Editor:
Residents of the Sun-shine Coast in general and the District of Sechelt specifically have been facing an acute housing crisis. Due to the spike in real estate sales for the past year, most of the tenants and the ex-owners of the sold houses are forced to vacate their current homes and look for new refuge. There is no hope of increased availability of affordable housing in the near future. The residents who are most affected by this housing crunch are senior citizens and youth who are struggling to make ends meet.
The current monthly market rate for renting a one-bedroom unit is around $900 and $2,000 for a large single-family dwelling. An average resident could hardly afford to spend more than $700 a month for rent. The District of Sechelt bylaw No. 25, 1987 is further exacerbating the crisis as it prevents owners of large single-family dwellings from renting their homes to more than one family.
Bylaw No. 25 stipulates that owners of single-family dwellings must reside in the building for more than nine months to be able to rent out part of their building. This bylaw was brought into force around 30 years ago when the population in this area was very sparse and large families used to live in single-family dwellings. The current situation, however, is entirely different, with an increasing population consisting of seniors, youth and small families with a limited source of income.
The District of Sechelt administration and its council are quite aware of this crisis, but seem to be slow on acting to resolve it. This is affecting both homeowners and prospective tenants alike. Owners need some revenue to offset the increasing property taxes and mortgages caused by the drastic real estate boom, and tenants need to have access to affordable dwellings. It is therefore high time that the District of Sechelt council directs its administration to reconsider this 30-year-old bylaw and come up with the most practical amendment allowing the owners to modify their homes, making them suitable to rent to two or more families without having to live in the same building.
Srinivasa Rao Sadasivuni, Sechelt
