BC landlord asking for "first and last month's rent" as a deposit — isn't that not how BC works?

Worth pushing back on this one — BC doesn't have an Ontario-style "last month's rent deposit" at all. What a BC landlord can legally collect is a security deposit, capped at half a month's rent, held against damage or unpaid rent (not applied to your last month), plus a separate pet damage deposit if you have a pet. If a landlord is asking for a full extra month labeled as "last month's rent," that's not the BC system — worth clarifying with them or checking with the Residential Tenancy Branch directly before you pay it. /guides/renters-insurance-and-renting-basics has the province comparison.