When will landlords answer for their role in the housing and affordability crisis?

When will landlords answer for their role in the housing and affordability crisis?

A report by Urbanation and Rentals.ca has found that the average asking rent in Canada has increased to a record $2,202, up 9.3% over the past year. While Canada’s annual rate of inflation sits at 2.7%, some provinces are seeing year-over-year average rent increases of over 17%.

At a time when a majority of Canadian renters say they’re having a difficult time paying their rent, and 1 in 3 Canadians are struggling financially according to ARI’s Economic Stress Index, landlords need to acknowledge the very important role they play in their tenants’ financial security.

When will the so-called “free market” decide to end these radical and unethical rent increases? How are landlords still allowed to bypass regulation with renoviction and other legal loopholes?

Landlords already have the upper hand when it comes to power dynamics in the relationship — this excessive greed tips the scales even further, rendering tenants practically powerless.

At what point can we start holding landlords accountable for the role they’ve played in the housing and affordability crisis?

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