be unresolved as tenants are concerned about retaliatory actions due to starting an adversarial dispute process with their landlords.

Renters are not responsible for the equity of these properties. Their maintenance, as stated by the Residential Tenancy Act, is the responsibility of the landlords. Support your constituents who are simply trying to live their lives, work, and participate in their communities.

I urge you to address this unjust policy by REPEALING THE ARI-C REGULATION. Renters across the province are counting on your leadership to ensure fair and affordable housing for all.

[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]

Find Your MLA

Is the Open in My Email button not working? You can copy the content from above! In addition to your MLA's email address, we suggest also sending it to:

The Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Christine Boyle - HMA.minister@gov.bc.ca
The Premier, David Eby - premier@gov.bc.ca

Constituency	Name	Email
Abbotsford South	Bruce Banman	bruce.banman.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Abbotsford West	Korky Neufeld	korky.neufeld.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Abbotsford-Mission	Reann Gasper	reann.gasper.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Boundary-Similkameen	Donegal Wilson	donegal.wilson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Bulkley Valley-Stikine	Sharon Hartwell	sharon.hartwell.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Burnaby Centre	Hon. Anne Kang	anne.kang.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Burnaby East	Rohini Arora	rohini.arora.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Burnaby North	Janet Routledge	janet.routledge.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Burnaby South-Metrotown	Paul Choi	paul.choi.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Burnaby-New Westminster	Hon. Raj Chouhan	raj.chouhan.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Cariboo-Chilcotin	Lorne Doerkson	lorne.doerkson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Chilliwack North	Heather Maahs	heather.maahs.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Chilliwack-Cultus Lake	Á'a:líya Warbus	aaliya.warbus.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Columbia River-Revelstoke	Scott McInnis	scott.mcinnis.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Coquitlam-Burke Mountain	Hon. Jodie Wickens	jodie.wickens.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Coquitlam-Maillardville	Jennifer Blatherwick	jennifer.blatherwick.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Courtenay-Comox	Brennan Day	brennan.day.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Cowichan Valley	Qwulti'stunaat - Debra Toporowski	debra.toporowski.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Delta North	Hon. Ravi Kahlon	ravi.kahlon.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Delta South	Ian Paton	ian.paton.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Esquimalt-Colwood	Darlene Rotchford	darlene.rotchford.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Fraser-Nicola	Tony Luck	tony.luck.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Juan de Fuca-Malahat	Dana Lajeunesse	dana.lajeunesse.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kamloops Centre	Peter Milobar	peter.milobar.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kamloops-North Thompson	Ward Stamer	ward.stamer.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kelowna Centre	Kristina Loewen	kristina.loewen.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream	Tara Armstrong	tara.armstrong.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kelowna-Mission	Gavin Dew	gavin.dew.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kootenay Central	Hon. Brittny Anderson	brittny.anderson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kootenay-Monashee	Steve Morissette	steve.morissette.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Kootenay-Rockies	Pete Davis	pete.davis.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Ladysmith-Oceanside	Stephanie Higginson	stephanie.higginson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Langford-Highlands	Hon. Ravi Parmar	ravi.parmar.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Langley-Abbotsford	Harman Bhangu	harman.bhangu.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Langley-Walnut Grove	Misty Van Popta	misty.vanpopta.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Langley-Willowbrook	Jody Toor	jody.toor.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Maple Ridge East	Lawrence Mok	lawrence.mok.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows	Hon. Lisa Beare	lisa.beare.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Mid Island-Pacific Rim	Hon. Josie Osborne	josie.osborne.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Nanaimo-Gabriola Island	Hon. Sheila Malcolmson	sheila.malcolmson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Nanaimo-Lantzville	George Anderson	george.anderson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Nechako Lakes	John Rustad	john.rustad.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
New Westminster-Coquitlam	Hon. Jennifer Whiteside	jennifer.whiteside.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
North Coast-Haida Gwaii	Hon. Laanas - Tamara Davidson	tamara.davidson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
North Island	Anna Kindy	anna.kindy.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
North Vancouver-Lonsdale	Hon. Bowinn Ma	bowinn.ma.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
North Vancouver-Seymour	Susie Chant	susie.chant.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Oak Bay-Gordon Head	Hon. Diana Gibson	diana.gibson.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Peace River North	Jordan Kealy	jordan.kealy.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Peace River South	Larry Neufeld	larry.neufeld.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Penticton-Summerland	Amelia Boultbee	amelia.boultbee.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Port Coquitlam	Hon. Mike Farnworth	mike.farnworth.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Port Moody-Burquitlam	Hon. Rick Glumac	rick.glumac.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Powell River-Sunshine Coast	Hon. Randene Neill	randene.neill.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Prince George-Mackenzie	Kiel Giddens	kiel.giddens.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Prince George-North Cariboo	Sheldon Clare	sheldon.clare.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Prince George-Valemount	Rosalyn Bird	rosalyn.bird.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Richmond Centre	Hon Chan	hon.chan.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Richmond-Bridgeport	Teresa Wat	teresa.wat.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Richmond-Queensborough	Steve Kooner	steve.kooner.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Richmond-Steveston	Hon. Kelly Greene	kelly.greene.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Saanich North and the Islands	Rob Botterell	rob.botterell.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Saanich South	Hon. Lana Popham	lana.popham.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Salmon Arm-Shuswap	David Williams	david.williams.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Skeena	Claire Rattée	claire.rattee.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey City Centre	Amna Shah	amna.shah.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey North	Mandeep Dhaliwal	mandeep.dhaliwal.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey South	Brent Chapman	brent.chapman.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Cloverdale	Elenore Sturko	elenore.sturko.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Fleetwood	Hon. Jagrup Brar	jagrup.brar.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Guildford	Garry Begg	garry.begg.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Newton	Hon. Jessie Sunner	jessie.sunner.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Panorama	Bryan Tepper	bryan.tepper.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-Serpentine River	Linda Hepner	linda.hepner.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Surrey-White Rock	Trevor Halford	trevor.halford.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Fraserview	George Chow	george.chow.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Hastings	Hon. Niki Sharma, K.C.	niki.sharma.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Kensington	Mable Elmore	mable.elmore.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Langara	Sunita Dhir	sunita.dhir.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Little Mountain	Hon. Christine Boyle	christine.boyle.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Point Grey	Hon. David Eby, K.C.	david.eby.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Quilchena	Dallas Brodie	dallas.brodie.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Renfrew	Hon. Adrian Dix	adrian.dix.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-South Granville	Hon. Brenda Bailey	brenda.bailey.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Strathcona	Amshen - Joan Phillip	joan.phillip.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-West End	Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert	s.chandraherbert.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vancouver-Yaletown	Hon. Terry Yung	terry.yung.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Vernon-Lumby	Harwinder Sandhu	harwinder.sandhu.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Victoria-Beacon Hill	Hon. Grace Lore	grace.lore.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
Victoria-Swan Lake	Hon. Nina Krieger	nina.krieger.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
West Kelowna-Peachland	Macklin McCall	macklin.mccall.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
West Vancouver-Capilano	Lynne Block	lynne.block.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky	Jeremy Valeriote	jeremy.valeriote.mla@leg.bc.ca	Open in My Email