When searching for an apartment online we’re primed to be on the lookout for red flags: listings that look too good to be true, hidden fees, and sketchy landlords or roommates.
Sometimes though, it can be difficult to parse the difference between a red flag and something illegal.
For instance, a recent Facebook Marketplace post listed a room for rent near Joyce-Collingwood for $900 all utilities, WiFi, and laundry included. But near the end of the post would-be renters will read: “house rules and cameras in common area in place.”
However, the listing prompts an important question: Can landlords or roommates put up cameras in common areas in British Columbia?
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What’s legal?
Tenants have a right to reasonable privacy says Robert Patterson, a legal advocate and lawyer at the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC), and therefore arguments could be made that cameras are a breach of that right. However, there are a few catches since it’s not technically illegal.
In fact, cameras in common areas of shared buildings are entirely legal according to Vancouver criminal lawyer Kyla Lee.
“They are often used for security and building safety purposes, as well as accountability for any tenants who are causing problems in or damaging common areas,” she says. “There are no prohibitions on this.”