From Business to Burden -  Owning Rental Property in Winnipeg

A picture is worth 1000 words - a clear demonstration of the enormous investment and contribution of inner-city landlords to the quality of housing stock, and the quality of life, in the core area of Winnipeg.

There was a time when being a responsible landlord in Winnipeg wasn't always a money-losing proposition.

What for many began as a profitable business venture has become a costly financial burden.

Many landlords suffer repeated, serious property damages, unpaid rent, and unpaid water bills. These water bills are now added to the property owner's tax roll, even when the account is in the tenant's name. This arbitrary and punitive policy provides no incentive for tenants to pay their water bills.

In any other business, the actions of these tenants, and of the city, would be considered destruction of property, and theft, respectively. In this business, the landlord has only the damage deposit as recourse. He may not take his tenant to court, except to go through the RTB (Residential Tenancies Branch), a difficult process at best. Many small landlords are finding it difficult to continue to be responsible rental property owners and still maintain a healthy bottom line.

The majority of rental housing, particularly in the inner city, is provided by small landlords who carry a disproportionate share of the responsibility and expense of providing and maintaining that housing stock. The burden must now be shared with all three levels of government. This is especially true as the number of immigrants to Winnipeg has increased exponentially, far outstripping available housing stock.

Our federal, provincial, and municipal governments are elected and mandated to ensure that all of our citizens are properly housed. This is why Canadians willingly pay their taxes. Therefore, these governments, which rely so heavily on rental property owners to provide this vital service must ensure that landlords have the resources necessary to provide and maintain stable housing stock.

Canada is in the embarrassing and dangerous position of being the only G8 country without a national housing strategy. This current lack of planning and resources, combined with arbitrary and punitive government legislation aimed at landlords, have contributed greatly to the decline in quality and quantity of rental units in the inner city, and to the lack of rental properties overall.

As our housing crisis deepens, government policies pertaining to housing must change. It is the goal of WRPOA to unite Winnipeg landlords to ensure that these changes happen.

We are asking all Winnipeg landlords to join us in this urgent call to action.

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A Strong Voice for Winnipeg Landlords