Have you ever been so desperate for something that you were willing to put up with abuse because you literally had no choice?
Well, that’s what is happening to many renters in Burnaby as they chase finding a place to live. They compete with so many other people that landlords hold all of the cards and sometimes abuse that power.
There are some fantastic landlords, according to Tara, a Burnaby resident who recently found one of them after a search she described in a column on Friday as “hell.” I wanted to focus this column on a separate point she brought up during our conversation.
Tara said that many landlords she met during her search “cut corners” in an obvious way, including not registering their rental with the City of Burnaby to avoid the fee and being charged extra utilities.
Tara is someone who knows the rules, but as her search went on, she found herself not asking all of the questions she wanted out of desperation.
And so she ended up not asking many landlords about if the place she was considering was a legal rental in the city.
“There are so many hurdles to overcome as it is that I didn’t ask,” said Tara. “I wanted to know, but we were so desperate.”
The thing is that many landlords know this, which allows them to push the boundaries in the rental process. Such as asking invasive questions – often asking for details that don’t really have anything to do with someone being a good tenant.
Tara and others I’ve spoken with have detailed the questions they need to answers, such as their credit score, social insurance number, banking information, relationship status (wait, what?).
“And they are asking for all of this before I had even seen the place they had listed,” Tara said. “To me it’s a breach of privacy. I shouldn’t have to give them that kind of information before I’ve even seen a place. But they can get away with it because they know we’re desperate.”
Other renters have told me about having to pony up “key money” – basically a bribe to get them to the top of the list of applicants.
Like I said, desperate times.
This comes as rents in Burnaby are hitting historic highs.
A report by Rentals.ca says that Burnaby finished fourth on the list for average monthly rent in March for a one-bedroom home at $1,959 and sixth for average monthly rent for a two-bedroom at $2,398.
Year over year, average monthly rent in March for a one-bedroom in Burnaby was up 16.5 per cent and up 9.9 per cent for a two-bedroom.
British Columbia remains the most expensive provinces for median rent for all property types, with rents up 18.9 per cent to $2,200 per month in March.
At some point, someone has to find a way to reverse this trend. People are struggling and making decisions that can actually be dangerous because of this desperation.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
