Availability, affordability, landlord and tenant rights among key issues
by Sarah Law Gravenhurst Banner
Monday, February 8, 2021
Jennifer Edger and her son live in a two-bedroom apartment in Gravenhurst and pay $1,040 a month in rent.
She wants to move, but doing so would cost more money and stress due to the lack of units available.
“I have been lucky to have my apartment for five years now, but with a not-so-great landlord and the costs these days, I’m stuck. Moving will cost me a minimum of $500 extra,” said Edger.
She said her landlord has failed to resolve several issues, but she cannot afford to leave.
“What I have seen a lot lately is people buying up everything and turning them into AirBNBs, which honestly, we don’t need. We need housing for actual residents of this community,” she said.
“We are slowly being pushed out of our communities. I have been a resident of Gravenhurst for 36 of the 37 years of my life, and I can’t afford to live here anymore,” said Edger.
Nancy Beal is a Gravenhurst resident and landlord. She said the number of people moving north from the GTA has only worsened Muskoka’s housing crisis.
“It has become a self-perpetuating cycle because as the demand rose, the house prices also rose and more landlords were motivated to sell to cash out. I did it myself, with a duplex I owned in Gravenhurst,” said Beal.
And from her perspective, small landlords are at a disadvantage.
“The Residential Tenancies Act discourages potential new landlords and motivates existing landlords to sell. It unfairly favours the tenants and jacks up the risk factors for small landlords,” she said.
Another issue in Muskoka is high property taxes, which translate to higher residential rents.
“I have only one rental unit left,” said Beal. “My heart goes out to all those looking for homes right now.”
For Adam Kitchener, preparing his rental property in Gravenhurst has been a struggle.
Kitchener purchased a fourplex in April 2020. He planned to renovate the building, bring it to code and have people move in before Christmas. However, the Town of Gravenhurst said the property had to be rezoned to be a fourplex, despite Kitchener having evidence it had operated as such for years.
In January 2021, Kitchener received the necessary permits and ultimately, the property did not have to be rezoned. He is currently renovating with hopes of tenants moving in April 1.
The delays he experienced show how municipalities need to streamline the zoning and permit processes, said Kitchener.
“All this delay really drives up the cost of everything else. I’m already looking at higher costs for contractors. I’m looking at higher costs for material because of COVID,” he said. “Every roadblock we put in front of a landlord to create supply and build more supply, that’s only going to make it less appealing for people to become landlords and is going to drive the cost of rentals up.”
Another barrier is the structure of the Landlord and Tenant Board, he said.
“The system is broken for both sides. There is a lack of protection for tenants and there’s a lack of protection for landlords,” said Kitchener. “It seems like bad tenants and bad landlords can take advantage of the way that it’s written and the laws that are in place,” said Kitchener.
He said issues like rent arrears should be resolved by mediators rather than adjudicators, as this would save time and money and allow the board to focus on more complex problems.
“I believe that most people are genuinely good,” said Kitchener. “I have a lot of really good tenants. I believe in providing quality housing, and I’m not going to let that one bad apple or that bad one tenant ruin it for the rest.”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Muskoka’s housing crisis is complex. Our reporter reached out to local tenants and landlords to share their perspectives on what can be done to improve the situation.