When can a tenant use RTB-49?
Under Residential Tenancy Act section 45.1, a tenant named on the tenancy agreement may qualify if an authorized verifier confirms one of these situations:
- The safety or security of the tenant or a dependent living in the unit is or is likely to be at risk from family violence, or the tenant or an occupant is or is likely to be at risk from household violence, within the applicable statutory rules.
- The tenant has been assessed as requiring long-term care.
- The tenant has been admitted to a long-term care facility.
The form is not for ordinary dissatisfaction with a rental unit, a planned move to another home, or the standard landlord/purchaser occupancy process.
Who completes the statement?
The tenant does not complete the verifier's declaration themselves. It must be signed by an independent professional or other person authorized under sections 39 or 40 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation, depending on the circumstances. Potentially eligible verifier categories include certain healthcare, social-service, counselling and law-enforcement professionals; the exact category and qualifications matter. The verifier assesses the circumstances under section 41 and supplies a statement rather than requiring the tenant to disclose an entire medical, police or counselling file to the landlord.
Complete the official two-page form
- Tenant information: Enter the tenant's legal name and complete rental unit address; the tenant signs and dates the form.
- Third-party verifier confirmation: The authorized verifier gives their name and professional position, confirms they are authorized under section 39 or 40 and have assessed eligibility, then signs and dates the statement.
- Contact information: Include the verifier's or authorized agency representative's name, position, phone number and email so their authorization can be checked.
- Read the important instructions on page two. Keep a copy of the signed confirmation and delivery records.
Give the correct notice and observe the validity periods
The tenant must give at least one rental month of written notice with an effective move-out date that complies with section 45.1: not earlier than one month after the landlord receives the notice and normally the day before the next rent-due day. This is not merely any 30-day interval. The signed RTB-49 must accompany the tenant's notice. The confirmation statement is valid for 90 days from the verifier's signature for family or household violence, or 180 days for long-term care. Check receipt and deemed-receipt rules before relying on a particular notice date.
Privacy, remaining tenants and disputes
The landlord must keep the confirmation statement and its contents confidential and must not disclose sensitive personal information except as lawfully authorized. A landlord generally cannot challenge whether the tenant needed to leave; the statute permits disputes about matters such as whether the verifier was authorized or whether the notice complies with the Act. If multiple tenants share the same tenancy agreement, the tenancy ends for all unless the remaining tenants make a new agreement with the landlord. A qualifying termination avoids ordinary liability for ending the fixed term early, but existing rent, damage or other unrelated tenancy claims may still arise.
Common mistakes
Using RTB-49 as an ordinary move-out notice, having an unauthorized person sign it, sending the tenant notice without the signed statement, missing the 90-day or 180-day validity period, counting 30 days instead of a rental month, or publishing the confidential verifier statement. For confidential support related to violence, BC's VictimLinkBC provides information and referrals.