ssues & ideas

SIMRAN GILL

THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 18,2016 7

Rental woes impact students

Stuaents are e struggling in many different ways imVancouver’ iS overheated rental market

oe

Residents of Langara Gardens walking in their neighbourhood.

Residents to be evicted soon

Langara Gardens residents to be displaced from neighbourhood after approval of redevelopment plan

STUART NEATBYphoto

By STUART NEATBY

undreds of residents may be

thrown into the Lower Main-

land’s struggling rental market

depending on a proposed rede-
velopment plan.

Langara Gardens, a collection of
rental and low-rise housing on 57 Ave-
nue and Cambie Street consisting of
605 units, may be demolished. A major-
ity of these units are in high-rise tow-
ers, while 270 units are located in low-
rise townhouses built around green
space.

Owen Wilson, who lives in one of the
low-rise townhouses with his two chil-
dren, said that he would be displaced if
the redevelopment plan goes ahead.

“We'll be evicted and kicked out,
with the first option of moving back in,

but we still have to go rent somewhere
else, move, and then rent back in here,”
said Wilson.

All of the townhouse units would be
demolished under the redevelopment
plan. Seven new towers would be built,
ranging from 20 to 26 storeys in height,
as would six other residential build-
ings.

According to an e-mailed statement
from the City of Vancouver, the new
units will be a mixture of strata devel-
opment, market rental housing, and
affordable housing, which is defined as
20 per cent below the market rental
rate. A two-bedroom unit currently
rents for $1950 per month.

Residents displaced by the develop-
ment will be given priority placement
in new units, but Wilson, who works as
a manager at West Restaurant, does

not expect to return.

“The chances of us coming back are
probably not good because the reason
we're here is because of the patio and
green space,” said Wilson.

City staff have conducted several
consultation meetings with residents.
Once a policy statement is completed,
the two owners of the site, Pearson
Dogwood and Concert Properties, will
be able to apply for a rezoning applica-
tion before beginning the redevelop-
ment.

Yasine Seqat, who is planning to en-
roll at Langara College, would also be
displaced, along with his family.

“The majority of people are going to
be upset because the fact of having to
move houses in general is just a whole
hassle,” said Seqat.

66

We'll be
evicted
and kicked
out

OWEN WILSON
RENTER

Landlords set unrealistic rules

Student renters need to be
aware of their rights in or-

“ Cow rt der to not get taken advan-

one would —_ tage of by landlords

Stay over,

and it By CHARLES DALE

seemed Student renters in Vancouver are
. struggling with landlords overstep-

like [ the ping their boundaries.

landlord] In Vancouver’s overheated rental

had market, it is difficult for students to
aaa find affordable housing. With the usu-

problem al rent for a one-bedroom unit in the
° ity currently well over $1,000 per

with that =|

JOVARIA GHANI
RENTER

month, many students find themselves
having to move into more affordable
basement suites and home-stays.

Jovaria Ghani, a peace and conflict
studies student at Langara College,
moved into a basement suite with her
older sister in June. Ghani grew con-
cerned after her landlord started set-
ting unrealistic standards.

“My boyfriend would stay over, and
it seemed like [the landlord] had a
problem with that.”

Ghani said that her landlord expect-
ed her guests to leave by 10 p.m. “He’d
never mentioned that before we moved
in here,” said Ghani.

The B.C. Residential Tenancy Act
(RTA) prohibits landlords from plac-
ing restrictions on guests in a tenant’s
suite, something student renters may
not be unaware of.

Ministry of Housing spokeswoman
Lindsay Byers said that tenants can
improve their situations with over-
reaching landlords by educating them-
selves.

“Students or others from outside
B.C. or Canada seeking a place to rent
here can protect themselves by becom-
ing familiar with their rights under the
Residential Tenancy Act,” said Byers.

She explained that first time renters
should visit the tenancy branch web-
site, where this information is avail-

able.

Parm Singh, of Dominion Law, said
tenants should familiarize themselves
with their rights.

“The Residential Tenancy Act is in
place to protect landlords and tenants
alike. Landlords and tenants may not
avoid or contract out of the terms set
forth in the RTA,” said Singh.

For Ghani, this advice may have
come too late. She has since moved
back home, but expressed concern for
students who may not have that op-
tion.

“Tt just made me think of people that
don’t have families here, and if they
have to deal with issues like this,” she
said.

“T just wasn’t able to deal with it
anymore.”

Roommate
nightmares

Finding a roommate is a
challenge many renters
face

By CHELSEA POWRIE

stand finding an affordable place

to live often involves flexibility re-
garding roommates, and that strangers
aren’t always the best company.

Desire for independence drives
many Vancouver students into the
pricy rental market, and as a result,
posts seeking roommates are a com-
mon sight online and on campus bill-
boards.

Justine Lilgert was newly enrolled in
Langara College for business when she
realized she couldn’t afford her down-
town lifestyle. Lilgert turned to the In-
ternet as many students do, and she
found a woman advertising a bedroom
in an Oakridge-area home. Although
they bonded, Lilgert found the arrange-
ment much too familiar.

“When I moved in I felt very moth-
ered by her. She would write on my
lunches every day. I’d come home and
my bedroom light would be on, she’d
have put a hot water bottle in my bed,”
Lilgert said. “I didn’t feel like [had a lot
of privacy.”

Lilgert moved out after a few months
and has since lived with a stream of dif-
ferent roommates. She initially took
the lease out of necessity.

“The price was right and I didn’t
have another option.”

Andrew Egan, a geography instruc-
tor at Langara, said he recalls hearing
of a roommate woe from a student.

“Thad a student that stated a room-
mate stole their computer and thus
they could not submit their assign-
ment,” said Egan in an email interview.

This problem isn’t just local. Laura
de Boer, a resident in Victoria, resorted
to finding a roommate on Tinder due to
the high rental prices in B.C.’s capital.

“About a week into me living there, I
was reheating coconut curry. She
asked if it had animal products in it and
I said yes, and she got instantly upset,”
de Boer said. “She went into her room
and cried about it. I threw it out and or-
dered an extra large pepperoni pizza at
a friend’s house.”

The roommate has since made emp-
ty threats to kick de Boer out and has
been generally unreasonable, leaving
de Boer feeling stuck. Fortunately for
her they co-signed a lease.

“Renting here is incredibly difficult,
especially living on your own,” said de
Boer.

Yorn students may under-

CHARLES DALE photo
Many students are struggling to
find a place to live