Over 500 readers took our inaugural renters’ survey to tell us what life is like as a renter in Halifax. The results were grim, with housing affordability out for reach for over half of respondents, people paying more than initially budgeted and spending more than eight weeks looking for new apartments.

Here’s the results:

This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2019.

Caora was City Editor at The Coast, where she wrote about everything from city hall to police and housing issues. She started with The Coast in 2017, when she was the publication’s Copy Editor.

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

  1. Ever thought that publishing every editorial of all the NIMBY’s that come out when a tall building is proposed might have something to do with this?

    Reply

  2. It’s annoying that people complain about the simple economics of supply/demand. We live in a “free” marketplace meaning the market will determine the price. We can’t control one part of the marketplace using faulty economics such as rent control, which some have suggested. Rent control helps only a very small few, for a very short period of time. It helps few because there are not that many units available in the first place to slap rent control on to. And helps for a very short period of time, as rent control absolutely stops developers developing any more units. The costs of building materials, union labour wages, permits and inspection costs, etc. all add to the development costs, and developers are “in it” to make a profit. Rent control limits that profit to zero, therefore, why develop? Added to it, all the whiners who do not want tall buildings.
    Existing units will suffer for the same reasons,property taxes, insurance to cover people coming and going on property, water bill (only 4 provinces have this at all), etc. costs go up, and with rent control, no reason for landlords to fix things, it ends up costing them. Better to board up a building, wait out time to have property to go up in value, then sell it. Or wait for a politician who will take away rent control.

    Reply

  3. I think as long as we depend on developers to create housing, we will always run into this issue. Developers’ interests are in direct conflict with many of the lower-income population. Developers want to maximize revenue and have a good return on their investment.

    The city which has been in the black for years needs to step in and create a space for low earning living. This could be with subsidizing low-income units in developing buildings (actually CREATING the units, not letting the developer off with a one-time payment to a housing authority), investing in properties for low-income people, etc…

    The province is too strapped to take on such an ambitious project, even though it is their domain. But Halifax cannot continue to grow without places for people to live — all types of workers, as cities grow “well” in many different income brackets. Affordable housing is linked to Halifax’s continued prosperity.

    Reply
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *