Strengthening Tenant Protections
The City of Maple Ridge's Housing Action Plan & Housing Needs Report outlines priority issues, including the need for market and affordable rental housing. Existing rental housing stock in Maple Ridge is aging and the demand for rental housing is increasing. To mitigate the financial and destabilizing impacts of potential redevelopment, the City has strengthened tenant protections through the following regulatory tools which require early notification and communication, financial compensation, a relocation assistance plan that includes moving cost compensation, assistance finding comparable alternative housing options, provision of the services of a Tenant Relocation Coordinator and the right of first refusal for new rental units.
Tenant Protection Bylaw
Tenant Protection Bylaw (Tenant Protection Bylaw No. 8106-2026)
- The Tenant Protection Bylaw gives Council enhanced regulatory tools to protect tenants who may be displaced as redevelopment pressures increase, particularly in areas with older rental buildings that may be candidates for redevelopment. The Tenant Protection Bylaw would also ensure that property owners must address tenant support measures at the earliest design and approval stages.
- The new Tenant Protection Bylaw 8106-2026 includes the following requirements:
- Early and Ongoing Communication: Applicants must notify tenants of the redevelopment site before filing applications, submit a Tenant Protection Plan, and provide written updates during the review process.
- Compensation: Applicants must provide compensation based on rent and consideration of how long the Eligible Tenant has lived in a unit.
- Relocation Support: Applicants must assist each eligible Tenant with navigating the relocation process, including assisting them in securing alternative accommodation.
- Moving Assistance: Eligible tenants will receive help with moving. You can choose either a set cash payment based on your unit type or an insured moving service within Metro Vancouver. If you move back into the new building when it is finished, your return moving costs will also be covered.
- Right of First Refusal: If rental homes are included in the new building, eligible tenants will get the first opportunity to rent one, with longer-term tenants having priority.
- Detailed Reporting: Before residents can move into the new building, the owner must provide a report showing how tenants were compensated, relocated, and offered the opportunity to return.
- Comprehensive Tenant Coverage: Redevelopment may still occur, but this bylaw helps ensure tenants receive support and relocation assistance throughout the process.
Tenant Protection Development Permit Area
Tenant Protection Development Permit Area (Official Community Plan Amending Bylaw No. 8109-2026)
- The Tenant Protection Development Permit Area allows the City to make tenant-support rules a condition of any development permit and applicants will need to address tenant impacts at the earliest design and application stages.
The Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy
Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy (Policy 6.32)
- The Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy will continue to apply to development applications that were already in progress before the new Tenant Protection Bylaw No. 8106-2026 took effect.
Manufactured Home Park Redevelopment Tenant Assistance Policy
Manufactured Home Park Redevelopment Assistance Policy (Policy 6.27)
- The updated Manufactured Home Park Redevelopment Tenant Assistance Policy includes requirements for communication with residents, relocation planning, financial compensation, moving help, the right to return when possible, and replacement housing. This aligns with the City's new Tenant Protection Bylaw and works with provincial legislation to better support affected residents.
Rental Protection Policy
Rental Protection Policy (Policy 6.40 )
- The Rental Protection Policy aims to guide the development industry and the community in better understanding the need and demand for rental and affordable housing in the City, protecting rental units wherever possible, and replacing rental units if they are no longer liveable.