I am writing concerning the grants (subsidies) the government is going to pay to developers to build affordable housing. I am not against affordable housing, as I know that it is needed in Whitehorse.
I am a landlord and own my own properties without any grants or subsidies from the government, and I establish my rents according to the marketplace and the cost of providing the services of a landlord.
In the past, rents were held at a reasonable rate and to some government officials they were slightly on the low side. Yet when a shortage of houses were on the marketplace builders took advantage of this, started building and put the prices out of the reach of some buyers. This was mainly caused by the shortage of lots available to build on.
The lots available were under the control of the government and therefore government is responsible for the high price of housing in Whitehorse. This put pressure on the rental market allowing rents to increase.
If government would remove itself from the marketplace for lot development and allowed the natural flow of building to be left in the hands of developers, I do not believe we would be in the situation we are in today.
If the plan for the grants is to go through, I hope the government will put into place some rules on who may rent these units, i.e. test the income level for the proposed tenants and ask developers to keep them in place for a minimum of 20 years. Otherwise, in 10 years these developers will either sell them or turn them into condos and we will be in the same situation as we are today.
Daniel Steyn
Whitehorse