Vancouver's new tenant help line answered 2,100 calls in its first month

A tenant help line launched by the City of Vancouver last month answered 2,100 calls in its first four weeks, according to a report to council.

Questions about rent increases made up 38 per cent of calls, followed by repairs and maintenance at 27 per cent. About one in five callers asked for help in a language other than English, most often Cantonese, Punjabi or Farsi.

The line refers callers to legal clinics and the provincial tenancy branch but does not give legal advice. Staff say wait times averaged four minutes.

The report recommends adding two more staff before the end of winter, when calls about heat and damp usually rise.