Got an investment condo or two? It might be a good time to sell because the City of Vancouver has just unveiled it’s plan to drive down property prices and rents.
In a plan that goes before council today, the city proposes to provide $42 million in land and capital grants over 10 years to create 38,000 new affordable homes, including 7,900 supportive and social-housing units, 11,000 market rental units and 20,000 new condo and “ownership” units by 2021.
Coun. Raymond Louie said in an interview that strategies may include:
• A “rent bank” where tenants facing eviction for not paying their rent can apply for either a loan or a grant, which is then paid directly to the landlord.
• Long-term leases, where the city maintains ownership of the land, which is leased at preferred rates for a defined term but is always owned by the city.
• Units that have fixed limits on the profits that homeowners can make when selling, which would end property speculation; any rise in property value beyond the set limit could be directed to the city for other social-housing projects.
• Limits to the profits that developers can make on the land speculation in projects; special consideration for a project’s approval may be based on the developer making a lower profit.
• Increasing co-op ownership and rentals, where a financial institution or the government makes the initial outlay of cash and is repaid over a long period of time.
