‘This is life-and-death stuff’

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This article was published 31/08/2017 (2970 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A report set to be released this morning by Coun. Janice Lukes suggests there may be more than 150 illegal rooming houses in Fort Richmond and University Heights, many targeting university students and packing anywhere from five to nine people into converted single-family homes.

In some cases, houses sold have seen their basements, living and dining rooms turned into as many bedrooms as possible to be rented out to single tenants.

“Here’s one we had the other day: it was a 1,000-square-foot house with five bedrooms. Five doors, five keys, the rooms were numbered. You do the math,” said Lukes, councillor for South Winnipeg-St. Norbert.

A shortage of affordable housing, increased student enrollment (particularly international students) and an aging demographic downsizing “created the perfect storm” for the current situation, reads the report, which took three years to research.

International students, many with no local job history or co-signers, are particularly susceptible to the shady renting practices.

“They rent these places not knowing a bylaw officer could come and kick them out at exam time. They don’t know it’s illegal. I can barely translate the bylaws because they’re so ridiculously written,” Lukes said.

What it comes down to, in her opinion, is supply and demand.

There’s a dire need for affordable off-campus student housing and no shortage of “slumlords” looking to turn a profit without concern for the safety of their tenants or the condition of their properties.

What’s at stake when it comes to the high concentration of illegal renting practices around the university is a lot more than houses in need of a paint job or yards not mowed in ages, according to Lukes.

It’s about doing something before people die.

In March, a fire broke out at a home on Pasadena Avenue where it is believed between five and nine university students were living. Incidents such as that help motivate Lukes and neighbourhood residents to do something about the issue before lives are lost.

“Yes, it’s sad the weeds are long and they’re not taking care of their yards. Those are legitimate concerns. But the big picture is: the last thing I want on my watch is a house fire and students dead in it. We’ve had some very close calls. This is life-and-death stuff,” she said.

“Residents are worked up about these slumlords, but they’re also concerned about 10 kids in a house who don’t know each other. When a fire breaks out and you don’t know anyone and you just run, that’s potential for disaster, potential for deadly occurrences.”

According to the report, one issue surrounding illegal rooming houses is the “perceived lack of bylaw enforcement and ability to enforce in a timely manner.”

When asked if the city is doing enough to combat the issue, Lukes said it was providing a “basic core level of service” with the resources at its disposal, but that many residents feel it’s not enough, which is why they chose to get involved with the issue.

When contacted for comment a spokeswoman said the city was actively working to reduce the number of illegal rooming houses and encourages concerned citizens to contact 311, adding that between Nov. 1, 2016 and March 24, 2017, they’d received 53 calls.

One of the reasons research for the report took years, according to Lukes, is because the city did not compile and analyze data on the issue, instead only investigating complaints when filed.

Over the past three years, Lukes said, residents and students have taken it upon themselves to compile and analyze that data.

A variety of approaches were taken, ranging from U of M master’s students doing a project on the issue, to citizens keeping an eye out for suspect properties, to what Lukes described as a “retired grandma with a bad hip, who goes on the web and searches” for advertisements of single-room rentals in her neighbourhood.

The reality is that as the problem did not spring up overnight, it isn’t likely to go away overnight either.

Nonetheless, Lukes is confident real progress has been — and will continue to be — made.

“We’ll always have to be vigilant. We’ll always have to be on this. But we’re seeing changes now and we’re just starting to collect and track data. In another three years I’d like to see a dramatic difference. I really think that’s possible,” she said.

The University of Manitoba has the lowest percentage of on-campus student housing of all 15 research universities in the country. The university was unable to provide comment by time of publication.

The report makes clear that illegal rooming houses are prevalent throughout south Winnipeg, but that the high concentration of them surrounding the university is conducive to research into the issue.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca