Editor:
I understand that the government has launched a lease land rental enquiry, given the recent massive increases in lease land. In the North Lake area leaseholders are facing annual increases of about 100 per cent.
I do not understand why government lease land rental is exempt from the residential tenancy restrictions on annual rental increases.
The BC government website indicates that people who live in manufactured homes and rent their pads are protected by current legislation and that the owners of these rental pads are subject to the regulations that limit annual rental increases. For this year that is 1.5 per cent.
It seems to me that people who buy their homes on government lease land are very similar to those who buy manufactured homes in manufactured home parks.
In both cases, people own their dwellings and pay monthly land or pad rentals. Conditions are also similar in that these lease land renters are responsible for any dwellings that they have in place. Given this, it seems to be unfair that government is exempt from the very regulations that all other owners of rental land must abide by.
It would provide much needed security for lease land renters if government has an annual rent rate for a piece of lease land and then be subject to the same regulations as all other rental land owners. Lease land renters would then have a clear understanding of where they stand and not be subject to excessive and erratic rent increases based on the whims of the market.
Rick Craig, Powell River
