EXPLAINER: How Airbnb and short-term rentals have decimated housing in Canada

From Quebec to B.C., what is being done to demand accountability?

Ricochet

Addendum 1

* Vancouver B.C: growing population
* construction of new affordable apartments not economically viable
* increased competition for available apartments
* Vancouver real estate so expensive that only profitable approach to new rental units is towers w. hundreds of $million+ units
* meanwhile empty/vacant apartments/condos: offshore wealth shelters
* private equity exacerbates already dire availability/affordability situation

#AffordableHousing #capitalism #corporations #profiteering

Addendum 2

Impact of Short-term Rentals on Canadian Housing
Using data collection & analysis to investigate effects of short-term rentals
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/nhs/nhs-project-profiles/2020-nhs-projects/impact-short-term-rentals-canadian-housing

* short-term rental services such as Airbnb disrupted housing markets across Canada, around the world
* popularity led to apartments & houses converted f. traditional long-term housing rentals into STR

#AffordableHousing #Airbnb #neoliberalism #capitalism #profiteering #corporations #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #homelessness

The Impact of Short-term Rentals on Canadian Housing

Using data collection and analysis to investigate the effects of short-term rentals in Canada.

Addendum 3

Avg. price for Canadian rental unit hits record high in 2023-06
https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/average-asking-price-for-canadian-rental-unit-hits-record-high-in-june-rentals-ca-1.6478222
https://rentals.ca/national-rent-report

*avg. price for rental unit in Canada reached a record $2,042 last month amid continued interest rate hikes, population expansion, low unemployment
* Vancouver was Canada's priciest city for renters: 1-bedroom $2,945; 2-bedroom $3,863

#Canada #Vancouver #Toronto #AffordableHousing #HumanRights #WealthInequality #inflation #CorporateGreed #PrivateEquity #corporations

Average asking price for Canadian rental unit hits record high in June: Rentals.ca

A new report says the average asking price for a rental unit in Canada reached a record $2,042 last month amid continued interest rate hikes, population expansion and low unemployment.

CTVNews

Addendum 4

[artwork]
Rent Hikes: As rents continue to increase in USA, eviction filings jump 50% above pre-pandemic levels
https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/rent-hikes/

UNITED STATES

Tenants push Biden for rent control on all government-backed housing
Tenants are organizing to require rent control for landlords who receive federal support
https://wagingnonviolence.org/2023/07/tenants-push-biden-for-rent-control-government-backed-housing

LA Promised to Preserve Low-Cost Housing. Tenants’ Homes Were Turned Into Hotel Rooms Anyway
https://www.propublica.org/article/meet-people-uprooted-by-american-hotel-los-angeles

#AffordableHousing #inflation

Rent Hikes

As rents continue to increase in some cities in the USA, eviction filings jump over 50% above pre-pandemic levels.

The Nation

Addendum 5

'This is a very serious issue': Growing concerns over illegal Airbnb listings flooding the Vancouver market
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/this-is-a-very-serious-issue-growing-concerns-over-illegal-airbnb-listings-flooding-the-vancouver-market-1.6492769

Our city is experiencing a housing crisis and some people are taking advantage of the system and trying to make some money using some illegal short-term rental."

Under City of Vancouver regulations, you need a valid business licence to operate a short-term rental, and it’s illegal

#Canada #Vancouver #Airbnb #HousingCrisis #AffordableHousing

'This is a very serious issue': Growing concerns over illegal Airbnb listings flooding the Vancouver market

City Councillor Lenny Zhou says he's working with staff to figure out just how many illegal short-term rental units are operating in Vancouver.

British Columbia

Addendum 6

How We Found What the City of Los Angeles Didn’t: Landlords Renting Low-Cost Housing to Tourists
Hotel ads, booking sites and guest reviews
Tourists staying in rooms meant for low-cost housing
Yet the city’s Housing Department has cited few landlords for violating the residential hotel law
https://www.propublica.org/article/we-found-los-angeles-landlords-renting-residential-hotels

#LosAngeles #AffordableHousing #ShortTermRentals #homelessness #corporations #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #inflation #CorporateGreed #HumanRights

How We Found What the City of Los Angeles Didn’t: Landlords Renting Low-Cost Housing to Tourists

Hotel ads, booking sites and guest reviews. Tourists staying in rooms meant for low-cost housing. Yet the city’s Housing Department has cited few landlords for violating the residential hotel law.

ProPublica
The Montreal shuffle: Inside the Airbnb hustle taking homes off the market | Ricochet

This article is part of our joint investigation into Airbnb and the housing crisis with Pivot. You can read a French version on their site.

Ricochet

Addendum 8

Landlords’ Anti-Rent-Control Argument Is B.S.
https://socialistproject.ca/2023/08/landlords-anti-rent-control-argument-is-pure-bs

* landlords, their defenders can’t defend the indefensible: rents soaring 92% in last decade
* squeezes working class tenants while corporate landlords like Essex ($408-million 2022 profits), Equity ($807-million), Avalon Bay ($1.1-billion) enrich billionaire class

#poverty #AffordableHousing #RentControl #capitalism #SocialistProject #PrivateEquity #DefundBillionaires #WealthInequality #PovertyIndustrialComplex

The Landlords’ Anti-Rent-Control Argument Is Pure BS - The Bullet

A cynic once said, “if you can’t win an argument, then change the subject.” The big landlords and their defenders in the Democratic political

Socialist Project

Addendum 9

Landlords Pushing U.S. Supreme Court to End Rent Control
https://jacobin.com/2023/08/supreme-court-landlords-rent-control-harlan-crow-clarence-thomas

* landlord lobbying groups want to overturn NYC rent stabilization law
* would pave way for legal challenges to rent control laws across U.S.
* 1 group tied to GOP megadonor/Clarence Thomas benefactor Harlan Crow, and hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer who provided private jet to Samuel Alito

#AffordableHousing #RentControl #DefundBillionaires #SCOTUS #HarlanCrow #PaulSinger #ClarenceThomas #SamAlito

Landlords Are Pushing the Supreme Court to End Rent Control

Two landlord lobbying groups are petitioning the Supreme Court to overturn New York City’s rent stabilization law, which would allow further countrywide challenges to rent control. Real estate billionaires friendly with court justices are backing the move.

Addendum 10

Every developer opted to pay Montreal instead of building affordable housing under bylaw
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110928362532236819

Canada's housing affordability crisis requires wartime public effort: CUPE
https://cupe.ca/canadas-housing-affordability-crisis-requires-wartime-public-effort-cupe

Canadian Union of Public Employees: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Union_of_Public_Employees
* Canadian trade union serving public sector
* recent years organized workplaces in non-profit & para-public sector

#Canada #CUPE #AffordableHousing #HumanRights #capitalism #homelessness #socialism #unions

Canada's housing affordability crisis requires wartime public effort: CUPE

Canada's largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), says there will be no meaningful improvement to housing affordability as long as the Liberal government excludes the expansion of public housing as part of the solution.

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Addendum 11
See also Addendum 10

Conflict of interest: Montreal politicians making decisions on housing are also landlords
Review of financial declarations revealed major omissions, over a dozen evictions tied to 3 politicians f. across political spectrum
https://ricochet.media/en/3985/conflict-of-interest-montreal-politicians-making-decisions-on-housing-are-also-landlords

“We need elected officials looking at housing as a right … not a way of making money.”

* evictions, rent increases, unhappy tenants
* undeclared property

#Canada #Montreal #AffordableHousing #capitalism #corruption

Conflict of interest: Montreal politicians making decisions on housing are also landlords | Ricochet

This article is part of our joint investigation into Airbnb and the housing crisis with Pivot. You can read a French version on their site.

Ricochet

Addendum 12

Big Real Estate Executives Among Top Donors to Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives
Conservative Party’s donors include real estate investors & developers buying up affordable housing across Canada
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/111015899227109919

Example of the work of a sponsor
https://mastodon.social/@theteapixie@mstdn.ca/111016444543659978

“Forum Asset Management property recently criticized for Vancouver viral video showing housing unit in a former SRO hotel in DTES now a “micro suite” available for $2,000 a month”

#Vancouver #AffordableHousing

Addendum 13

Private equity, corporate greed is killing us
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/111016493496666866

https://persagen.com >> search: associa OR "Rhome Property Management"

Owners of

Agree to 40% rent hike or we may sell your homes landlord tells Surrey, B.C renters
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/40-per-cent-rent-hike-landlord-surrey-1.6830185

* seniors unable to afford rent increase
* property manager: Rhome / Associa
* Rhome B.C. management ALL Americans

#Vancouver #AffordableHousing #corporations #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #HumanRights #homelessness

Persagen.com

Addendum 14

Artificial Intelligence Making Housing Crisis Worse

* private equity-backed AI screens tenants, set rents
* heightens errors, discrimination

https://persagen.com >> search:
"affordable housing" AND "private equity"
"affordable housing"
realpage

#AlgorithmicPricing #AutomatingInequality #SurveillanceCapitalism #optimization #EconomicInequality #BlackStone #Fundrise #JPMorganChase #RealPage #PrivateEquity #corporations #DefundCorporations #inflation #CorporateGreed #homelessness

Persagen.com

Addendum 15

Eviction Crisis About to Hit Los Angeles
Tenant rights groups sounding alarm about impending eviction crisis
https://jacobin.com/2023/09/eviction-crisis-los-angeles-california-rent-debt-housing

* hundreds of thousands L.A. tenants risk of losing housing
* compelling some to fight back

#AffordableHousing #rentals #ShortTermRentals #Airbnb #neoliberalism #capitalism #profiteering #corporations #CorporateGreed #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #HumanRights #homelessness #inflation #protest #eviction #poverty #TenantsRights #activism

The Eviction Crisis Is About to Hit Los Angeles

Tenant rights groups have been sounding the alarm about an impending post-pandemic eviction crisis. In Los Angeles, that day has come — putting hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of losing their housing and compelling some to fight back.

Vancouver Tenants Union

The Vancouver Tenants Union seeks to build a base of tenants throughout the city to establish political power to create change.

Vancouver Tenants Union

Addendum 17

Homelessness in Canada has reached humanitarian crisis level
"Many Canadians, esp. renters, closer to homelessness than they might imagine"
https://ricochet.media/en/3983/homelessness-in-canada-has-now-reached-the-level-of-a-humanitarian-crisis-experts-warn

* escalating national crisis
* no political leadership, solutions

#Canada #AffordableHousing #VancouverTenantsUnion #rentals #Airbnb #capitalism #profiteering #corporations #CorporateGreed #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #HumanRights #homelessness #inflation #eviction #poverty #TenantsRights #activism

Homelessness in Canada has reached a humanitarian crisis level, experts warn | Ricochet

‘Many Canadians, especially renters, are closer to homelessness than they might imagine’

Ricochet

Addendum 18

How much you need to make ea. year to buy home in Vancouver, British Columbia
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-much-you-need-to-make-each-year-to-buy-a-home-in-vancouver-1.6566365

* minimum annual income needed to buy home in Vancouver $250,000
* increase, according to Ratehub.ca, due to interest rates; came despite a small dip in avg. home price

#Canada #AffordableHousing #VancouverTenantsUnion #rentals #Airbnb #capitalism #profiteering #corporations #CorporateGreed #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #HumanRights #homelessness #inflation #eviction #poverty

Here's how much you need to make each year to buy a home in Vancouver

The minimum annual income needed to buy a home in Vancouver inched closer to $250,000 last month, according to an online mortgage brokerage.

British Columbia

Addendum 19
See also addendae 6, 15

Los Angeles Tenants Consistently Organize to Defend Public Housing, Because It Works
Since 1990s Los Angeles privatizing its public housing even as its residents repeatedly organize to defend their homes
https://jacobin.com/2023/09/los-angeles-jordan-downs-public-housing-privatization-organizing

* organizing demonstrates importance of public housing, why the Left should demand we build more of it

#LosAngeles #TenantsRights #AffordableHousing #HumanRights #corporations #DefundCorporations #PrivateEquity #PublicHousing

Los Angeles Tenants Have Consistently Organized to Defend Public Housing — Because It Works

Since the 1990s, Los Angeles has been privatizing its public housing even as its residents repeatedly organize to defend their homes. That organizing demonstrates the importance of public housing — and why the Left should demand we build more of it.

Addendum 20

Why is Brampton rent surging 3 times faster than every other city in Canada?
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/why-is-brampton-rent-surging-3-times-faster-than-every-other-city-in-canada-1.6573880

* lot of entry level jobs, manufacturing, distribution draws immigrants
* Sheridan College (visa students)

September 2023 Rentals.ca Report
https://rentals.ca/national-rent-report
* avg. rents in Canada incr. 1.8% monthly, 9.6% annually to reach another record high of $2,117 in 2023-08

Brampton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brampton

#Canada #Ontario #Brampton #AffordableHousing #HumanRights #PublicHousing

Why is Brampton rent surging 3 times faster than every other city in Canada?

Rent in Brampton shot up three times faster over the last year than the national average in Canada, according to a rental report.

Toronto
Private equity firm Birch Hill signs deal to buy Rexall Pharmacy and Well.ca

Drugstore chain Rexall Pharmacy Group and online retailer Well.ca are due to land under Canadian ownership after a Toronto-based private equity firm announced Thursday that it would purchase both brands from McKesson Corp.

CTVNews