Do societies and co-operatives have to respond to people who want to look at the records in their tenant/member file?

Yes, but you have two different options for responding to a request. You can either make a complete copy of the file, or have the resident come into your office to look at the records.

If there is no third party information in the file—such as letters written by other residents about the person asking to see the file—it may be easier to have the resident come in, look at the file, and then just provide copies of any records requested. If there is third party information in the file, you have 30 days to respond to the request, and must sever all the third-party information before copying the records.

If you need assistance, call our Manager, Business Support Services who is responsible for Freedom of Information decisions at BC Housing, at 604-433-1711