Housing & Homelessness

Rental housing platforms

Here's what the 2024 BC election parties are promising.

BC NDP

  • Waive provincial property taxes for new purpose-built rental projects
  • Subsidise insurance for "Mom and Pop" landlords to protect against unpaid rent and damages, and offer legal advice

    "So many prospective “Mom and Pop” landlords want to help provide housing but are worried about unexpected problems, like unpaid rent or damage. We’ll give them the support and confidence they need to keep renting out their units through subsidized insurance that protects against unpaid rent and damages, offers legal advice and more." — An Action Plan for You, retrieved 2024-10-07

  • Replenish, as needed, the Rental Protection Fund to allow non-profits to buy affordable rental housing

    "Protect BC’s existing stock of rental housing by replenishing, as needed, the Rental Protection Fund that non-profits can use to buy and protect affordable rental housing for the long term, so people don’t have to be afraid that their homes are going to be sold out from under them to speculators or large corporate real estate companies." — An Action Plan for You, retrieved 2024-10-07

  • Ban "no pet" clauses for purpose-built rental apartment buildings

    "We’ll end the bias against pet owners — which impacts young people, seniors and people with disabilities most. This move will also bring down the rate of pet abandonments across the province, as renters no longer have to make the difficult choice between the housing they need and the pet they love." — An Action Plan for You, retrieved 2024-10-07

BC Conservatives

  • Create a tax incentive programme to for developers building multi-unit rental housing

    "Unlike condominiums, rental buildings pay-back builders over a timespan of 50 to 60 years – but the costs are front-loaded. The successful MURB tax incentive program (Multi-Unit Residential Building) from 1974-1982 created a strong supply of rental housing by allowing costs to offset taxable income from other sources.

    A housing crisis calls for bold, creative solutions. The Conservative Party of BC will:

    1. Introduce real tax incentives for rental construction: We will work with the federal government to reintroduce a MURB tax incentive program for the 21st century. If Ottawa doesn’t play ball, we will introduce a made-in-BC version."

    conservativebc.ca, retrieved 2024-10-08

BC Greens

  • Limit rent increases between tenants

    "Prevent landlords from dramatically increasing rents after a tenancy ends by implementing vacancy control measures." — BC Greens 2024 Platform, retrieved 2024-10-09

  • Create province-wide minimum standards for tenant protection to protect against renovictions

    "Create province-wide minimum standards for tenant protection to safeguard renters from renovictions and other forms of displacement." — BC Greens 2024 Platform, retrieved 2024-10-09

  • Increase funding for Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters and Rental Assistance, raise rent ceilings, index to inflation, and expand eligibility

    "Increase funding to $164 million annually for the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SHELTER) and Rental Assistance Program (RAP). Raise the rent ceilings, index them to inflation, and expand eligibility to better support low-income renters." — BC Greens 2024 Platform, retrieved 2024-10-09

  • Provide a $500M re-capitalisation to the Rental Protection Fund, and require transparency in fund allocation

    "Increase funding to the Rental Protection Fund with a $500 million re-capitalization to safeguard existing affordable rental units. Mandate transparency in fund allocation to guarantee equitable distribution." — BC Greens 2024 Platform, retrieved 2024-10-09

  • Create a $100M/year Rental Maintenance Fund to maintain existing non-profit and co-op housing
  • Grant non-profits the right of first refusal on the sale of rental apartment buildings

    "Grant non-profit organizations the right of first refusal on the sale of rental apartment buildings, preventing the loss of affordable housing to private investors." — BC Greens 2024 Platform, retrieved 2024-10-09

Looking for the parties' positions on other topics?

See our full 2024 BC election platform comparison
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