Can a landlord enter common rooms, in a house that is leased individually room by room, without notice?

Question

I live in a large house shared with several roommates. We each have our own lease with the landlord. The landlord has been letting himself into the house frequently with no explanation. I was under the impression this was illegal, but am not sure considering the landlord only enters common areas such as hallways and the kitchen (though these are still within the confines of the house).

I found the information here saying

A landlord may enter:

• Any common areas that are shared with others like hallways, courtyards and laundry facilities – no notice is required

This seems to be talking more about apartment buildings with hallways anyone can walk through.

Without warning or reason, can the landlord knock on the door and be allowed in if whoever answers says it's okay?

Answer 1

The actual law in BC, the Residential Tenancy Act, guaranteed a tenant's rights to the rental unit and the common areas, and restricts the landlord's right to enter the rental unit. Common areas are distinct from the rental unit. A common areas is "any part of residential property the use of which is shared by tenants, or by a landlord and one or more tenants", and a rental unit is a "living accommodation rented or intended to be rented to a tenant". In this case, that would be the room. There is no restriction at all on landlord's access to common areas, and there is no requirement that landlord access to common areas be for specific purposes. Access to the rental unit, on the other hand, must be for a reasonable purpose.

Answer 2

I called an information officer and this was the answer I was given (taken from memory)

The landlord is allowed to enter common areas, such as the kitchen, without notice. However, they must have a valid reason. So for example they can't just hangout.

Answer 3

So it seems that in this house, you signed a lease for a specific bedroom and then got access to the other parts of the house that are common areas and every roommate has signed a similar lease. Under this situation, the Landlord may not enter any rented bedroom but may enter the rest of the house. Additionally, any resident of the house (all lease signers and the Landlord to the extent of the common areas) may allow anyone else into the house. Additionally, all your roommates count as valid invites for 4th Amendment purposes, so if the police come and your roomy lets them into the house to conduct a search, your room is not off limits unless the door is locked or the roommate gives them explicit denial to enter that room (The Lease should prevent the Landlord from opening your room to the cops without a warrant as he is explicitly told he may not enter without your permission).