Tenant FAQ

At Orca Realty, we have a wide variety of residential properties available for rent throughout the Greater Vancouver Area, including high-end single-family homes, luxury condominiums, townhomes, and short-term and long-term premium executive rentals.

Our residential properties are located across West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, Squamish, and White Rock.

You can find all our available homes directly on our website. You’ll be able to book an appointment right from our website as well. Each listing will include information about the property, rental rates and amenities, as well as indicate the precise location. If you can’t find a home that interests you, please do keep checking. We frequently update our listings. If you do find a home that interests you, you can apply for the property through our Mobile Orca app.

Once you find a property you would like to rent, please submit an application through our website or through our Mobile Orca app. We will ask you to provide details regarding your income, credit score, rental history, employment and more in order for us to ensure you’re a good fit for the home. Note that, if you’re new to Canada, we understand how stressful renting a home for the first time can be. If you’re an immigrant who needs a guarantor, we allow guarantors to step in and support family members who are new to Canada. If you have established credit, rental history, or other supporting documentation from another country, we encourage you to include it with your application so our team can consider your full financial and rental background. Our goal is to find qualified residents who will respect the home – we hope that could be you!

In order to rent a home, you keep a stable source of income, a good credit score, a positive rental history and more. Before approving your application, we will conduct a fair and transparent screening process. Please note that we are fair and equal towards all applicants during this process.

Of course! We’re happy to have you walk through a property that you’re interested in. We have a full-time staff that works around-the-clock to schedule property showing for prospective tenants. To book a showing, you can call us, email us, or message us on WhatsApp or messenger! We will organize the showings based on location. We have showings scheduled seven days a week. Simply reach out and we’ll make it happen!

Paying rent is simple when you rent with Orca Realty. Simply log into the online tenant portal, accessible through our website. You can then pay your rent using multiple forms of payment. You can choose the one most convenient for you. You can also set up automated payments, so that you never miss a deadline. Have a payment-related question? Please contact us as soon as possible.

Rent is due on the first day of the month. For all important details and dates regarding rent payment, please refer to your lease agreement. Your lease will clearly outline your monthly rent amount, due date, acceptable payment methods and more.

If you’re having trouble paying rent, please contact us as soon as possible. We will help you find a solution that minimizes consequences. Consequences for overdue or missed payments can include late fees and, in serious cases, eviction.

Please use the online resident portal to submit maintenance requests. When submitting your request, please be as detailed as possible. Include photos or videos of the issue, when possible, to help our team successfully address the issue.

For urgent maintenance issues that threaten your safety or could cause property damage, contact our 24/7 emergency maintenance line immediately (listed in your lease). For immediate dangers like fire or gas leaks, call 911 first. Note that mandatory tenant insurance helps cover temporary accommodations if a property issue renders the home temporarily uninhabitable. For personal emergencies—such as job loss or major life changes—we lead with empathy. Having navigated complex situations over the years, from global crises to personal hardships, our core philosophy is to collaborate and find a practical, win-win solution for both tenant and owner. While all leases are governed by the Residential Tenancy Act, arbitration is strictly a last resort. We always aim to resolve challenges respectfully and amicably first.

This depends. Pet policies vary by property. Please review the specific listing or lease to understand the exact pet policies. Properties that do allow pets may involve pet requirements, pet restrictions or pet fees. If you have a pet, please disclose it during the application process.

No, you cannot make any changes to the property without approval from your property manager. Any changes or improvement that you were planning to make to the property need to be approved by the Property Manager/the owner.

At Orca Realty, we value your privacy and will never enter your home without proper notice, except in emergencies. Should we need to enter the home for a valid reason, we will give you at least 24 hours’ written notice, stating the purpose for entering, as well as the date and the time we will enter.

In British Columbia, most residential tenancies continue on a month-to-month basis unless a fixed term is specified in the agreement. If you need to break a fixed-term lease early, your Residential Tenancy Agreement contains a liquidated damages clause. This is a predetermined amount of money that both parties agreed to at the start of the tenancy. Paying the liquidated damages amount does not end your responsibility for rent; however, once it is paid, it becomes our responsibility as the landlord’s agent to mitigate your losses by promptly re-renting the property to a suitable replacement tenant. We understand that life happens. Once you notify us in writing, we’ll begin remarketing the property (typically within 24–48 hours) to find a new tenant and help minimize the costs and inconvenience for everyone involved.

When you’re on a month-to-month tenancy, you must provide written notice at least 30 days before your move-out date. Notice can be provided by email or registered mail. We’ll then send you the move-out instructions, including cleaning requirements and how to return the property to its original condition. On your last day, your Property Manager will complete a walk-through with you.

The security deposit is equal to half of one month’s rent, at most. We hold the security deposit to cover costs related to damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, or other charges. If there are no deductions, it’s fully returned and deposited back into your account that you pay rent from within 15 days of giving us your forwarding address. Any agreed-upon deductions from your security deposit will be processed accordingly, and our accounting team will calculate the applicable interest before the deposit is returned.

At Orca Realty, we pride ourselves on being available for our residents. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you’re a current resident, please use the online resident portal for general inquiries or maintenance requests. If you’re a prospective resident, please call us at 604-921-6722 or to send us an email at info@orcarealty.ca. We look forward to hearing from you!