Association Report the issue, lawyer Joe Hoffer worked with legal counsel for the City of London, focusing on what the bylaw would mean to landlords who were required to pay a licensing fee to operate a rental property. The Residential Rental Units Licensing Bylaw was passed in 2009 but, because LPMA fought so hard, the city restricted the fees to properties with four or fewer units and converted dwellings. Unlike other municipalities, the city has kept the licence fee at a moderate level. Affordable housing The London area continues to experience some of the greatest housing affordability challenges in Canada, according to the 2019 Annual Shareholder Report that was presented to city council in June by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). HDC works with private, non-profit, and government sectors to enable and advance the development of affordable rental housing. The report states: “The lack of available affordable stock, increasing rents and housing prices, and a changing economy are impacting the housing stability of more and more households. And now, the impact of a global pandemic is only accentuating the needs of those facing housing instability.” Recovery from the crisis will require all levels of government and all sectors to continue to invest in housing, the report indicates. HDC’s 2018 report stated that the city needed 3,000 new affordable housing units; however, the agency now estimates that the true gap of housing needed may be closer to 5,000 units. Without those units, more people will face rising housing costs and a lack of availability, waitlists for social housing will continue to grow, the local labour market will be adversely affected, and London’s housing affordability gap will keep expanding.
In the last year, London’s rental vacancy rate dropped from 2.1 to 1.8 per cent, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), making it even more difficult for renters to find a home. Those adversely affected by the shortage of affordable housing include people who are employed in low- to moderate-income jobs; those who experience housing as a barrier to finding work; people who would like to move to London; those living in vulnerable situations without housing; and people who, without support, risk losing their homes. With respect to that last group, HDC includes in its work partnering with private and non-profit developers to create “specialized housing” projects focused on combining housing with supports, such as health and wellness, to help tenants maintain their housing and lower their risk of eviction. The pandemic LPMA’s final meeting was held in March. Board members began discussing ways of adding value to memberships to compensate for cancelling the annual trade show in April and suspending the meetings for the foreseeable future. The board also wanted to retain members since some had left LPMA to reduce their expenses. We held our first webinar in August and lawyer Joe Hoffer discussed Bill 184, which amends a number of housing statutes in Ontario. The webinars will continue to replace the monthly dinner meetings until the province allows groups of more than 50 people to congregate. LPMA has also helped members stay connected by sharing links to relevant local and industry news articles and to TV news clips on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. In addition, we initiated physical safety measures, including requiring visitors to make an appointment with administrator Rebecca David instead of dropping in to the office. A plexiglass barrier was erected and visitors must wear a face mask while they are in the office.
Conclusion: One of LPMA’s strengths centres on providing small and medium-sized landlords with the guidance of some of the best and most knowledgeable business leaders in the industry. We’ve never lost sight of the smaller landlord, even though the industry is driven by multi-residential high-rises. Because property management techniques are skills that individuals learn on their own, membership in an organization such as LPMA is vital to filling in the gaps in information and ensuring the professional management of their operations.
26 – theANNUAL London