Where Do We Live While Our New Vancouver House Is Built, and What About Our Tenants?

There are three usual choices: rent nearby, stay with relatives, or move into a suite you already own. Pick a place close to school and work, because you will visit the site often: at handover we walk through every room with you, and during the build there are decisions on finishes, fixtures and changes.

Time the move to the permits. Keep living in the house until your builder gives you a firm start date for demolition. Ask for a schedule with the main stages, and plan your lease so it can run longer if the work does.

Section 49(6) of BC's Residential Tenancy Act lets a landlord end a tenancy to demolish the rental unit, but only if the landlord has all the necessary permits and approvals required by law and intends in good faith to demolish.

The notice must take effect at least 4 months after the tenant receives it, on the day before rent is due, and no earlier than the end of a fixed term. The regulation shortens the period to 3 months only when the owner, a close family member or a buyer will move in, which does not cover demolition. Under section 51, the tenant is entitled to the equal of one month's rent, on or before the effective date. If the stated purpose is not carried out within a reasonable period, the landlord can owe a further 12 months' rent.

Renovating with a tenant in place is a separate process. Under section 49.2, a landlord who needs the unit empty for renovations or repairs must apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch for an order, and the order takes effect no earlier than 4 months after it is made.

In Coburn v. Family Insurance Solutions, BC's Court of Appeal upheld an insurer's refusal to pay for a fire in a house under renovation, because the policy excluded any loss while the house was "Vacant... for more than thirty (30) consecutive days or in the Course of Construction".

So call your broker before you move out. Ask your broker and your builder which construction policy will cover the house while it is built, and write into the contract who buys it and for how much. Read who covers the house, the site and the people on it before you sign.

BC's Speculation and Vacancy Tax Act applies in every municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District except the Village of Lions Bay, so it covers an empty house in Vancouver. The Province's land under development page (updated June 23, 2026) says owners of property under construction are exempt if reasonable steps are taken without undue delay to develop or renovate it.

The page lists the building activities that count, including applying for financing or a permit, signing design, building or engineering contracts, demolishing the old house, clearing or excavating the site, and building the new home. Keep your permit, contract and invoice dates together for the declaration.