Affordable apartments are left empty
Affordable apartments in the east end are being left empty and in some cases boarded up, even while people are still living in other parts of the buildings, and homeless people are camping nearby.
Nobody likes these signs of dilapidation. NB these are privately owned properties, not social housing.
Mozai 13:02 on 2026-05-03 Permalink
There’s a three-bedroom unit next to me in Plateau. It used to have new tenants every 6-8 months, always young so very likely students. Before covid-19 it was renovated and it’s been empty since, for years, not even AirBnB’d. No idea why.
Kate 14:23 on 2026-05-03 Permalink
Even with today’s inflated rents, managing tenants must be too much trouble for the financial return.
I find that amazing, but with so many empty flats and apartments around town, it has to be a major reason. I know there’s an advantage to leaving a place empty for one year because then you can charge more, but we’re talking about more than a year in most cases.
Kevin 08:16 on 2026-05-04 Permalink
Some owners are far too hopeful when it comes to setting prices.
Ian 18:20 on 2026-05-05 Permalink
Imagine being so parasitic that you have hoarded enough property to charge people for a place to live and that STILL isn’t sufficiently profitable for you to bother.