Policy Brief: Preserving Affordable Homes in the Private Rental Market

January 24, 2024

The number of rental homes that are affordable to Canadian households is rapidly dwindling. Right now, for every new affordable home being built under federal and provincial / territorial programs, two are being lost, either to demolition and conversion or as a result of rent increases that render them unaffordable. While increasing housing supply with new builds is important, it is equally important that governments take urgent steps to preserve the affordable homes we already have.

In this policy brief, we identify specific policy tools that are available to governments at the municipal, provincial, territorial, and federal levels to preserve the dwindling supply of affordable private rental market homes that already exist in Canada.

Key highlights include:

  • Policy tools to keep rents affordable.
  • Policy tools to maintain affordable homes and prevent neglect.
  • Policy tools to preserve affordability in housing redevelopments.
  • Policy tools to protect affordable rental housing from conversion.
  • Inter-governmental cooperation and coordination.
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