Who exactly is eligible for B.C.’s temporary rental supplement?

The B.C. Government is offering between $300 and $500 a month as a rental supplement from April to June to support households experiencing hardship during COVID-19.

In an official release, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson said she hopes to provide “direct relief on the biggest month-to-month expense for most households.”

$300 per month will be provided to households with no dependents, with $500 a month offered to those with dependents.

Furthermore, eligible roommates will each be able to apply for the supplement.

Those who wish to receive the supplement must meet all the following criteria:

• Be receiving or eligible for Employment Insurance, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or experiencing a 25% reduction in monthly employment income as a result of COVID-19
• Have a 2019 household income of less than $74,150 for households with no dependents and $113,040 for households with dependents;
• Be paying more than 30% of current/reduced gross monthly income towards rent
• Not be currently receiving any other rent subsidy from any level of government

Renters who are eligible for the program and have already paid their April rent are still able to receive the rental supplement for this month.

The money will be paid directly to landlords on behalf of renters to reduce tenants’ rent and ensure landlords continue to receive income.

Once an application is fully completed and processed, funds will be directly deposited within approximately seven days.

BC Housing has brought on additional staff to make sure applications are processed in a timely manner.

The full guidelines can be found online.