B.C. government wants your say on changes to rental laws

Renters and landlords in British Columbia will soon be able to push the government for changes to tenancy laws.

A provincewide consultation has been launched by a task forceto help "modernize and balance provincial tenancy laws to provide safe, secure and affordable housing."

The three-member task force, led by Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert, will hold public meetings across the province in June andis also seekinginput online.

• Full list of meeting locations here

"It's not about pro-renter or pro-landlord.It's trying to be pro-rental, and trying to ensure both renters and landlords feel secure," said Herbert.

The task force isn't asking the public for specific opinions on parts of theResidential Tenancy Act, or other concepts such as rent freezes, but Herbert says that's due to the complex nature of possible reforms.

"There are so many potential permutations of potential circumstances," he said. "We'd rather open it up, so we're not trying to frame the debate, but letting those involved in rental housing provide the answers of where we need to look."

The government made a number of changes to tenancy laws this year, and will receive recommendations on further action that could be taken from the task force this fall.

According to the government, the current vacancy rate provincewide is 1.3 per cent.