Real Property Management Metro Vancouver

01/25/2017

Landlord registry aims to improve B.C. rental industry.

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01/19/2017

Landlord BC has created an online registry that allows tenants to screen their potential landlords.

01/19/2017

01/17/2017

Loan for first-time homebuyers attracting applicants: minister
British Columbia's housing minister says a program to help first-time homebuyers received applications within hours of launching.
Rich Coleman said that within six hours of the provincial loan program's launch on Monday, 29 applications had been submitted.
He said the province would be ready to approve eight of the applications by Tuesday for the loan that is interest- and payment-free for five years.
"This opportunity will change a number of lives," Coleman said.
The B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership announced last month gives first-time buyers a maximum $37,500 loan toward a down payment.
The loan matches a first-time buyers' down payment up to five per cent of the purchase price on homes with a maximum value of $750,000.
The loan must be paid off over the subsequent 20 years past the interest-free period, with payments scheduled at current interest rates.
After the program was announced last month, some economists criticized the move saying it would only drive up housing prices by creating more competition in the market.
More here: http://ow.ly/uv8e3085Yg5

01/16/2017

Cheeky ad promises VW 'beautifully preserved in snow' for $1K.
It’s a steal of a deal if you’re willing to BYOS: Bring your own shovel.
A Volkswagen owner in East Vancouver has posted a tongue-in-cheek Craigslist ad offering a 2001 Golf for just $1,000. There is a catch, however – the car is “beautifully preserved in snow,” thanks to the recent blast of wintry weather that left it seemingly frozen in place.
“This car is sold as-is, where-is. Please bring your own shovel. If you must, you can use your hands, but not suggested,” the ad reads.
The car is in working condition, according to the listing, but may need a battery boost because it hasn’t been driven in a while.
Interested buyers may want to wait a few days before committing to rolling up their sleeves to dig out the lonely VW: Environment Canada predicts the cold snap will transition to heavy rain and temperatures in the double digits later this week, which will cause much of the snow and ice accumulation to melt.

More here: http://ow.ly/D0LL3083w7u

01/13/2017

'Foreign investor' named Canadian Press business newsmaker of the year.
A nameless, faceless figure at the heart of the controversy surrounding soaring real estate prices has been named The Canadian Press business newsmaker of the year.
As home prices in Vancouver and Toronto rose at a torrid pace, public and political attention shifted to an enigma that, rightly or wrongly, some believed to be the culprit: the foreign investor.
Stories about buyers from outside Canada, particularly those from China, snapping up Vancouver houses dominated headlines over the past year, sparking outrage among some.
The issue became so heated that it prompted the B.C. government to implement a 15 per cent tax beginning in August on homes purchased by foreign nationals in Metro Vancouver.
The federal government also intervened. In October, it closed a tax loophole that had allowed non-residents to avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of a principal residence.
More here: http://ow.ly/uWO8307YZZJ

01/12/2017

Ryan Reynolds to return to Vancouver for filming of 'Deadpool 2'.
The Vancouver-born actor will be returning to the city in May to shoot "Deadpool 2," according to film production listings site MyEntertainmentWorld.com.
Reynolds plays the titular Marvel Comics character, alias Wade Wilson, in the first film which features several Vancouver sets. Local landmarks including the Cobalt Hotel and part of the PNE Grounds can be spotted by sharp-eyed fans.
Production made headlines in April when filming shut down the viaduct for several days.
Filming for the first movie boosted the province by $40 million, according to Canada's Motion Picture Association, thanks to the hiring of more than 2,000 cast and crew.
More here: http://ow.ly/fET5307WLWG

01/10/2017

Residents facing homelessness after rooming house hikes rent.
Some residents of a low-income residency in the Downtown Eastside may face homelessness due to a rent increase of as much as $210.
Residents of a 24-room boarding house on Alexander Street were recently told their rent would increase from about $450 per month to $660.
Protesters gathered outside the property on Monday holding signs with messages including "Happy New Year, you're evicted," "Shame," and "Rent control not rent hike."
Management at the Ross House, a low-rent safe haven for many Vancouver residents who can't afford the city's sky-high real estate costs, say the hike is just meant to make ends meet.
"I know people are upset the rents are getting increased, but we don't get any subsidies from the cities," a woman at Ross House told reporters.
She added that some of the growing operating costs are due to damage caused by the rooming house's tenants.
"People throw TVs out windows, (cause) tens of thousands of dollars of damages, and that comes out of our pockets. We don't make any money here."
But tenants say the increase means many will face homelessness.

More here: http://ow.ly/7P8L307Srwg

01/09/2017

Low vacancy rates in most of B.C.
Despite the data, many renters end up paying much more than the average, particularly in a city like Vancouver with a vacancy rate of less than 1 per cent.
In fact, data published by listings site PadMapper on Thursday showed the median price landlords were asking for in Vancouver in November was $1,800 for one-bedroom units.
The median was $1,500 in Toronto and $1,220 in Victoria. Kelowna also made the country's top 10 on that site with a median of $960.
A major cause for soaring rent is vacancy rates, which were lower than 2 per cent for one-bedroom apartments in all but one of the B.C. cities that RentSeeker looked at.
Surrey and Victoria had a rate of 0.5 per cent for one-bedrooms, Burnaby and Kelowna had a rate of 0.8, Langley had a rate of 1.4, Richmond was 1 and Saanich was 0.3.
The only city examined with a higher rate than Langley's was Fort St. John, with 34.8 per cent vacancy.
The numbers vary slightly depending on the size of apartment. For example, in Abbotsford and Kelowna the vacancy rate for bachelor apartments was 0.0 per cent, while Richmond had a rate of 2.5 and Victoria had a rate of 0.4.

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01/05/2017

Does your apartment has a temperature over +22 by Celsius?
HEATING SYSTEMS
Heating systems shall be maintained in a safe and good working
condition so as to be capable of safely attaining and maintaining an
adequate temperature standard, free from fire and accident hazards
and in all residential accommodation capable of maintaining every room
at a temperature of 72Ε Fahrenheit (22Ε Celsius) measured at a point 5
feet (1.52 m) from the floor.

01/03/2017

Studio apartment to heritage home: What $1,800 per month can rent across Canada.
Vancouver: Fully furnished studio downtown, $1,750
Victoria: Two-bedroom recent reno, $1,840
Edmonton: Three-bedroom bungalow for $1,795
Regina: Four-bedroom in new development, $1,800
Winnipeg: 'Luxury historic condo,' $1,800
Toronto: Two-bedroom in new downtown building, $1,755
Fredericton: 'Huge older home,' $1,800
Quebec City: Three-bedroom in Old Quebec, $1,830
Halifax: Three-bedroom apartment, $1,800
Iqaluit: Furnished one-bedroom with utilities, $2,250 month