Whereas communities across the province are unable to find desperately needed workers in the trades, healthcare, education, and childcare because of the unaffordability of housing; And whereas the loss of affordable rental housing is inextricably linked to the dire social and public health concerns that municipalities across the province are struggling to adequately address; And whereas the unaffordability of housing limits the ability of renters to contribute to local economies, as noted by Leilani Farha the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on housing and current Global Director of THE SHIFT, a housing initiative to actualize the housing as a basic human right: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to implement vacancy control on rental units owned by financial landlords, including but not limited to corporate landlords and real estate investment trusts.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs In 2018, the Rental Housing Task Force recommended against imposing vacancy control. During their province-wide consultations, the Task Force heard from landlords who were concerned that over time, rents may not keep up with rising costs to maintain and repair rental stock. Additionally, landlords and developers indicated that implementing vacancy control would cause them to reduce the amount of overall available rental housing supply in a market with already low vacancy rates. Since then, government has continued to monitor this option. A recent review of economic evidence by the Residential Tenancy Branch confirms that the impact on new development would be significant as vacancy control can jeopardize the quantity and quality of rental housing supply. Government is not planning to impose vacancy control at this time. Instead, to address affordability and access, government is focusing on actions to increase rental supply.