Even who are making $20/ hr are spending way too much of their net income on rent for a very basic, often substandard, accommodation. It’s only the wealthy who can afford something clean, safe, and reasonably updated - never mind posh.
Housing
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I agree, it seems the rental market has taken the same turn as the housing market. People are paying outlandish prices for inferior houses in bad neighbourhoods....the main rule in real estate purchases used to be location, location, location, but this has taken a back seat and people will pay too much for a crappy house in crappy neighbourhoods just to get in the market.Even who are making $20/ hr are spending way too much of their net income on rent for a very basic, often substandard, accommodation. It’s only the wealthy who can afford something clean, safe, and reasonably updated - never mind posh.
The same is now happening within the rental market....the right to have a place to live has taken a back seat to profit and the government has given full reign to those who are in a position to abuse it.....the government has to step in and stop this crap. Unfortunately, most politicians probably have investment properties themselves and so do their friends and it's lovely for them that they've turned an investment that used to be long term into a shorter term investment. that rivals any banking investment they could ever make.
In Ontario there are no longer rent controls for:
nursing homes
commercial properties
vacant residential units
social housing units
New housing units which have been created since January 13th 2018, are no longer subject to rent controls. This includes new basement apartments, additions to existing buildings and newly built houses.
So technically if you leased a brand new house for $3000/month,your landlord can change your rent to $4000 when your lease is up, if they want to. You will either have to move or suck it up.
nursing homes
commercial properties
vacant residential units
social housing units
New housing units which have been created since January 13th 2018, are no longer subject to rent controls. This includes new basement apartments, additions to existing buildings and newly built houses.
So technically if you leased a brand new house for $3000/month,your landlord can change your rent to $4000 when your lease is up, if they want to. You will either have to move or suck it up.
Mendalla
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The counterargument is that without that ability to raise rent to market levels between tenants, no one will build rental housing. Condos become more lucrative. You would also have to limit the ability to convert rental to purchase in other words, and maybe have cities use zoning to force developers to build a certain of rental units per condo.
Another issue is construction costs. I don't know about other cities, but construction costs are high here so even a non-profit would be charging fairly high rents on new units just to break even. A plan for my new office got put on hold because of the cost of building.
That said, I know what you're saying. A friend's daughter got a job with Bell head office in Toronto right out of university and they ended up buying her a condo. It was cheaper than renting.
It is definitely nuts but rent controls can't be applied willy-nilly. You need to look at the forces driving costs and prices to make sure you're not causing another problem by targeting the wrong part of the system.
Another issue is construction costs. I don't know about other cities, but construction costs are high here so even a non-profit would be charging fairly high rents on new units just to break even. A plan for my new office got put on hold because of the cost of building.
That said, I know what you're saying. A friend's daughter got a job with Bell head office in Toronto right out of university and they ended up buying her a condo. It was cheaper than renting.
It is definitely nuts but rent controls can't be applied willy-nilly. You need to look at the forces driving costs and prices to make sure you're not causing another problem by targeting the wrong part of the system.
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Even in the past three years it’s gotten astronomically worse. Back then I thought it couldn’t get worse! I was very lucky to find a nice little off season air bnb for 2 seasons. For the amount of space, I guess it was expensive, but it was a nice relaxing little place of my own. Also, I regret not taking a large semi contained suite last summer (I would’ve had my own bedroom, living room with a gas fireplace, and bathroom, but shared the kitchen). I was concerned that the woman who was the leaseholder subletting on the owner’s behalf was being evasive about how much the bills cost. I got into trouble in Vancouver when my roommate lied to me about rent and bills - they were in arrears even though I paid my share every month. One day the power went out because of her unpaid bill - I borrowed money to help her get out of dodge to turn the lights on. My family lent her money directly, supposedly to help her get caught up on rent, which she paid back - but she was still a month behind. She made it seem like she was only a bit short and she’d have it all next payday. She was stalling the landlord too, but she was still another whole month behind. Her credit cards were maxed, she was robbing Peter to pay Paul but acting like it was no big deal and none of my business. I was livid because I paid my share and she lied to me and would not discuss with me how dire her financial circumstances were. I tried to press her for more information and she threw a container of granola at me, narrowly missing me and spilling all over the floor. We both walked around the pile for a week. She played the “Its your fault I threw it at you, card.” And I was like, “Uh uh, not my fault. Clean up yourself.” It was bad and I lost a long friendship over it. She was having some mental health (and another friend of ours suspected substance abuse...drinking too much too often mainly.) I didn’t see it because sometimes she was gone for a whole weekend but our friend did. I was in grief, my husband left...so it was a really bad time. And that was someone I knew. I had no idea she was hanging on by a thread herself. She always acted in control and pretended she was a paragon of stability. I didn’t see this until I lived with her. It’s a shame.
Anyway, I got a sneaking feeling that this new roommate/ subletter was falling behind on bills and I didn’t want to be paying higher bills to cover her debts. I liked her and felt bad for backing out. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
Anyway, I got a sneaking feeling that this new roommate/ subletter was falling behind on bills and I didn’t want to be paying higher bills to cover her debts. I liked her and felt bad for backing out. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
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So what do people who are not paid by the market, enough to cover the cost of living, do? Die on the street? Get rounded up? We’ve just heard Trump complain about people getting sick walking into their offices stepping over homeless people. We’ve reached peak capitalism, I think. Even in Canada, we are not immune to what’s going on in the US. It’ll creep up here if nothing changes. I’m really kind of worried.
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Also, I saw an eviction notice slipped under the door when she was out. It was the second one and she never mentioned the first one. I was stressed, she was obviously stressed. I never want that kind of situation again. It ruined a friendship.Even in the past three years it’s gotten astronomically worse. Back then I thought it couldn’t get worse! I was very lucky to find a nice little off season air bnb for 2 seasons. For the amount of space, I guess it was expensive, but it was a nice relaxing little place of my own. Also, I regret not taking a large semi contained suite last summer (I would’ve had my own bedroom, living room with a gas fireplace, and bathroom, but shared the kitchen). I was concerned that the woman who was the leaseholder subletting on the owner’s behalf was being evasive about how much the bills cost. I got into trouble in Vancouver when my roommate lied to me about rent and bills - they were in arrears even though I paid my share every month. One day the power went out because of her unpaid bill - I borrowed money to help her get out of dodge to turn the lights on. My family lent her money directly, supposedly to help her get caught up on rent, which she paid back - but she was still a month behind. She made it seem like she was only a bit short and she’d have it all next payday. She was stalling the landlord too, but she was still another whole month behind. Her credit cards were maxed, she was robbing Peter to pay Paul but acting like it was no big deal and none of my business. I was livid because I paid my share and she lied to me and would not discuss with me how dire her financial circumstances were. I tried to press her for more information and she threw a container of granola at me, narrowly missing me and spilling all over the floor. We both walked around the pile for a week. She played the “Its your fault I threw it at you, card.” And I was like, “Uh uh, not my fault. Clean up yourself.” It was bad and I lost a long friendship over it. She was having some mental health (and another friend of ours suspected substance abuse...drinking too much too often mainly.) I didn’t see it because sometimes she was gone for a whole weekend but our friend did. I was in grief, my husband left...so it was a really bad time. And that was someone I knew. I had no idea she was hanging on by a thread herself. She always acted in control and pretended she was a paragon of stability. I didn’t see this until I lived with her. It’s a shame.
Anyway, I got a sneaking feeling that this new roommate/ subletter was falling behind on bills and I didn’t want to be paying higher bills to cover her debts. I liked her and felt bad for backing out. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
Why not? they were certainly removed willy-nilly.
Lastpointe
Well-Known Member
The cost of renting in our biggest cities is high. No question. My daughter looked at a basement apartment, one bedroom, smallish, in Toronto for $1900 a month plus utilities and no laundry
But rents have always been high. Landlords get as much as they can get, always have. You are deluding yourself if you think in the past landlords were just nice folks trying to help you out
Regulations need to be in place to help both renters and landlords. In Toronto they are struggling with the no to front doors issue. But houses are so expensive that people are wanting to finish off their basements and rent them out or they can’t afford the house
Certainly Toronto’s student populations struggle to find places , bid over the asking amount to get the places, cram as many kids in as possible to afford the sky high rents and yes, rent out empty rooms in the summer if they go home. Always have
If feels like rents have gone up fast but so have the price of houses
I think that one of the downsides is that the downtown cores of big cities have become areas where only the wealthy live. Everyone else commutes from small towns for an hour or two.
Both my kids now have condos , we helped them with down payments. Their six cousins, all live in small towns. All have large houses that cost way less than their one bedroom condos
But rents have always been high. Landlords get as much as they can get, always have. You are deluding yourself if you think in the past landlords were just nice folks trying to help you out
Regulations need to be in place to help both renters and landlords. In Toronto they are struggling with the no to front doors issue. But houses are so expensive that people are wanting to finish off their basements and rent them out or they can’t afford the house
Certainly Toronto’s student populations struggle to find places , bid over the asking amount to get the places, cram as many kids in as possible to afford the sky high rents and yes, rent out empty rooms in the summer if they go home. Always have
If feels like rents have gone up fast but so have the price of houses
I think that one of the downsides is that the downtown cores of big cities have become areas where only the wealthy live. Everyone else commutes from small towns for an hour or two.
Both my kids now have condos , we helped them with down payments. Their six cousins, all live in small towns. All have large houses that cost way less than their one bedroom condos
Very lucky kids.
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
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Sorry, but that is a ridiculous justification for anything. It's essentially saying it is okay to create new problems with a solution I like because the solution it replaces that I didn't like caused problems.
We need to get away from making decisions based on ideology and political expediency and start looking at problems like housing rationally. Which neither left nor right is doing.
It should be illegal for an individual to have excess millions. Billionaires should certainly be illegal. Less face it...it has to do with luck, with how much family contributes to trust funds and education and the like, and nepotism, more than it has to do with being deserving of wealth.
And I repeat, was all that taken into account when rent controls were removed?
No, they have not always rented rooms when they go away in the summer. The vacancies were not always so low, so they rented different places when they came back. Or paid the rent while they were away because it wasn’t so high. I remember when it was easy enough to move just for a change. People moved because we wanted to not because we had to. And no rents have not always been so high relative to the cost of living. You are deluding yourself if you tell yourself it’s always been this way. You are not helping if you resign to the idea that it always will be. But I guess it’s not a problem you will ever experience yourself so why do you have to think otherwise?
Mendalla
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Probably not, but that doesn't mean we have to keep making that mistake. Rent controls didn't guarantee people a room. We still had homeless people and people spending significant portions of their income on rent. Let's look at what has and has not worked both here and elsewhere and then craft a solution accordingly. Because a hasty decision is very likely to fail to achieve its goals. Complex problems can't be fixed by simplistic solutions. You will inevitably create new problems.
Northwind
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Rent controls are important. As with any policy, there are ripple effects. I remember some of the issues that @Mendalla mentioned. My mother-in-law has been in her apartment for over 30 years. I'm glad she has the protection of rent controls. I believe there's been enough turnover so that the building is getting the revenue to be able to fix things and keep it in decent repair. It became a problem when rents didn't cover expenses. If the policy is well thought out, and well implemented, theoretically, it is decent for both. Bottomline though, there needs to be affordable rentals available.
When I lived in a highrise in London, there was something in place where a percentage of the units had to be rented out on a rent to income basis. Is that policy still in place? Something like that can work well in buildings and would help people like @Kimmio Laughterlove Sadly, at the same time, there are usually long lines to get those units.
When I lived in a highrise in London, there was something in place where a percentage of the units had to be rented out on a rent to income basis. Is that policy still in place? Something like that can work well in buildings and would help people like @Kimmio Laughterlove Sadly, at the same time, there are usually long lines to get those units.
Problem is the problem is here now and needs immediate attention, so sometimes while things are being thought through a temporary solution is required.
I recall when the vetarans returned with no housing, whole subdivisions were built (war time housing)......small wooden houses with no basements and low interest rates for veterans at a very low purchase price.
Not here there isn’t. There are some non-profit NGO housing agencies - which act as building managers - that have done that. There are few and people don’t move out often. It’s not required by private property companies to have that kind of system. Co-ops would be similar, except you pay a share price, then rent after that is geared to income, some co-op buildings will have different tenants paying different rents but it’s a voluntary community where everybody agrees to the principle. A persons rent will never go up as long as they fall within the income parameters. Again, they do not have vacancies often.
Northwind
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I believe Ontario did away with this some time ago. I knew it wasn't in effect when we rented in northern BC. It seems like it could be a simple part of the solution. I realize it has its detractors and that it isn't perfect. Of course with the current political climate that elects people like Doug Ford and Jason Kenney, I don't see it being on the table anytime soon.
I've wondered if it is feasible for a single person to buy a cheap older winterized trailer and park it on an all year round lot in BC? Or are the 4 season lots hard to come by? And would they be on bus routes or too far out of the city?