Seville Investments Blog

British Columbia led the country in June housing starts with a massive 72% increase compared to May 2025, driven primarily by multi-family construction in Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. Nationally, Canada saw an 18% year-over-year increase, reflecting broader confidence in the real estate market.

Industry experts attribute BC’s growth to lower interest rate expectations, easing material costs, and developers returning to paused projects. Many see this as a sign of recovery after multiple quarters of subdued activity.

As of June 18, landlords in British Columbia can now issue 'landlord-use' eviction notices with only three months’ warning, down from the previous four-month requirement. This means if a landlord intends to use the property themselves or for close family, tenants now have one month less to vacate.

While some landlords welcome the added flexibility, tenant advocates argue the shorter timeline creates hardship for renters in a market with limited vacancy and rising rents. The BC government has defended the move as part of broader tenancy reform meant to increase fairness and efficiency in disputes.

The BC government has implemented major upgrades to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB), cutting average dispute hearing wait times by about 70%. This includes faster scheduling for rent disputes, repair delays, and eviction reviews.

Additionally, the RTB has begun publicly publishing monetary order rulings to promote transparency and guide landlords and tenants navigating similar issues. The changes are part of a broader provincial effort to modernize tenancy resolution services.

Short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO were granted a one-month grace period to verify listings under new BC regulations. Originally set to start May 1, enforcement was delayed until June 2, 2025, to give platforms and hosts more time to comply.

The province says this extra time will help prevent accidental removals and improve cooperation with municipalities. The new rules require all listings to display a valid registration number issued by the host’s local government.