One Month Notice to End Tenancy BC: Form RTB-33 for Cause

When Form RTB-33 Applies

Form RTB-33 is the Residential Tenancy Branch's prescribed notice for ending a tenancy with one month's notice. It covers two situations: cause (a material breach of the tenancy agreement) and end of employment (when the tenant's right to occupy was tied to a job that has ended).

For landlords, the cause route is far more common — and far more likely to fail at a hearing if the groundwork wasn't done properly.

What Counts as "Cause" Under the RTA

The Residential Tenancy Act requires a material breach of a specific tenancy term. Common qualifying grounds include:

• Repeated late rent — a pattern of late payments, not a single late month
• Significant property damage beyond normal wear and tear
• Serious disturbance to other tenants or neighbours that the landlord has documented
• Unauthorized occupants or subletting in violation of the agreement
• Illegal activity conducted in the rental unit

A single late rent payment, minor noise complaints without documentation, or disagreements about maintenance don't meet the threshold. RTB arbitrators evaluate whether the breach is genuinely material and whether it justifies ending the tenancy.

The Mandatory Warning Letter Requirement

This is where most one-month cause notices fail. For breach of a material term, the RTA requires you to show that:

1. You served a prior written warning letter identifying the specific breach
2. The letter gave the tenant a reasonable deadline to correct the problem
3. The tenant failed to comply within that deadline

Without this documented warning, your application for an Order of Possession will almost certainly be dismissed — even if the breach is serious and ongoing. The warning letter doesn't need to be on a prescribed form, but it must clearly state what the breach is, what the tenant needs to do, and by when.

Keep a copy of the warning letter and your proof of how you delivered it. You'll need both at the hearing.

Serving the Notice and Calculating the Timeline

The notice period is one calendar month, but it doesn't start on the day you hand over the form. It starts on the date the tenant is deemed to have received it — which depends on your service method:

• Hand delivery: received the same day
• Registered mail: deemed received 5 days after mailing
• Mailbox or mail slot: deemed received 3 days after insertion
• Attached to the door: deemed received 3 days after posting
• Email (only if Form RTB-51 is signed): deemed received 3 days after sending

The effective termination date must fall on the day before rent is due — typically the last day of a calendar month for tenancies where rent is due on the 1st.

Example: You serve RTB-33 by registered mail on March 10. Deemed receipt is March 15 (5 days later). The one-month notice period covers the full next rental period. If rent is due on the 1st, the earliest effective move-out date is April 30.

The 10-Day Dispute Window

The tenant has 10 calendar days from the deemed receipt date to file for dispute resolution with the RTB. If they dispute, the notice is automatically suspended — you cannot enforce it until the RTB hears the case and issues a decision.

If the tenant doesn't dispute and doesn't leave by the effective date, you can apply online for an Order of Possession through the Direct Request process ($100 filing fee). Form RTB-12L-DR is for 10-day unpaid-rent notices; one-month notice applications must be filed online. This is a document-only review — no hearing — and is available only when the notice was undisputed.

Building Your Evidence File

Whether the tenant disputes or you go through Direct Request, the RTB will review:

• Your signed tenancy agreement
• The written warning letter with proof of delivery
• Form RTB-33 with all fields completed
• Form RTB-34 (Proof of Service) with your delivery method and date
• Any supporting evidence: photos, communications, rent ledger, neighbour statements

Organize this into a single file before you serve the notice. If a hearing is scheduled, the applicant's evidence must be received at least 14 days before the hearing and the respondent's evidence at least seven days before it.

End-of-Employment Tenancies

If your tenant's right to occupy the unit was connected to their employment — a caretaker suite, for example — and the employment has ended, RTB-33 is also the correct form. The notice period and dispute window are the same. No prior warning letter is required for this ground because the triggering event is the end of employment, not a breach.

Next Steps

The one-month cause notice is one of several tools available to BC landlords, each with its own form, timeline, and requirements. The Ending a Tenancy in British Columbia guide includes the complete form-to-ground matrix, deemed service calculations for every delivery method, and a proof-of-service log template so nothing falls through the cracks.

See more British Columbia guides →