If you manage a rental property in BC, tenant turnover can be one of the biggest challenges.

Every vacancy doesn’t just mean lost rental income — it also piles on marketing expenses, cleaning fees, and extra wear & tear on your property.

What if you could break the cycle and keep tenants longer?

In this blog, we reveal 9 proven strategies to minimize rental turnover and make sure your property stands out in the Canadian rental market.

What is Tenant Turnover?

Tenant turnover happens when a former tenant moves out and creates a rental vacancy, leading to missed weeks or months of rental income.

While some turnover is inevitable, high turnover rates often signal underlying issues like poor tenant satisfaction, uncompetitive pricing, or inadequate maintenance.

Tenant Turnover Rate

Your tenant turnover rate compares the number of tenants who vacate a property at the end of their lease, compared to the total number of tenants in your portfolio.

For example, if you have 3 rental properties and you experience 1 turnover per year, then your tenant turnover rate is equal to 1 divided by 3, or 33.3%, while your tenant retention rate is 66.7%.

The average tenant turnover rate in Vancouver, British Columbia was 8.1% in 2023, an indication of a very tight rental market that’s below the national average of 12.5%. In contrast, Victoria, BC showed a slightly higher turnover rate of 15.7%, indicating more mobility in the Vancouver Island market.

The Costs of Tenant Turnover

Tenant turnover is expensive in terms of both time and money. Here’s what you can expect to face with every tenant change:

Revenue Loss: Every day your property is vacant is a day of missed rental income, which means you’re on the hook for the full mortgage payment
Marketing and Showing Expenses: Listing fees, advertising costs, and time spent showing the unit add up quickly
Preparation Costs: Cleaning, painting, and other necessary touch-ups to make your property move-in ready can strain your budget
Increased Wear and Tear: Frequent turnovers lead to more opportunities for damage, increasing your maintenance and repair costs over time — and sometimes eating up your entire damage deposit

In Kelowna, BC where the average 2-bed rent is $2,300, addressing these issues upfront can save you thousands annually.

9 Ways to Decrease Tenant Turnover

Looking for stable, long-term tenants who don’t turn over every year? Here are 9 ways how to reduce tenant turnover:

1. Screen for High-Quality Tenants

Tenant screening is the foundation of tenant retention.

Implement a thorough screening process to verify your tenant’s income, contact their past landlord as references, conduct background checks, and assess their credit reports.

In Canada, you’re more likely to attract a pool of candidates when the rental market is at its peak from Spring to Summer.

2. Choose a Great Location

Location plays a critical role in attracting and retaining tenants.

If you own a rental property in a popular location, you’re more likely to have a consistent demand from renters — if you price it right.

In Kelowna, neighborhoods with access to amenities and low crime rates tend to have lower turnover rates.

As a landlord, highlight the strengths of your property’s location in your rental listings:

If your property is near top-rated schools, showcase that for families
If it’s close to downtown entertainment and nightlife, market it to younger professionals.

Pro Tip: Provide new tenants with a welcome packet featuring local attractions, transportation options, community resources, gyms, schools, and restaurants, to help them settle in and feel at home.

Related content: Kelowna’s Safest Neighborhoods

3. Price Strategically

Before listing your rental property on the market, make an honest comparison of similar properties in your area (age of the property, size, amenities) to determine a realistic monthly price.

An overpriced unit drives away tenants and increases turnover, while underpricing can harm your profitability.

If you’re renting in a slowing market with falling rent prices, you can keep good tenants by offering concessions in the form of reduced rent or included services like internet, water or electricity.

Check out: Average Rent in Kelowna, BC

4. Be Proactive With Maintenance & Fast With Repairs

Staying ahead of maintenance needs is one of the best ways to keep your tenants happy — or at least prevent them from being upset.

The worst landlords receive maintenance requests, then downplay their severity, delay due to cashflow problems, or ignore them completely — until the renter contacts the Ombudsman and forces their hand.

Some landlords in rent-controlled properties try to minimize their maintenance expenditures — often due to cash flow problems — which then harms tenant satisfaction and retention.

That’s why you should always conduct routine inspections and perform preventive maintenance to tackle issues before they escalate into larger, more expensive problems requiring repairs or replacements.

Routine: Plumbing, HVAC, appliances, wear & tear on floors, windows & doors
Winter: Heating systems, gutters, and walkways are salted or cleared of snow
Summer: Air conditioning, sprinklers & hose lines, and landscaping

When you receive a maintenance request, communicate openly with your tenants to acknowledge their request, then give them a timeline saying when you’ll complete the repairs.

Tenants are far more likely to renew their lease when they feel their concerns are handled efficiently and respectfully.

5. Invest in Upgrades: Kitchen, Bath, Amenities & Security

You can make your rental property more appealing by investing in upgrades and aesthetic improvements.

For more renters on the market, the kitchen and bathrooms stand out as the most important spaces during a viewing.

With petty crime on the rise, home security is also an important feature in today’s market.

Install locks, security cameras, motion detectors, and lights in the parking & common areas to create peace of mind for your tenants and encourage them to stay for the long haul.

6. Make it Pet Friendly

Making your unit pet-friendly can help you attract a broader pool of tenants and make them comfortable to stay on for the long-term.

Here are some quick tips:

Fence off the yard
Install hard flooring instead of carpet to prevent lingering smells
Avoid indoor or outdoor plants that are harmful to pets
Avoid installing pet doors which increase the likelihood of theft
Establish a pet policy to specify the size, type and number of animals permitted

If you do allow pets in your rental home, make sure you collect a pet damage deposit. In BC, Canada, you can ask for up to 50% of one month’s rent.

7. Communicate Effectively During the Tenancy

Poor communication and a lack of concern for tenant issues are one of the strongest catalysts for tenant dissatisfaction.

Always communicate clearly, promptly, and professionally with your tenants — whether it’s a phone call, email, or text message.

You can simplify your landlord experience by using technology for routine communications, ex::

Software that automatically emails or texts all of your tenants about maintenance or repairs in one go
Online platforms to collect rent payments and submit maintenance requests

8. Conduct Move-out Interviews

When tenants do eventually move out, ask them for feedback in a quick exit interview.

Here are some things to ask in move-out interview:

If they were satisfied with the property & its amenities
If there were specific issues that caused them to leave
If they were happy with your landlord-tenant relationship
What they liked most about living there
Why they are moving

If there were no major issues and your tenant moved due to work, family, or personal reasons, you can ask them for a testimonial to help you land your next great tenant.

9. Market Your Vacant Property Quickly

When tenants eventually turnover, it’s important to have a marketing plan in place that you can execute right away to screen new tenants and “get heads in beds.”

Clean your property, take high-res photos & videos, then list your property on the best rental platforms in your city, which could be Facebook Marketplace, local classified ads, or a professional property management team.

Vantage West Realty, Inc. Property Management division in Kelowna, BC

Minimizing rental turnover takes effort, market insight, and time.

If you own a rental property in Kelowna, Peachland, or Vernon BC, our professional property managers at Vantage West Realty can manage the entire process for you.

From tenant screening to maintenance coordination and our guaranteed rents program, our experienced team can keep your property occupied with reliable tenants — year after year.

You get to benefit from our online marketing and SEO system, where we have page 1 results on Google for popular search terms like:

kelowna rentals: 6,600 monthly searches
apartments for rent kelowna: 4,400 monthly searches
house for rent kelowna: 2,900 monthly searches

Ready to take the hassle out of managing your rental property and reduce your rental vacancy rate?

Contact us to maximize the true potential of your real estate investments.

How to Reduce Tenant Turnover in Your Rental Property in Canada