City Circus | Renting in Vancouver Without Losing Your Mind
“After a decade of slow or no growth and a vacancy rate below one per cent, the housing market may finally be easing up for renters, who make up more than half the population of Vancouver.” –Vancouver Sun
Year-end statistics for 2012 show that 1,021 new rental units were approved in 2012, more than three times that of 2010 and 2011. Zero rental units were approved in 2008 and 2009. According to Mayor Gregor Robertson these new stats show that Vancouver is leading the way when it comes to creating new rental housing. Robertson emphasizes the importance of new rentals in a city where, “over 52 % of the our households rent and much of our rental stock is aging and in need of repair.”
New rental housing sounds exciting. I can hardly imagine living in a place with level walls, floors without cracks wide enough to swallow a small child, and the standard of construction being up to code. Holla!
But are these new places suited for my growing family? Is the cost of rent affordable on one income? The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation states that one-bedroom apartments make up more than half of the privately initiated purpose-built rental stock in British Columbia. We tried co-sleeping with our kids and it was more like co-staying-up-all-night. For our sanity, multiple bedrooms is mandatory: two at least. We’ve converted our sunroom into a third bedroom until our boys can share a room. Guests always peer inside it and say, “Wow! It is just a room with a bed.” Yup, and the air is real fresh.
The new rental developments don’t appear to provide family housing and it’s not just families that are being squeezed out of the rental market in Vancouver. Jean Swanson with the Carnegie Community Action project related to News 1130 that the new rentals don’t help people on pensions or welfare. “The people who are the poorest can’t afford those apartments. For example, a single person on welfare gets $610 a month in total for everything. So probably the rents in these new places are more than $610 altogether, probably $900 or $1000.” Well, Jean, you’re half wrong. For example, the proposed rent for the new Comox development in the West End is $1,340 for a one bedroom and $1,890 for a two-bedroom. This is a 14 per cent higher rent then similar West End towers and Downtown in general.
What does all this mean for our family? We love urban living, my husband can walk to work and cultural experiences are at our fingertips, yet the cost of living is a struggle. The rent we can afford to pay lands us in a 100-year-old house with many quirks and some down right inconveniences. My husband and I talk about having a third child (crazy, but still a dream) although our space relative to that of a five-member family in the burbs is ridonkulously (that’s a word) small. The facts and figures above suggest we shouldn’t bank on more affordable housing in the future….
Yakkity, yak. I hate complaining. This is the point where I get existential on your ass and tell you that the housing solution for us, personally, is contentment with what we have. Next week on Elasticpantcity I’ll tell you why I need to quit whinging and use my voice for my fellow Vancouverites who are fighting just to have a roof over their heads.
*I’ll humbly accept correction if my reasoning and facts are wrong.
11 Comments
emvandee
February 2, 2013Lady, I hear you. We just have the one kid, and a two-bedroom is mandatory – nobody sleeps if the baby doesn’t sleep alone. So we’re in a bit over our heads on rent (plus daycare). We looked at alternatives – Burnaby, New West – but the savings on rent weren’t significant enough to make the time spent commuting worthwhile.
Anywhere south of the river is simply out of the question – there the rents (and even places to own) are quite a lot cheaper, but we’d lose time commuting, and put out more considerable expense; here, I can bike to work so my commute is basically free; if we moved east, I’d be looking at a three-zone bus pass or a second car.
So for us, the housing solution is to swallow our rent on a two-bedroom apartment in a 30-year-old building and take comfort in the fact that we commute less than 20 minutes each way to work and have whole evenings to enjoy our neighbourhood and time with our little one. I think we’re making it work, for now.
Michelle
February 2, 2013We also take great comfort in the fact we don’t have to commute. Both of us were commuters for years and it was a bit soul-sucking.
Sheri
February 2, 2013love your writing, your blog and that you use the word ridonkulously!
eschelle
February 2, 2013omg you opened a can of worms. I hate ALL new rental places, they’re made like sardine cans and I can usually find more space in a one bedroom in some old building somewhere. For example I have lived in a TINY TINY basement suite for 1100/month. This was a hole in the floor, no idea how we managed with such little space. Our kitchen and living room were one space. This “Newly renovated” place was unbearable. so we moved into a horribly ghetto building for DOUBLE the space for 950/month. Eventually the room sharing got the better of us and we upgraded (in the same ghetto mold infested bulding across from my kids school) to a three bedroom across the complex. We now pay 1100/month for three bedroom. In this awful horrible building I lived in as a child. Basically the last affordable place for a family to live, I swear it, on the north shore. You can’t find this space for this price ANYWHERE and I would love for someone to try lol!! The rental market in Vancouver is unforgivable, it is like they want us all to starve… I have lived on welfare most of my life too so I understand the struggle better than most. Thankfully since knowing my sweet baboo I have never had to look at a welfare check again… doesn’t mean we’re not pay check to pay check though with NO savings account.
okay i’m done ranting…
Michelle
February 2, 2013Eschelle, it’s so true about older places having more room. I feel like, although we have the great outdoors at our finger tips, we need a little indoor breathing room.
Lisa C
February 2, 2013I say screw market rental housing: build more housing co-ops. That’s where families are going to find housing, not by expecting developers to make larger places with lower rents. They just want to make tons of money from well-off singles & couples who are willing to pay top dollar for a gorgeously designed shoebox.
We lived in a housing co-op for five years before we bought a place & it was way better than renting. Our housing charge was considered ‘market rate’ but was actually cheaper than average rent in that area because there is no PROFIT. The housing charge everyone pays just goes to pay for running the building, not making a property developer or landlord richer. Many of our neighbours paid less, getting subsidized by those of us who could pay ‘market’ rate. It was actually doable for people on welfare. & it was a great place for families, as the majority of units were two or three bedrooms.
Our place was by no means deluxe–pretty basic finishings & only one bathroom, but it was near Trout Lake, an 1100 square foot three bedroom townhouse for $979/month (in 2006). We knew our neighbours well & worked together with them to run the place. We had a say in maintenance & decisions on things like fixing the playground, etc.
As far as I know, it isn’t really about the city when it comes to Co-ops though, it’s more about provincial funding to get the projects started, so we’re not going to see any more co-ops until we have a regime shift & the Liberals are gone. Maybe we can push the NDP to start funding co-ops again.
Michelle
February 2, 2013Lisa, I’ve looked at all the co-ops and they do seem wonderful as far as rent, space, community building, etc. We applied to a bunch and then landed in the place we are in now which is a fairly good deal, with some draw backs. We heard back for a few co-op interviews but we felt happy enough with our place to stay, plus we have fabulous neighbours who we didn’t want to move away from. I would love to see new co-ops being built.
Kerry
February 2, 2013I don’t know why the government stopped funding co-ops….hopefully the future will see the understanding that not all city dwellers are single or childless.
Try having three kids in town.
Rental housing for pensioners is needed to on the other end. My mom is in what is considered ‘family’ rentals..but she would end up in a basement suite or in some scuzzy area if she left it.
We are low enough income (whooo :/) to be in affordable rentals…but those are creeping up to be too much too. Not much options left…
Michelle
February 4, 2013Kerry, that’s an interesting point about pensioners. There are a lot of needs out there
Heather
February 4, 2013I grew up in the lower mainland and love our visits home. But we moved away in 2000 and it’s as the best thing for us and our eventual family.
My dad always told me it wasn’t about ‘where’ you live that makes life happy – its about being able to live.
Michelle
February 4, 2013I think that is a valid point Heather although every one will define ‘being able to live’ differently. I feel so connected to the pulse of the city, I can’t imagine living any where else. It requires sacrifice but what would a city be with no families?