Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There are 4 options for our clients:

The best way to start is to review your building bylaws for any move-in/out procedures. Pay attention to the followings:
1) Booking procedure which usually requires advance notice;
2) Allowable Hours of move-ins/outs;
3) Who to contact for elevator booking;
4) Amount of move-in/out fee;
5) Any deposit required in advance of the move.

To sign up, please choose and complete the Pre-authorized Debit Plan Agreement as shown below and submit it to our office along with a void cheque. Please fill in details of your savings account if you do not have a chequing account.

Pre-authorized Debit Plan Agreement for FirstService Residential BC's Rental Tenants

Take advantage of our FREE evaluation service by completing and submitting our online Rental Rate Request form to get an idea of the current market rental rate for your property.  In certain circumstances, we might need to view the unit to provide a fair assessment of the rent amount.

It usually takes 2-4 weeks to rent a property.

RSS is an abbreviation of “Rich Site Summary” or “Really Simple Syndication”. It’s a format that websites use to deliver regularly changing content to the subscribers.

Currently our website offers two RSS feeds— “Suites for Rent” and “FAQS”.

When you subscribe to FirstResidential’s RSS feeds, you will be notified automatically of any new contents without having to check our website over and over again for updates.

You need a feed reader or aggregator in order to subscribe to a RSS feed.  The current version of most modern web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Netscape Navigator, Safari, etc.) allow you to view feeds within the browser itself.  You can also view feeds through a desktop application or a web-based interface.

Once you have set up your feed reader, simply click the orange “Subscribe RSS” icon and start receiving our feeds.  It’s that easy!

There are 4 options for our clients:

As details of the monthly rental payment and obligations are clearly identified in the residential tenancy agreement or lease agreement, no invoices will be issued.

To sign up, please choose and complete the Pre-authorized Debit Plan Agreement as shown below and submit it to our office along with a void cheque. Please fill in details of your savings account if you do not have a chequing account.

Pre-authorized Debit Plan Agreement for FirstResidential's Rental Tenants

Please contact our Accounts Receivable department by email (ar.bc@fsresidential.com) or by fax (604.689.4829) with your amendment details at least ten (10) business days in advance of the next PAD withdrawal.

Please contact our Accounts Receivable department by email (ar.bc@fsresidential.com) or by fax (604.689.4829) with your cancellation notification at least ten (10) business days in advance of the next PAD withdrawal.

For owners who sold their units or tenants who moved out after the end of their tenancy, there is no need to provide any cancellation notice as our office will automatically cancel your PAD.

For convenience, a Pre-authorized Debit Cancellation Form is available for your use.

Viewing of Property:

Call the contact person provided in the rental listing to schedule a showing.

Get Prepared for Viewing:

Bring along the following as they may be handy when you decided to rent after the viewing:

1)         Cheque book;

2)         Employment references;

3)         Landlord references;

4)         Two (2) pieces of ID; and/or

5)         A copy of residency permit - applies only for foreign nationals (students/working visas).

Prospective tenants are welcomed to complete the Application to Rent form in advance and bring two (2) copies along when viewing the property.

Interested in Renting After the Viewing:

Rental agent / caretaker will spend some time with the applicant to go through and collect items in the initial application stage as listed in items 1-9 in below table.  Upon acceptance of the application, the rental agent / caretaker will meet with the tenant to go through and collect the reminder items as listed in items 10-13.

All cheques should be made payable to FirstService Residential, in trust.

Moving In:

Please refer to our FAQ on “How do I get prepared for the move-in to ensure a smooth process".

After Moving-In:

New tenants renting from FirstService Residential BC will receive a welcome package providing the following:

1)         A copy of the signed Tenancy Agreement;

2)         Information and rules on strata living (if applicable);

3)         Request for the tenant’s contact and emergency information;

4)         Contact information of the assigned Property Manager for all future inquires, issues, and repairs.

The following table provides useful information to better prepare FirstService Residential BC's Tenants for a smooth move-in process:

The rental agent / caretaker will call you prior to move-in date to arrange for the keys and a “Move-In Inspection” form will be filled out.

Please be aware that no person, other than those listed in the Tenancy Agreement, may occupy the rental unit.  A tenant anticipating an additional person in the rental unit must promptly apply in writing for permission from the landlord for such person to become an approved occupant.  This additional person will be responsible to pay for the move-in fee charged by the building with bylaws in place.

An occupant who intends to vacate the unit will also need to advise the landlord in writing regarding the date of departure and the assignment on their portion of the security deposit to the current tenants before the landlord can legally remove their name and responsibility off the Tenancy Agreement.  Also, he/she is also responsible for any move-out fee charged by the building with bylaws in place.

Some buildings have bylaws in place where the move-in/out fee is still applicable.

The tenant may end a monthly, weekly or other periodic tenancy by giving the landlord at least one full calendar month’s written notice.  The notice must be given the day before the day in the month, or in the other period on which the tenancy is based, that rent is payable under the Tenancy Agreement.

For example, in a month-to-month tenancy, if rent is due on the first day of the month, the tenant must give notice to the landlord no later than September 30^th to move out on October 31^st.  If the Tenancy Agreement is a fixed term ending December 31^st, and the Agreement does not provide that the tenant must move out at the end of the fixed term, the tenant can give notice any time up to November 30^th, to take effect on December 31^st.

For convenience, tenants can now fill out the Notice to End Tenancy form from the website and submit by email accordingly.

If the tenant ends the tenancy before the end of the original term (clause 2(b) of the Residential Tenancy Agreement), the landlord may, at the landlord’s option, treat the Tenancy Agreement at an end and in such event, a certain sum of money as originally signed and agreed shall be paid by the tenant as liquidated damages, and not as a penalty, to cover administration costs of re-renting the said premises.  The payment by the tenant of the said liquidated damages to the landlord is agreed to be in addition to any other rights and remedies available to the landlord.

The following table provides useful information to better prepare FirstResidential's Tenants for a smooth move-out process:

We manage a diversified portfolio of apartment buildings, individual condominiums, houses, townhouses, duplex, non-profit housing, and commercial and office buildings.

We also assist Strata Councils of buildings that FirstService Residential BC manages to provide rental management services for the Strata Corporation’s rental suite.

Our fees are generally based as a percentage of the revenue generated from your property.   A minimum monthly fee may apply.  Please contact us and we will be pleased to provide you with an individual quotation for your review.  

For Strata Corporations that are already a client of FirstService Residential BC, we’re pleased to provide our rental management services at a discounted rate. 

We are regulated under The Real Estate Services Act of British Columbia and only those fees and charges outlined in your Service Agreement are allowable to be charged without the client’s prior written approval. 

Take advantage of our FREE evaluation service by completing and submitting our online Rental Rate Request form to get an idea of the current market rental rate for your property.  In certain circumstances, we might need to view the unit to provide a fair assessment of the rent amount.

It usually takes 2-4 weeks to rent a property.

We normally advertise your rental units in the local or community newspapers.  We also advertise through Craigslist and our own FirstService Residential BC website.

We require a very detailed application form from each prospective tenant and we conduct credit bureau checks, verification of employment and previous tenancies.  No tenants are accepted unless they have passed our strict criteria. 

Rental Buildings:

There are no extra charges associated with the regular site visits and property conditions inspections conducted by our experienced Property Managers.

Individual Rental Units:

Owners are given an option to engage the services of a 3^rd party for suite inspections.  Inspections are done on a quarterly basis. 

Rental Buildings/Houses:

Pet policies are determined on an individual basis by the Owner with consultation with the Property Manager.  One-half month’s rent deposit will be required as provided for under the Residential Tenancy Act.  Pet references may also be required.

Individual Rental Units:

Pet policies are determined on an individual basis by the Owner and/or by the Strata Corporation by-laws with consultation with the Property Manager.  One-half month’s rent deposit will be required as provided for under the Residential Tenancy Act.  Pet references may also be required.

No, we only manage unfurnished suites or houses. 

No, we only provide full management services.

The presence of an onsite caretaker cannot be quantified in terms of safety and security of the building as well as tenant retention and satisfaction.  The onsite caretaker is always available to show any vacant suites and deal hands on with any emergency situations which provide an enormous level of comfort for your tenants.  The caretakers are extensively trained and supervised by our Property Managers.

We are very diligent with rent collection and it is administered per all allowable avenues under The Residential Tenancy Act commencing with immediate notice given to tenant.

We often find that acting as an independent third party we are able to resolve most tenant disputes through communication and negotiation to ensure everyone is treated fairly and equitably.  We are experienced and familiar with all landlord’s rights and remedies under The Residential Tenancy Act and comply with same on all disputes.

We do anticipate with careful tenant screening that not too many matters will come before the Residential Tenancy Branch, but if that is the case, our Property Managers have many years of experience of preparing for and appearing before arbitrators.

In an effort to assist the clients to pay less tax up front, FirstService Residential BC agreed to act as NR6 agents to allow the owner to only pay taxes on 25% of the net income (which means rental income less projected expenses).  Please refer to our “Optional” Tax preparation Assistance for Non-Resident owners page for details.

Please fill in our Request for Proposal and submit it online to our office.  Someone will be in contact with you in due course.  Thank you.

Generally speaking, the fees are a percentage of the revenue (either gross or net) generated from the property.   The percentage will be based on the size of the income as well as complexity of the property, such as number of tenants and owners.   We would be pleased to provide you with an individual quotation.

We are very diligent with rent collection and keep in close touch with tenants and communicate to owners if any rental collection issues may arise.   If necessary rent distraint or seizure may be required and will be conducted upon behalf of the owner if so instructed.

We are very happy to work with you as owner while you do your own leasing and / or full co-operation with outside brokers.   We are dedicated property managers and believe that some leasing activity is best left to those experts in the particular field and market.

Quick action is necessary in this circumstance.   A review of the building conditions and current tenancy and market would be required.   A leasing / marketing plan would be created and the appropriate agents assigned to the project.

Keep in mind that a lot of work goes into taking over and setting up a new property.   Hence the initial contract period will be for one year with annual renewals thereafter.

We often find that acting as an independent third party we are able to resolve most tenant disputes through communication and negotiation to ensure everyone is treated fairly and equitably.

We will be pleased to give you recommendations as well as provide the necessary financial information required by your lender to facilitate the renewal.

We have a very strong insurance program and good relationship with our brokers because of the volume of coverage we insure with a good claims history so we would be able to assist you in receiving alternate proposals for your insurance coverage.

We do have several references to call, and we would be pleased to provide those to you directly keeping in mind the kind of property you have for management.

Please fill out our Request for Proposal and submit it online to our office.  Someone will be in contact with you in due course.  Thank you.