For certain emergency situations, such as illegal lockouts and emergency repairs, the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) offers expedited hearings with shorter service and response time limits. When requesting an expedited hearing, you must submit all of your evidence at the time of applying. If the RTB accepts your application, you will only have one day to serve the respondent with the following hearing package:
- the Notice of Dispute Resolution Proceeding;
- the Application for Dispute Resolution;
- the Respondent Instructions for Dispute Resolution;
- an Order of the director respecting service;
- the Expedited Dispute Resolution Process Fact Sheet; and
- evidence submitted to the RTB.
The applicant is also required to submit RTB Form, Proof of Service – Notice of Expedited Hearing, one day after serving the hearing package, and at least two days before the hearing. Failing this requirement may result in the hearing being rescheduled to a later date.
The respondent, once they have received the applicant’s hearing package, must serve their own evidence in a single complete package to the RTB and applicant as soon as possible, and at least two days before the hearing.
Resources
- TRAC Webpage – Applying for Dispute Resolution
- RTB Rules of Procedure Rule 10 – Expedited Hearings
- RTB Policy Guideline 51 – Expedited Hearings
- RTB Form – Tenant Application for Dispute Resolution Expedited Hearing
- RTB Form – Proof of Service: Notice of Expedited Hearing
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