Menu Close

The CRT Process

The CRT is part of the British Columbia justice system. We offer an accessible, affordable way to resolve many types of civil law disputes without needing a lawyer or attending court.

We encourage a collaborative approach. But if you can’t reach an agreement, an independent tribunal member can make a decision about the claim. CRT decisions and orders are enforceable in court.

For most claims, the CRT process has 4 main stages. You can make an agreement to settle your claim at any stage.

Intimate images claims have a streamlined process. See our Intimate Images FAQs for details.

View a detailed flowchart of the CRT process.

Apply or respond

Start with our free Solution Explorer. It has free legal information and tools. Then make a claim, or respond to a claim someone made against you.

Learn how to make a claim, or respond to a claim someone made against you.

Negotiation

Use our secure and confidential negotiation platform. You can talk through the issues in the claim and try to reach an agreement.

Learn about negotiation.

Facilitation

If you can’t negotiate a solution to your claim, a CRT case manager will help you try to reach an agreement. Your agreement can be turned into an enforceable order.

Learn about facilitation.

CRT decision

If you can’t reach an agreement by negotiation or facilitation, an independent tribunal member will make a decision about your claim. A CRT decision can be enforced like a court order.

Learn about CRT final decisions.

Where is my claim at in this process?

Log in to your CRT Account anytime to see what stage of the CRT process your claim is in.

Our FAQs are organized by stage. Look for our process graphic at the top of help articles to understand which stage the topic is about. For example:

Progress Bar 3 - Facilitation

How the CRT Works

Watch our video about Ming and Dharma to learn about the stages in the CRT process.