At their General Purposes Committee Meeting on April 22nd, Council directed staff to draft a policy for Council consideration that provides exceptions for temporary instances of income exceedance related to low-end market rental and non-market rental housing as outlined in the report.  

The following circumstances, and others that may be offered by Council, would be recognized in the Policy as a basis for granting an exemption:  

1. The basis for the income exceedance demonstrates that it is limited and unlikely to reoccur;  

2. The income exceedance has not occurred in the two years preceding the year of default; and  

3. The extent of the exceedance is limited to no more than 10% of the income threshold applicable to LEMR and non-market rental homes.  

The noted Council Policy will be drafted and brought back to Council for consideration in a future staff report. 

Additional information can be found in the  full report by City staff.  

Additionally, Council also approved the following recommendations regarding enhancing access to affordable housing through the LEMR program management changes: 

1. That a registry of Low-End Market Rental (LEMR) homes be established and maintained on the City's website as described in the report "Enhancing Access to Affordable Housing through Low-End Market Rental Program Management Changes" dated March 26, 2025, from the Director, Housing;  
2. That public information resources on the LEMR Program be expanded to recognize property-specific rents and eligibility criteria supported by a mapping tool to aid those in their search for affordable housing in Richmond; and  
3. That the LEMR Program be assessed to determine how it is serving the housing needs of the Priority Groups recognized in the Affordable Housing Strategy 2017-2027, and that the findings of this assessment, and any related recommendations, be reported to Council.

Additional information can be found in the  full report by City staff. 

November 19, 2024

At their meeting on November 12th, Council endorsed Option 2 from the report titled “Updating the Low-End Market Rental (LEMR) Program to Support the Delivery of Affordable Housing,” that reviews LEMR maximum rent rates and income thresholds. Additionally, Council passed a motion directing staff to remove the free parking provisions for LEMR units in TOA developments, which will come back to Council at a later date. UDI submitted correspondence to the City regarding the LEMR Program, which can be accessed  here. 

The following option, recommended by staff and endorsed by Council, relates to implementing amendments to the maximum rent rates and income thresholds in the LEMR Program: 

• Option 2: 10% Below CMHC Average (Recommended): Return rents to 10 per cent below CMHC average market rents for Richmond with income thresholds set so annual rent is 30 per cent of annual household income. The approach would index changes annually to CMHC market averages allowing rent increases to be benchmarked against local rent changes and not those limited to any rate of increase in CPI. This option aligns rent rates with those recognized in the 2017 Affordable Housing Strategy as well as those recommended through Metro Vancouver's inclusionary zoning study. Further, the recommendation is supported by a financial feasibility assessment, being a requisite component of any inclusionary zoning and any new density bonus zoning as required by recently enacted changes to the Local Government Act.  

LEMR maximum rent and income thresholds will now be used in housing agreements for any conditionally approved rezoning applications, being those for which a zoning amendment bylaw has been given third reading and an associated housing agreement has yet to be executed as of November 12, 2024, notwithstanding the terms of any executed rezoning considerations letter. The LEMR maximum rent and income thresholds endorsed will also be used in any future housing agreement associated with a new or in-stream development application for which conditional approvals have yet to be granted. 

Additional information can be found in the  full report by City staff.