Vancouver
is listed as the second most expensive city to live in according to the eighth
annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey. With such high rental
rates, it comes with no surprise that our mayor Gregor Robertson’s vision of
Vancouver is that of condo profits and development projects.
With
a campaign largely funded by developers, Robertson and his crew are giving
massive tax breaks to many private enterprises under the guise of creating more
rental housing. Are they affordable? No, they are limited and luxurious, well
out of the price range of your average Vancouverite.
With
52 per cent of the population being renters and vacancy rates under one per
cent, the majority of people are fighting for a minority of space.
Within
this housing crisis of low supply and high demand, it’s an ideal market for
landlords. Tenants are often subordinated by the inequality within this
relationship. Often I ask myself: why do I need to supply references when the
landlord is not expected to do the same? After all, I am paying more than half
my income into their pocket and having to live under their power.
With
rent increasing with inflation, as wages and other social securities remain the
same, the percentage of our total income being allocated to rent is
increasingly unaffordable. Rent increases in Vancouver have often exceeded
inflation, which is two per cent, with a sharp 5.5 per cent increase in 2007,
and a 3.8 per cent increase in 2008.
In
Vancouver, 27 per cent of renters have an “affordability problem,” defined as
paying more than 30 per cent of one’s income towards their housing, according
to a report by economic research company Will Dunning Inc. to the City of
Vancouver in 2009.
There
are some policies in place that seem to protect tenants. The Residential
Tenancy Act includes a limit on rent increases annually of two per cent plus
inflation. However, also included within the act are ways around this, which
landlords often use to victimize renters.
Within
the last month, a 45 per cent rent increase was issued to the senior residents
living in the Lions Manor by the Mount Pleasant Housing Society, a non-profit
seniors housing project. The clause within the B.C. Residential Tenancy Act
allows a landlord to raise their property’s rent to match the general market value
of the surrounding area. In other words, if your neighborhood is being
gentrified, then rents may increase way beyond the standard two per cent via a bylaw
loophole.
The
laws in place to restrict the increase of rent in B.C. are feeble, and with
city-sanctioned gentrification, the threat of displacement is, for many, a real
fear, the only option being to move somewhere cheaper (if you can afford the plane
ticket).
Since
we can’t rely on our governments to protect the general public, we must – and can
–
collectively take action. As of recently, a new organization called the
Vancouver Renters’ Union has formed. They describe themselves as a “vehicle for
renters to collectively determine housing rights, rents, and stability through
collective bargaining and political action.” This organization takes after the
labour union model to better the conditions of tenancy.
Another
organization that gives support for tenants is the Tenant Resource Advisory
Centre (TRAC). They provide tenants with resources for legal education and
information about residential tenancy laws in B.C. They keep tabs on issues faced
by tenants and some of their key issues include assisted living, human rights,
and evictions for renovations.
Renovictions
are another form of legislative trickery – landlords are allowed to evict
tenants for renovations, which allows them to raise rents to whatever pleases
them financially – yet another clause in the Residential Tenancy Act that
allows landlords to bypass the two per cent increases.
One
example is the case of Allman v. Amacon in 2007, in which Amacon Property
Management Service tried to evict over 100 tenants in the Richmond Gardens
complex for renovations. The court ruled against Amacon and in the favor of the
tenants rights.
Even
though the tenants won the case, winning in Supreme Court is a huge investment
in time and energy. TRAC believes that the Residential Tenancy Act should be
amended to protect tenants from evictions based on renovations.
The
majority of people in Vancouver are vulnerable in terms of security for
housing. With the many loopholes in the B.C. Residential Tenancy Act, which
favor landlord capital gain, tenants are regularly being taken advantaged of.
The relationship between tenant and landlord needs to change.
Many
groups within Vancouver are addressing these issues on a one-to-one basis, and
there is support out there for tenants in distress. Getting involved in social
organizations like the Vancouver Renters’ Union, the Tenant Resource Advisory
Centre and other grass roots organizations like Renters at Risk are important
for your participation in democracy and social change.
TRAC
has a resource online in PDF format called “The Tenant Survival Guide” that
outlines many things you should know as a renter in B.C. Personally, my advice
to you in any transaction with landlords is to be well informed with your
rights and get everything in writing.
Harrison
Pratt is a musician, formerCapilano film student, and resident of East
Vancouver. His experiences working minimum wage and handing over most of his
income to pay for his previous education have led him to write about issues
affecting the low-income population of Vancouver.
//Harrison Pratt, columnist
//Harrison Pratt, columnist
|
