Dear Minister Selena Robinson, Premier John Horgan, and Mayor Kennedy Stewart, I write to you today about the potential consequences of banning evictions in BC. These are trying times that require compassion and compromise to ensure the health and safety of all BC residents. With everyone financially strained, difficult decisions will have to be made by families and property owners alike. Many...

When we are conversing with developers, three things have been the rhetoric for years: Construction costs are too high Permitting times are too long Project approval is too challenging Project approval is too challenging We cannot pay our prized labourers less money and offer less for materials because this is the backbone of the project getting built. So, what makes building...

We are very pleased with the decision of Council and planning to take the recommendations and feedback of their community under advisement when bringing forward an Official Community Plan Update. Seeing this level of initiative from leaders to engage public consultation in a constructive and informative way paved the path for a well laid out Burquitlam community. Andrew Merrill with the Coquitlam’s...

New Westminster and Port Coquitlam fight against climate protection by restricting property owners from upgrading their buildings, says new data. A study released by FortisBC shows how minor improvements can lead to reducing emissions by the equivalent of 43,000 gas-powered cars. “The basic upgrades alone reduce domestic hot water energy use by an average of about 12 percent per year”, this has a...

Vancouver has a diligent planning department that is well versed in following detailed guidelines that have been implemented to organize new developments in a way that is both suitable for the community and economically viable based on those guidelines. Our council doesn’t have experience in the development, construction, or building field and can provide little input on the feasibility of a project…...

Why is the Landlord insisting that they can increase costs they will recover as part of their additional rent? Generally, leases are drafted to protect Landlords, and it may be a challenge to know what you can negotiate and what you may have to live with in a standard lease. Missing a critical clause can be costly in the future. We always recommend you have a lawyer, preferably one who deals...

By Terry Harding, Senior Vice President As read on Western Investor’s 2019 Investor’s Guide to Western Investing Low loan-to-value ratios and cap rates keep Metro rental apartments a long-horizon strategy The multi-family market is generally seen as one of the safest real estate investment vehicles available, often considered the bond of real estate. A multi-family investment is often viewed as...

Featuring Brandon Harding on Podcast: The UnReal Estate Show by Keith Roy Keith Roy, Keith and Associates March 31, 2019 We’re quick to judge landlords, developers and owners of multi-family properties here in Vancouver when in reality we need these people if we’re going to solve the housing crisis. With each new tax and each new restriction, buying a rental building or becoming a landlord...

The battle between affordability and economic feasibility is reaching a climax as landlords are being demonized by tenants and the city continually deflects blame onto property owners. Tenants who do not want to pay market rent for their rental units are crying Wolf in an unjust world that does not allow them to live in the places their parents grew up with the same or better lifestyle. Landlords are...

New Westminster’s City Council has put forward a motion to try and curb major capital overhauls of older purpose-built rental buildings, ie. renovictions. The premise of the initiative is “Enabling Safe, Secure, Affordable Housing”. The scope of this portion of the agenda includes three points: A rental replacement policy for any new development site that includes existing rental stock...