Charging a monthly pet fee or ‘pet rent’ is not legal in B.C.
PRINCE GEORGE – The current rental market in Prince George is a tough market to crack, especially if you are a pet owner.
Rental rates have skyrocketed across town and it’s tough to find an affordable living situation, if you have a pet, then that decreases the ability to find a home as well.
If you are fortunate enough to find a place that will allow pets, then usually, a request for a one-time pet fee would be added to the move-in bill. According to the housing and the Residential Tenancies page on the Government of B.C’s website, deposits work like this:
“The deposit must be no more than half of one month’s rent, regardless of the number of pets allowed.A pet damage deposit can only be used to cover the costs of repairing damage caused by a pet, unless the tenant agrees in writing or an arbitrator orders the pet damage deposit be applied to a Monetary Order.”