WEEK OF JANUARY 29 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
Headlines this week focused on the government student visa cap, which we’ll touch on in a future show – but what wasn’t prominent in the headlines but should have been are the city of Hamilton passing a new bylaw preventing so-called renovictions.
read moreSTALLED CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPLY SHORTAGES FUEL RECORD-HIGH RENT PRICES ACROSS CANADA
liv.rent’s recently released 2024 Rental Market Trend Report unveils surprising trends that renters and landlords should be aware of. This report delves into crucial rental data from 2023, covering rent prices, construction trends, and migration patterns to provide a snapshot of the current Canadian rental market and the primary forces shaping its ongoing dynamics. Inside the 43-page report, you’ll find new data and exclusive insights drawn from liv.rent’s own rental market analysis and...
read moreTHE CASE AGAINST HIGH PROPERTY TAX RATES ON MULTI-RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN ONTARIO
Should a renter only be able to use half the number of municipal roads as a homeowner? What about getting police or fire protection half the times they call? Of course not. These are critical municipal services open to all. But renters in many of Ontario’s oldest multi-residential rental buildings are paying twice as much for the same services as residents of single-family homes through the rent that building owners pass through to them. This discrepancy not only places an undue financial...
read moreBRAMPTON PAUSES LICENSING PILOT AFTER PUSHBACK FROM LANDLORDS
The City of Brampton has paused its recently implemented landlord licensing pilot program, which had come into effect earlier this month. The city said the “temporary” pause is due to concerns raised by those affected by the two-year program, which requires landlords in five electoral wards to register some types of rental properties with the city. “We heard you and we’re making enhancements. Applications required under the two-year pilot program are suspended as the city reviews and...
read moreCMHC LOOKS BACK AT THE CANADIAN HOUSING MARKET IN 2023 AND WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024
In late December last year, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) published a retrospective of its housing reports throughout 2023, including what Canadians may be able to expect in 2024. This is a report that could be vital for newcomers to Canada, who are among the Canadian residents most affected by the national housing affordability crisis in this country. The CMHC identified several main themes in the many reports that the organization published throughout 2023. Among the...
read moreWEEK OF JANUARY 22 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
Sean Fraser, Canada’s Housing Minister delivered a message last week, telling Canadian cities that they need to relax their zoning policies if they want any federal government funds for new home construction.
read moreQUEBEC HOUSING BOARD ESTIMATES RENT INCREASE OF 4 PER CENT IN 2024
Quebec’s housing tribunal (TAL) estimates landlords will raise the rent of unheated dwellings by 4 per cent in 2024 — the highest single-year increase predicted by the board in over a decade. The TAL, formerly called the Régie du logement du Quebec, issued its new rent calculation guidelines on Wednesday. Landlords aren’t required to follow these guidelines, but tenants can refuse a rent increase deemed excessive or abusive. The TAL’s findings are based on several...
read moreBLACKSTONE BIDS $3.5 BILLION TO TAKE OVER RENTAL PROPERTY OWNER TRICON RESIDENTIAL
Blackstone Inc., one of the world’s largest real estate investors, is jumping into the Toronto apartment market by bidding US$3.5-billion for rental property owner Tricon Residential Inc. On Friday, New York-based Blackstone (BX-N) announced a friendly takeover offer for Tricon (TCN-T), which has US$2.5-billion of apartment buildings under development in Toronto and plans to spend US$1-billion on single-family homes in the U.S. Sun Belt. Founded in 1988, Tricon is one of Toronto’s largest...
read moreFEDS ANNOUNCE TWO-YEAR CAP ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADMISSIONS
New visas for international students will be slashed by more than one-third this year as the federal government tries to slow a rapid increase in temporary residents that has put immense pressure on Canada’s housing system. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the temporary cap on new student visas at a cabinet retreat in Montreal on Monday. Affordability and housing are top items on the agenda, with a growing focus on the role record immigration has been playing in both. Miller said the...
read moreA NEW REGISTRY OF BAD TENANTS – AND SOME LANDLORDS TOO – IS GAINING TRACTION IN ONTARIO
A new registry of delinquent Ontario tenants — and some unscrupulous landlords — is gaining traction among landlords and legal experts. Weiting Bollu founded the platform Openroom a little over a year ago after she had trouble ousting a tenant from the home she owned in Vaughan — even after the tenant stopped paying rent. “I thought I was the only one until I met other landlords. And I said, ‘Why isn’t anyone doing more about this?” she said. “That’s when I...
read more