General Issues

Room and Board

s. 1(1), 116(1), The Residential Tenancies Act
 

Room and board: a living arrangement where the landlord provides both the room and meals.

Tenancy agreement: a contract between a landlord and a tenant for a tenant that sets out the basic rules for living in a rental unit. It can be written, oral or implied.
 

The Residential Tenancies Act, including the rent increase guideline, applies:

• only when there are five or more rooms in a boarding house; and

• only to the room portion of a room and board tenancy agreement.

The Branch has no authority to deal with disagreements between tenants and landlords concerning meals.

Overview

This policy is included as information for landlords, tenants and officers. If tenants and landlords aren’t able to solve a problem with the room portion of a room and board agreement on their own, they can ask the Branch for help.
 

Steps

1. The officer encourages the landlord and tenant to share information, and to discuss the problem, to try to come to an agreement.
    

2. When a tenant or landlord asks the Branch to help settle room and board disagreements, the officer will:

• get information from the landlord and the tenant;

• explain that the Branch only deals with the room portion;

• help the landlord and tenant settle the disagreement through mediation.

3. If mediation isn’t successful, the officer refers the file for a decision and Order.

For information on Mediation, see this section.
Details on Hearings are in Section 11.
 

September, 1992
 

March, 2004
 

None

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