What is BC Bill 14 personal-use eviction?

Direct answer

Bill 14 (2024) — Tenancy Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 — tightened the BC Residential Tenancy Act's "personal use" eviction rules effective July 18, 2024. Under the previous rules, a landlord could end a tenancy with 4 months' notice if they (or a close family member) intended to occupy the unit. Bill 14 added enforcement teeth: (1) the landlord must use a new prescribed online form to issue the notice and verify their identity; (2) the landlord (or family member) must occupy the unit for at least 12 consecutive months OR pay the displaced tenant 12 months' rent in compensation if they re-rent the unit within 12 months; (3) tenants now have 30 days (up from 15) to dispute a personal-use eviction notice. The compensation owed to a tenant whose landlord doesn't actually use the unit was raised — the previous one-month-rent compensation was inadequate against rents that often doubled on vacancy reset. For investors: personal-use eviction is no longer a low-cost tactic to convert below-market tenancies, which structurally locks in long-tenant rent discounts. For tenants: the 12-month occupancy requirement is documented and verifiable; landlords found re-renting within 12 months face penalties + restitution.