Stop gouging tenants, Naheed Nenshi tells Calgary landlords

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says one way to get more affordable housing in Calgary is for landlords to stop gouging.

On his own rental property, Nenshi says he hasn't raised the rent in four years because his mortgage is the same, utility costs are the same and he is still making a reasonable profit.

• Calgary barely keeping up on affordable housing, report says

And so I am reaching out to landlords and saying, 'Come on, this is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Figure out a way that you can continue to provide housing and get a decent return without gouging your tenants,'" he said.

"And theres been way too much of that happening.

In the wake of last year's flooding in southern Alberta, many property owners were hit with steephikes in their insurance premiums.

The CanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation(CMHC) said in July that Calgaryhas one of the lowest vacancy rates of any major city in the country at about 1.4 per cent

Nenshicomments offend some landlords

The average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is just over $1,130 per month. A two-bedroom apartment goes for just under $1,300 per month on average.

Alberta law doesnt limit how much landlords can raise rents, but they have to give three months notice for monthly renters and they can only do it once per year.

Some landlords, like Ed Belanger, tookoffence to Nenshi's comments.

He sayspeople will wonder what's wrong with your propertyif you charge below market value, andyouscare people away if itstoo much.

"Depends on where the market is," he said. "If it's flat, it's flat.I can't charge any extra, but if it's going to increase, you provide for that.If you want to keep a tenant you must be reasonable."

But Belanger says there are some costs that landlords can't control, like property taxes, which keep going up.

Stories from some tenants

The Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHCC) asked its followers today to share their experiences as renters in Calgary.

Here is an excerpt of the responses they received:

• [My landlord] has raised my rent three times .... and my damage deposit! Even though I told him it was illegal to raise the damage deposit, saidCathy.
• It's truly ridiculous. My rent has increased over $100 amonth every year yet the management is extremely poor, saidTamara.
• I have a family of four, and have been looking for a place to live for months.Everything is overpriced or a complete dump, saidFelicia.
• Have you tried to save for a down payment for a house? With the cost of a house these days even fiveper cent down will run you $25,000 or more Its not that easy to just go buy a place. saidKerry.