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Privacy Guidelines For Landlords and Tenants
Purpose of the Guidelines
In British Columbia, landlords and property managers acting on their behalf mustadhere to the privacy rules contained in the BC
Personal Information Protection Act
(“PIPA”).
These guidelines are intended to assist landlords and property managers in dischargingtheir duties under the
Residential Tenancy Act
(“RTA”) in a
manner that respects theprivacy of tenants and promotes transparency in the operation of landlord and tenant
relationships. In this document, the word “tenant” includes a prospective tenan
t.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 4
1. Are landlords in British Columbia bound by PIPA? ................................................. 42. Are tenants in British Columbia governed by PIPA? ............................................... 43. What is personal information? ................................................................................. 44.
What are a landlord’s responsibilities under PIPA?
................................................. 4
B. CONSENT ............................................................................................................... 5
5. When does a landlord need
to obtain a tenant’s consent?
...................................... 56. Does a landlord always have to ask for written or express consentfrom a tenant? ......................................................................................................... 57. Can a tenant refuse to give consent? ...................................................................... 68. Can a tenant withdraw consent already given for a landlord to collect, use, ordisclose personal information? ................................................................................ 6
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C. COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION .......................................................... 6
9. What personal information can landlords request from prospective tenants? ......... 610. What personal information can landlords request from tenants? ............................ 711. Can a landlord ask fo
r personal information about a tenant’s ref
erences oremergency contacts? .............................................................................................. 712. Can a landlord ask to
see a tenant’s pay
-slip or T4? .............................................. 813. Can a landlord request a credit report from a tenant? ............................................. 814.
Can a landlord ask for a tenant’s Social Insurance Number
(“SIN”)?
...................... 815.
Can a landlord ask to see a tenant’s identification?
................................................ 816.
Can a landlord ask to see a tenant’s driver’s
licence number orphotocopy the licence?............................................................................................ 917. Can a landlord require a
tenant’s banking information?
.......................................... 918. Can a landlord ask to see
a copy of a tenant’s insurance policy?
........................... 919.
Can a landlord ask to see a tenant’s credit card number?
...................................... 920.
Can a landlord demand to check a tenant’s criminal record?
.................................. 921.
Can a landlord ask for a tenant’s roommate’s personal information?
...................... 922. Can a landlord install video equipment in a lobby or other public areas? .............. 10
D. USING PERSONAL INFORMATION .................................................................... 10
23. How can a landlord use the personal information collected about tenants? .......... 1024.
Can a landlord use a tenant’s personal information to collect unpaid ren
t? .......... 10
E. DISCLOSING PERSONAL INFORMATION ......................................................... 11
25. To whom can a landlord disclose a t
enant’s personal information?
...................... 1126.
Can a landlord disclose a tenant’s personal information to a collection agency
collecting a non-rent related debt? ........................................................................ 1127. Can a landlord
disclose one tenant’s personal information to another tenant
without consent? ................................................................................................... 12
Page 328 Can a landlord post eviction or late payment notices containing personalin
formation on a tenant’s door?
............................................................................. 1229. Is it reasonable for the mailboxes or entry buzzers in an apartment building to have
the tenant’s names on them?
................................................................................ 1330. Can a landlord distribute a tenant phone list to tenants? ...................................... 13
F. SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ....................................................... 13
31. How should a landlord store t
enant’s personal information?
................................. 1332. How long should a landlord keep a te
nant’s personal information?
...................... 13
G. ACCESS TO REQUESTS AND COMPLAINTS ................................................... 14
33. Can tenants access their own personal information held by their landlords? ........ 1434. Does a landlord have to give the tenant everything? ............................................ 1435. If a landlord receives a complaint letter about a tenant, can the tenant view theoriginal complaint letter? ....................................................................................... 1436. Can landlords charge a fee to tenants to access their personal information? ....... 1537. Can tenants lodge a complaint against landlords in respect of privacy issues? .... 1538. What can a tenant complain about? ...................................................................... 15
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Privacy Guidelines for Landlords and Tenants
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (14-Oct-2010).
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