MLA Jordan Sturdy: Advocating Equitable Crown Land Rent Policies
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Study re-introduced a private member’s bill in the legislature today, urging the NDP government to take immediate action to provide certainty tackle skyrocketing residential rents on Crown land.
“Rent for tenants who live on Crown land is based on the assessed value of the property — and due to increasing property values in regions like the Sea to Sky, tenants have seen rent increases of up to 300 per cent,” said Sturdy. “It’s difficult to comprehend how this government has capped rent increases for every landlord but has excluded themselves from these rules.”
Since MLA Sturdy highlighted this issue in previous legislative sessions, the government has frozen rents while conducting a multi-year review of the situation.
Yet, the review has no end in sight and leaseholders continue to face uncertainty. In his bill, Sturdy has proposed that the maximum Crown Land Residential lease rate increases be subject to the same restrictions that are imposed on all other landlords in British Columbia and be held to the allowable increases outlined in the Residential Tenancy Act.
“It is essential that this government step in immediately to address this flawed policy and limit rent increases in the same way they have for other renters, and enable British Columbians to stay in their homes,” added MLA Sturdy.
