Your Landlord Is Selling: Renter Rights in BC and What It Means If You Want to Buy Your First Home

A for-sale sign outside the home you rent raises two questions at once. Do you have to move, and when? And is this the time to stop renting and buy a place of your own?

Renters in Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and the rest of the Fraser Valley ask us both questions, often in the same message. BC law answers the first one in detail. In our experience, it gives renters more time and more protection than they first expect. This guide covers your rights while the home is for sale and after it sells, then shows how we would use that time to plan a first purchase. If you are on the other side of this deal, buying a home with a tenant in it, read our guide to buying a tenanted property in BC instead.

Does the sale end your tenancy?

Your tenancy continues when the home sells. The BC government's page on selling a rental property says the buyer becomes the new landlord and the tenancy carries on under the same terms. You and the buyer can sign a new agreement if you both want to, but the law does not require one. The same page says a landlord cannot end a tenancy because they want to sell.

Section 44 of the Residential Tenancy Act lists every way a tenancy can end. The main ones are a proper notice from you or the landlord, a written agreement you both sign, you moving out, or an order from the Residential Tenancy Branch (the provincial office that settles landlord and tenant disputes). A sale is absent from that list.

Your rights also stay in place whatever you are asked to sign. Section 5 says landlords and tenants cannot contract out of the Act, and any attempt to do so has no effect. A letter from the seller or the listing agent asking you to accept a shorter notice period cannot take away the notice the law gives you.

Your rent stays the same after the sale too, because the new owner takes over your existing agreement. The normal rent increase rules still apply. Under section 42, rent can go up only once every 12 months, counted from your last increase, and only with at least three months' notice on the approved form. The province set the most allowed at 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027.

If you signed a fixed-term lease (a lease with an end date), that date protects you. Section 49(2)(c) says a notice for the landlord's or buyer's use cannot take effect before the end of the fixed term. When the term ends, the lease carries on as month to month on the same terms (section 44(3)), unless it has a valid move-out clause. The Residential Tenancy Regulation, section 13.1 allows that clause in one case only: the landlord is a person who, or whose close family member, will live in the unit at the end of the term.

Can the landlord show your home whenever they want?

The landlord needs your permission or proper written notice for every entry. Section 28 gives you a right to reasonable privacy and freedom from unreasonable disturbance. Section 29 then sets the entry rules. The landlord can enter if you give permission at the time, or up to 30 days before. Without that, they must give you written notice at least 24 hours and no more than 30 days before the visit. The notice must state a reasonable purpose plus a date and time between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., unless you agree to another time.

The province's page on showings and open houses adds detail that matters during a sale:

• The notice cannot be sent by text message.
• The best approach is a showing schedule you and the landlord agree on in writing. Without one, the landlord must give 24 hours' written notice for each showing.
• You may stay during a showing or an open house, and the landlord cannot make you leave. You must not interfere with the sale, for example by criticizing the landlord or the home to buyers.
• A lockbox needs your permission, and the landlord or their agent must be present at every showing.
• The landlord cannot stage your home without your consent, and must keep your belongings safe during showings.
• The province gives "all-day showings every Saturday for several weeks" as an example of unreasonable entry. You may refuse entry that is unreasonable or unlawful. When the landlord has given proper notice, you must let them in.

In our experience, a written schedule works better for everyone than a series of 24-hour notices. Two or three fixed time slots a week let you plan your evenings, and buyers see a tidier home. Put valuables and documents away before each showing. The province's page is silent on listing photos and video of your belongings, so ask the listing agent in writing what will be photographed before the photographer arrives. If you think the entries have become unreasonable, you can apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch for dispute resolution, a process where an arbitrator hears both sides and decides. The arbitrator can limit or set conditions on the landlord's right to enter.

When can a buyer ask you to move out?

A buyer can ask only after the sale is firm, and only to live in the home. Section 49(5) sets three conditions. The seller must have a sale agreement made in good faith. All the conditions of that sale must be met; these are the "subjects" such as financing and inspection, and the deal is firm only once the buyer removes them. Then the buyer must ask the seller in writing to give you notice, because the buyer or a close family member intends in good faith to live in the unit.

"Close family member" has a set meaning in section 49(1): the buyer's parent, spouse or child, or the parent or child of the buyer's spouse. A buyer who plans to keep renting the home to someone has no ground under this section to end your tenancy. If an investor buys the home and wants you to stay, you stay on your current terms.

So an accepted offer with subjects still attached changes nothing for you yet. The province's sell a rental property page also says serving the notice cannot be a condition of the sale. A buyer who takes ownership without asking for notice can still serve one later as your new landlord.

One group of renters is outside this section. Section 49(6.1) stops a notice for the landlord's or buyer's own use if the building has five or more rental units and is either not strata-titled, or strata-titled with all the rental units owned by the same owner. A strata-titled building is divided into units that can be owned and sold separately, such as most condo buildings. If you rent in a purpose-built rental building with five or more rental units, a new owner of the whole building cannot use this notice to move in. Renters in a condo owned by one investor, a townhouse, or a basement suite in a detached house are covered by it.

How much notice do you get, and what should it look like?

You get at least three months. Section 42.2 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation sets the notice at three months after you receive it, for both the landlord's own use and the buyer's use. The three-month rule for buyers applies to notices given on or after August 21, 2024, and for landlords moving in themselves, on or after June 18, 2025 (sections 42.4 and 42.5 of the same regulation). The province's August 1, 2024 bulletin explained the change for buyers. It said a four-month notice could conflict with insured mortgages, because the buyer must take possession at closing.

The effective date must also be the day before your rent is due (section 49(2)(b)). If a notice states a date that is too early, section 53 changes it to the earliest date that complies.

Here is a worked example. Your rent is due on the 1st of each month, and you receive a buyer's notice on October 10, 2026. Three months later is January 10, 2027. The next day before a rent day is January 31, 2027, so that is the earliest move-out date. Your 21 days to dispute run to October 31, 2026.

The notice itself must be a specific form. Under section 53.1 and section 42.1 of the regulation, the landlord must create it through the Residential Tenancy Branch's online Landlord Use of Property tool. For a sale, that is form RTB-32P, the Three Month Notice to End Tenancy for Purchaser's Use. The province says any other notice form for this purpose is legally unenforceable. The notice must also show the buyer's name and address (section 49(7)). The province publishes a sample RTB-32P you can compare against.

How the notice reaches you matters too. The province's page on receiving an eviction notice says a notice cannot be served by text. An emailed notice counts as received on the third day after it is sent, and a mailed notice on the fifth day.

Rule	What the law says	Where it comes from
Notice length	At least 3 months, ending the day before rent is due	Regulation s. 42.2; Act s. 49(2)
Time to dispute	21 days after you receive the notice	Regulation s. 42.3
Compensation	One month's rent, or skip your last month's rent	Act s. 51(1)
Moving out early	At least 10 days' written notice	Act s. 50
Buyer does not move in	12 months' rent, unless used as stated for at least 12 months	Act s. 51(2)
Deposit return	Within 15 days of the later of move-out and your written forwarding address	Act s. 38
Showings	At least 24 hours' written notice, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.	Act s. 29

Source: Residential Tenancy Act and Residential Tenancy Regulation, both current to October 6, 2026.

What are you owed when a buyer's notice arrives?

You are owed one month's rent. Section 51(1) says it must be paid on or before the effective date of the notice, and you can choose to keep it by not paying your last month's rent. The province's sell a rental property page says the compensation is owed even if you leave earlier.

You can leave early. If your tenancy is month to month, section 50 lets you end it before the notice date by giving the landlord at least 10 days' written notice. You pay rent only up to your new move-out date, and the landlord must refund any rent you paid for days after it. This matters if you find your own home to buy quickly. In our experience, the date you get the keys to a new home and the date on your notice rarely match exactly.

A buyer who does not move in can owe you a year's rent. Under section 51(2), the buyer who asked for the notice must pay you 12 months' rent in addition to the first month, unless they show two things. The buyer or their close family member started living in the home within a reasonable period after the effective date. And they lived there for at least 12 months. The Residential Tenancy Branch can excuse the payment only where extenuating circumstances stopped the buyer (section 51(3)). Keep a copy of the notice with the buyer's name on it. If the home is listed for rent or for sale again within the year, contact the Branch.

Your deposit comes back from whoever owns the home when you leave. The province says that person is responsible for your security deposit and pet damage deposit, even if the seller collected them (sell a rental property; section 93). Section 38 gives them 15 days, from the later of the day your tenancy ends and the day they receive your forwarding address in writing, to return the deposit with interest or apply to the Branch to keep some or all of it. A landlord who misses that deadline must pay you double the deposit. Give your forwarding address in writing on move-out day.

A seller may offer you money to leave early instead of serving a notice. That is a mutual agreement to end the tenancy, which section 44(1)(c) allows when it is in writing. The one month's rent in section 51 is tied to a section 49 notice, so compare any offer with what the notice would give you: three months to find a new place, one month's rent, and the 12-month protection. Ask the Residential Tenancy Branch before you sign anything.

How do you check a notice, and how do you dispute it?

Read the notice against a short checklist. It should be form RTB-32P from the Branch's online tool. Section 52 says it must be signed and dated, give your address, state the effective date and state the reason. Section 49(7) adds the buyer's name and address. Check the effective date against your rent day and your fixed-term end date, if you have one.

You have 21 days to dispute. Section 42.3 of the regulation sets that deadline for notices for the landlord's or buyer's use. You dispute by applying to the Residential Tenancy Branch for dispute resolution. The province lists a $100 filing fee, with a waiver for low-income households. If you win, you can ask the arbitrator to order the fee paid back. At the hearing, the province says the landlord must provide evidence that the eviction is lawful (disputing an eviction).

If you do nothing within 21 days, section 49(9) says you are treated as having accepted the notice and must move out by its effective date. The Branch can then give the landlord an order of possession, which is a legal order for you to leave.

Free help exists. The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC) offers free legal information for BC tenants, and the Residential Tenancy Branch answers questions from both tenants and landlords. We are real estate agents, and the rules above are a summary. Before you dispute a notice, sign a move-out agreement or refuse an entry, get advice from the Residential Tenancy Branch or a lawyer about your own case.

Should you make an offer on the home you rent?

Sometimes, and you start with the same rights as any other buyer. The Act gives a right of first refusal in one case only: section 51.2 covers tenants in buildings of five or more rental units who must leave for renovations ordered under section 49.2. A sale falls outside it. If you want the home, tell your landlord early, ideally before it is listed. In our experience, some sellers prefer a quiet sale to a tenant they know over weeks of showings.

Renting the home gives you knowledge other buyers lack. You know how warm the bedrooms get in July, how loud the neighbours are, and how fast the strata handles repairs. You still need the full due diligence. Order a home inspection, and if it is a condo or townhouse, read the strata documents with the same care as any other buyer. Living in a unit teaches you about that unit. The strata council meeting minutes and the depreciation report (an engineer's report on the building's long-term repairs) tell you about the roof, the pipes and the savings fund for repairs.

Set your price from sold homes. In our experience, tenants sometimes pay more than they need to because they like the home and the seller knows it. Ask your agent for recent sales of similar units in the same complex or area, and decide your top price before you write the offer.

Living there already also helps with one program rule. The BC first-time buyer property transfer tax exemption requires you to move in within 92 days of registration and live there as your main home until the first anniversary of registration. A tenant who buys their own unit meets the move-in part from the first day. If your offer fails, your tenancy carries on exactly as before.

How do you turn the notice into a plan to buy?

Start with a mortgage pre-approval in the first week. It tells you your price range and down payment before you spend the notice period looking at homes. Our guide to pre-qualification and pre-approval explains the difference. In our experience, a renter who already has a pre-approval and a saved down payment can often find, buy and move into a condo within three months. A renter with no pre-approval and no savings yet usually needs longer, and that is a good reason to rent one more place and keep saving. Our rent vs buy guide explains how to make that choice.

Work out your minimum down payment. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada sets it at 5% of a price up to $500,000. Between $500,000 and $1.5 million, it is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the part above $500,000. At $1.5 million or more, it is 20%. On a $600,000 condo, that is $25,000 plus $10,000, or $35,000 (our calculation from that table). Our down payment guide covers where the money can come from.

Open a First Home Savings Account (FHSA) if you have not already. The Canada Revenue Agency gives you $8,000 of room in the year you open your first FHSA, and its formula caps lifetime contributions at $40,000. The CRA says contributions are generally deductible, which lowers your income tax. To open one, you cannot have lived, in this calendar year or the previous four, in a home that you or your current spouse owned (CRA, opening your FHSAs). See our FHSA page for how it fits with a purchase.

Check the property transfer tax exemption. Property transfer tax is the provincial tax you pay when you register a home in your name. The BC first-time buyer exemption removes the tax on the first $500,000 of the price for homes with a fair market value of $835,000 or less, with a partial exemption between $835,000 and $860,000. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and must never have owned a home you lived in as your main home, anywhere in the world. You also need to have lived in BC for the 12 months before registration, or have filed two BC tax returns in the last six years. Our PTT exemption page has the details.

Then match the dates. Your notice gives you a fixed move-out date, and section 50 lets you leave earlier with 10 days' notice. When you write an offer, set the completion date (when the money and the title change hands) and the possession date (when you get the keys) so you have somewhere to live in between, and plan for the one month's rent compensation to help with moving costs or closing costs. The first-time buyer timeline shows each step from pre-approval to keys.

This is general information for BC renters and buyers. Tenancy rules change, and each tenancy is different. Get advice from the Residential Tenancy Branch or a lawyer before you act on a notice, and from your mortgage broker before you rely on any figure here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my lease end if my landlord sells the house in BC?

Your tenancy continues when the home sells. The BC government says the buyer becomes the new landlord and the tenancy carries on under the same terms, including your rent and your deposit. The tenancy ends only in the ways listed in section 44 of the Residential Tenancy Act, such as a proper notice.

How much notice does a new owner have to give me to move out in BC?

Three months. Under section 42.2 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation, a notice for the buyer's or landlord's own use must give you at least three months, and the effective date must be the day before your rent is due. If you have a fixed-term lease, the date also cannot fall before the end of your term.

Can my landlord show my rental to buyers without my permission?

Yes, with proper written notice. Section 29 of the Residential Tenancy Act lets a landlord enter with at least 24 hours' written notice that gives a reasonable purpose, a date and a time between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The province says the notice cannot be sent by text and the landlord or agent must be present.

Do I get compensation if the buyer wants to move in?

Yes. Section 51 of the Residential Tenancy Act says a tenant who gets a notice for the landlord's or buyer's use is owed one month's rent, paid on or before the notice's effective date. You can also keep that amount by not paying your last month's rent.

Can I move out before the date on the notice?

Yes. Section 50 of the Act lets you end a month-to-month tenancy early by giving the landlord at least 10 days' written notice. You pay rent only up to your new move-out date, and you still get the one month's rent compensation.

What happens if the new owner never moves in?

The buyer who asked for the notice may have to pay you 12 months' rent in addition to the first month. Section 51(2) applies unless the buyer or their close family member moved in within a reasonable time and lived there for at least 12 months. You claim it through the Residential Tenancy Branch.

Who returns my security deposit after the home is sold?

Whoever owns the home when your tenancy ends. The province says that person is responsible for returning your security and pet deposits, even if the seller collected them. Under section 38, they must return it with interest, or apply to keep it, within 15 days after the tenancy ends and they have your forwarding address in writing.

How long do I have to dispute a notice to end tenancy for the purchaser's use?

21 days after you receive the notice, under section 42.3 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation. You apply for dispute resolution with the Residential Tenancy Branch, and the province lists a $100 filing fee, with a waiver for low-income households. If you miss the deadline, the Act treats you as accepting the notice.

Can the new owner raise my rent after buying the home?

Only under the normal rules. The new owner takes over your tenancy agreement, so section 42 limits them to one increase every 12 months, counted from your last increase, with three months' notice on the approved form. The province set the most allowed at 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027.

Do I have the right to buy the home I rent before anyone else?

The Residential Tenancy Act gives a right of first refusal in one case only: tenants in a building of five or more rental units who must leave for renovations ordered under section 49.2. A sale falls outside that rule, so your offer competes with other buyers unless the seller agrees to deal with you first.

Can a buyer end my tenancy if I live in a purpose-built rental building?

Usually no. Section 49(6.1) of the Act stops a notice for the landlord's or buyer's own use when the building has five or more rental units and is either not strata-titled, or strata-titled with all the rental units owned by the same owner. Check with the Residential Tenancy Branch for your building.

What should I do first if I want to buy my own home after getting a notice?

Get a mortgage pre-approval in the first week. It tells you your price range and how much down payment you need, and it shows whether three months is enough to buy or whether you should rent one more place first. Then check your FHSA room and the BC first-time buyer property transfer tax exemption.

Sources

• Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c. 78, sections 5, 28, 29, 38, 42, 44, 49, 50, 51, 51.2, 52, 53, 53.1 and 93 (current to October 6, 2026)
• Residential Tenancy Regulation, B.C. Reg. 477/2003, sections 13.1 and 42.1 to 42.5 (current to October 6, 2026)
• Province of BC, Sell a rental property and Showings and open houses (updated March 4, 2026)
• Province of BC, Types of evictions (updated April 28, 2026)
• Province of BC, Receiving an eviction notice, Disputing an eviction and Fees and fee waivers (updated March 4, 2026)
• Province of BC, Sample RTB-32P notice
• Province of BC, Personal-use notice period for homebuyers changing (August 1, 2024)
• Province of BC, 2026 allowable rent increase (August 26, 2025) and 2027 allowable rent increase (August 27, 2026)
• Province of BC, Property transfer tax first time home buyers' program (updated June 20, 2025)
• Canada Revenue Agency, Contributing to your FHSAs and Opening your FHSAs
• Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Saving for a down payment
• Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC)

Rules checked October 9, 2026. This is general information only. Tenancy rules and program limits change, so confirm them with the Residential Tenancy Branch, a lawyer or your mortgage broker before you act.

Related FRIVE guides

• Buying a tenanted property in BC, the same rules from the buyer's side
• Rent vs buy in the Fraser Valley, a way to decide whether to buy now or rent once more
• Minimum down payment in BC, worked examples by price
• The FHSA for BC buyers, how the account works from opening to withdrawal
• The BC property transfer tax first-time buyer exemption, who qualifies and how the partial exemption works

Next Steps: Work with FRIVE

The renters we see do best after a notice are the ones who treat the first week as planning time. They get a pre-approval, check their FHSA and down payment, and then decide whether three months is enough to buy or whether one more lease makes more sense.

If you want help with that decision, start a conversation with the FRIVE team. We can look at your numbers, show you what condos and townhouses in your price range have sold for, and help you time a purchase to fit your move-out date. You can also read the first-time buyer guides or browse condos for sale in Surrey and Abbotsford. There is no pressure to buy before you are ready.