Tuesday, 13 June 2017

New provincial rules on rent controls were introduced in April

'Federation of rental-housing providers' prepared to offer a suggestion to Queen's Park

Has the pendulum shifted too far to now favour the tenants?

By Mark Schadenberg
One item I reported on back in April was new legislation pertaining to rental properties in Ontario, and especially to newer (Built since 1991) large multi-family buildings.
I would say, the provincial government had made the mistake of not letting the calendar keep up somewhat with the times, so in April they decided to drop 1991 (or newer construction) as the completion / initial occupancy year of buildings which would not be under the umbrella of strict rent controls. In other words, previous to the spring of 2017 newer modern apartment buildings could increase rents by a higher proportion, especially to new tenants moving in, compared to a complex built before 1991.
Sounds complex, but the new law should have simply advanced the year to perhaps 2005, or better yet changed the year of effect annually to create a 15-year gap that way a developer could finance their new mega-residential construction projects over 15 years.
The rate of inflation or no more than 2.5% is the new guideline for rent increases for all buildings.

With the legislation changing the rules, it has become more difficult for developers to realize a comfortable ROI (return on investment) to even begin building brand new bricks and mortar. This is certainly a cause-and-effect in the GTA where the price of accumulating the land parcel to build is much higher than Woodstock or Sudbury or East Gwillimbury. The new percentages have made apartment projects more difficult to envision long-term profitability in all corners of Ontario.
The Kathleen Wynne administration would likely say that rent control policies are important due to the number of people with jobs who are statistically below the middle class.
Read the link below from the Globe And Mail as it describes a proposal -- a new idea – as penned by the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario.
You may recall that the new rent increase rules were part of a 16-point plan introduced by Ontario finance minister Charles Sousa just 2 months ago. The Bill also included the new rules creating a tax for foreign ownership purchases of real estate in Ontario. 
The provincial Liberals created the new law because some newer buildings were increasing rental rates by 50% or more for new tenants in buildings that were opened in 1991 or more recently. I would agree that previously permitted rent increases were obviously too much, but has the pendulum been able to swing too far in the other direction?
Queen's Park       

Chieftain Street in Woodstock


April 2017 Blog (With Additional Links)


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Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)

Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
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