Buying a Tenanted North Shore Condo? Here's the Notice You'll Actually Need to Give
Planning to move into a condo that currently has a tenant in it? BC's rules on landlord's-use notice changed in 2025. Here's the actual timeline you need to build into your purchase.
“• As of June 2025, a landlord ending a tenancy to move in themselves, or to have a close family member move in, must give three months’ written notice and one month’s rent as compensation.
• The person named in the notice has to actually live in the unit for at least 12 months afterward, or the former tenant can claim up to 12 months’ rent in compensation.
• This applies whether you’re the current owner or a new buyer taking over a tenanted property, so it directly affects your move-in timeline on a purchase.
• Build the three-month window into your offer and closing plans from the start, rather than assuming you can get vacant possession quickly.”
You Can't Complete on Tuesday and Move In on Wednesday
A meaningful share of North Shore condos, especially in Lower Lonsdale and other investor-friendly buildings, are tenanted when they come up for sale. If your plan is to buy one and move in yourself, it's worth understanding exactly how much runway that actually requires, because it's longer than a lot of buyers expect.
The current notice requirement
As of June 2025, BC tightened the rules around a landlord ending a tenancy for their own use, or to have a close family member move in. Under the current rules, the landlord (which, once your purchase completes, means you) has to:
Give the tenant three months' written notice
Pay one month's rent as compensation, on or before the notice takes effect
That's up from the shorter notice periods that used to apply, and it's now consistent regardless of how long the tenant has lived there.
The 12-month catch
There's a second piece that matters just as much: the person named in the notice actually has to live in the unit for at least 12 months after the effective date. If that doesn't happen, the former tenant can go to the Residential Tenancy Branch and claim compensation of up to 12 months' rent. This isn't a formality you can satisfy on paper and then change your mind about a few months later without real financial consequences.
What this means for your move-in date
You're looking at a minimum three-month runway from the day the notice is issued, plus the compensation payment, before vacant possession happens. That timeline starts on the day you (or the seller, if the notice goes out before completion) actually issue the notice, not on your completion date.
How buyers and sellers usually structure it
This is worth raising directly with your realtor and the seller during negotiations, since there are a couple of common approaches:
The seller issues the notice before completion, so the clock is already running by the time you take title.
The tenancy transfers to you at completion, and you serve notice yourself afterward.
Either path is workable, but they lead to very different move-in dates, so it's a conversation worth having before you write the offer, not after.
What This Means for You
If vacant possession matters to your timeline, don't assume it happens at completion just because you're buying with the intention to move in. I'd want to know upfront whether you need to be in the unit by a specific date, so we can structure the offer and the notice timing around that reality rather than discovering the three-month window after you've already removed subjects.
Your Next Step.
Buying a tenanted condo can still make sense even if your goal is to move in yourself, you just need to plan around the real notice timeline rather than an assumed one. If you're looking at a tenanted North Shore condo and want help thinking through the timing, send me a message before you write the offer.
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Matt@RossettiRealty.ca
About Matt Council
Matt Council is a top-performing North Vancouver Realtor and West Van specialist with a background in finance. He moves beyond the sales hype to offer clients a data-driven, pressure-free approach to buying and selling real estate on the North Shore. Whether you are evaluating a presale in Lower Lonsdale or a detached home in Lynn Valley, Matt helps you understand the numbers behind the move.
Thinking of making a move? Let’s run the numbers.