Vancouver man fined $80K for unlicensed property management

A Vancouver man and his company have been ordered to pay a total of \$80,000 to British Columbia’s real estate regulator after admitting to managing properties without a licence for more than eight years.

The fine stems from a consent order published by the B.C. Financial Services Authority, which oversees the real estate industry in the province. The order applies to Peter Ho Chiu Chu and his company, 168 Rock Solid Homes Ltd., both of whom admitted to offering property management services while unlicensed.

Investigators found that between 2012 and 2020, Chu and his company managed at least 31 properties across Vancouver, Richmond, Delta, Burnaby, and West Vancouver. The services included advertising rentals, screening tenants, collecting rent and deposits, managing leases, handling maintenance, and even representing landlords in hearings with the Residential Tenancy Branch.

Chu told regulators that he did not know a licence was required until he was contacted by the authorities. He had previously promised to stop offering property management services without a licence in May 2020, but investigators found he continued—even without pay—anticipating future earnings once licensed.

The settlement includes a \$75,000 administrative penalty plus \$5,000 to cover the cost of the investigation. Notably, this is not the only recent penalty involving his household—Chu’s wife, Rena Liang, and her personal real estate corporation were fined \$50,000 in May for professional misconduct.

The fine underlines how seriously B.C. regulators treat property management: the law requires licensing to protect tenants, landlords, and the public. Anyone acting as a property manager must be licensed, and failing to comply can result in hefty penalties.