Efforts to tackle rental property problem progressing

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This article was published 02/06/2016 (3523 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents in Fort Richmond are hoping to tackle nuisance rental properties from the ground up.

On May 31, the Fort Richmond-University Heights Neighbourhood Association and area councillor Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) held a meeting at the Pinnacle Club to provide an update on illegal rental properties around the University of Manitoba.

According to Lukes, considerable progress has been made over the winter, including the creation of subcommittees to approach illegal rental properties from various angles.

“We have had volunteers come forward to form a board and actual association,” Lukes said. “They are applying for not-for-profit status with a chair, treasurer… and we’ve formed subcommittees to focus on certain issues.”

“Now I’ve got the leadership, while I will be on the board as a non-voting member, it’s important that the community leads it,” she said.

The association has developed a website (www.neighbourhoodassociation.ca) meant to educate residents, tenants, and landlords about their rights, responsibilities and actions that can be taken when community livability is compromised.

“This whole thing is about education,” Lukes explained. “On the website they will learn how to properly report the infraction and they will also learn what to expect after they report.

“We’re also educating tenants on community livability, how to live in the community, what the expectations are… and we’re also giving a section dedicated to educating landlords.”

With the creation of a neighbourhood association, the city has also dedicated a task force to help enforce bylaws and provide resources for community operations, Lukes said.

New parking bylaws are also expected to be brought to city council before the summer break giving the Winnipeg Parking Authority new powers to ticket excessive vehicles parked on residential properties all across Winnipeg. According to Lukes, in the Fort Richmond/University Heights area up to 10 vehicles might be parked on one property.

“It’s a horrific problem…  right now you’re only allowed to park a certain number of cars on a driveway or in your back,” Lukes said. “With the bylaw change, it will allow the Winnipeg Parking Authority to ticket.”

Moving forward, Lukes said the committee will be working with the City’s taxation department to flag suspected illegal rental properties for tax evasion. Members of the committee will be dropping postcards educating homeowners and tenants about renting in the neighbourhood while also compiling an inventory of assumed rental homes.

“We’re going to work with the City of Winnipeg taxation division and the taxation department will review the list of assumed rental properties… and they’re going to cross-reference the owner to where the tax bill goes,” Lukes explained.

The tax department will be looking for inconsistencies in tax filings and double dipping on certain credits, Lukes said.

“It sounds bad but it’s illegal… you can have two tenants in a home but you have to be declaring the revenue and many people don’t,” she said.

The University of Manitoba is also working towards identifying a solution with the students’ union providing tax filing assistance, and assistant professor of city planning Orly Linovski tasking her master’s students to study the issues plaguing the community.

“It’s a massive best practices study that the City planning department and University of Manitoba will be doing… that’s huge and just amazing —  we’re ecstatic about it,” Lukes said.