May 21st, 2024

On May 13th, the Minister of Housing announced that as the Province works to replace Single Room Occupancy Hotels (SROs) over the long term, it cannot risk losing the current affordable housing stock they provide. As a result, the Province has responded to the City of Vancouver’s request to enforce vacancy control for SROs, particularly in the Downtown Eastside. It has been clearly stated by the Minister of Housing that enforcing vacancy control is not something the Government is looking to do across the Province. 

The Province has introduced amendments to the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act (MEVA) at the request of the City of Vancouver, to enable the City to regulate SRO vacancy control to protect rent affordability for tenants that include some of the City’s most vulnerable residents. The amendments will validate Single Room Accommodation bylaws that limit rent increases between tenancies at SROs, as set out in Vancouver’s bylaws. 

UDI will continue to emphasize in our messaging to the Province, the importance of ensuring vacancy control is not applied more broadly to rental housing. This move would sound the death-knell for the rental housing sector, as projects would become unviable, and financial institutions would no longer support these investments because of the increased risk. 

More information can be found in the news release by the Ministry of Housing.