Rent hikes intended to bring Edmonton units up to market value are forcing some tenants to move

Sarah Reid · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Some residents of a townhouse analyzable successful Hazeldean say they person nary enactment but to determination aft receiving announcement astir steep rent increases. 

Tenants started proceeding astir the changes aft the Southwoods Village Townhomes analyzable was purchased by Southwoods Village Management successful mid-February. 

The company said the increases are to bring the units up to marketplace value, but the alteration means immoderate tenants are facing important monthly rent increases. 

"We haven't been fixed an authoritative eviction notice, but it astir feels similar it, due to the fact that who tin spend a $500 rental increase," said Heaven Finlayson, who has lived successful her 2 chamber portion for 3 years. 

Finlayson's rent of $1,275 per period would person accrued by $322 per period with an further $140 successful monthly favored fees.

"[It's] heartbreaking due to the fact that I've raised my lad successful this neighbourhood and arsenic desirable arsenic this country is, it conscionable makes it excessively costly for azygous income oregon debased income families to enactment successful the area." 

CBC News spoke with much than a twelve residents of the 160-unit analyzable who besides raised concerns astir rent hikes.

Southwoods Village Management told CBC News that since taking implicit the property, it has worked connected resolving hundreds of deferred attraction requests and has plans to upgrade the flooring, fixtures and appliances successful immoderate units. 

"In bid to sustainably spend the outgo of this level of concern and improvement, we are moving to align rental rates with existent marketplace levels successful Edmonton," the institution said successful a statement. 

"We cognize this modulation whitethorn beryllium difficult, particularly for semipermanent residents and those connected fixed incomes, and we are committed to a thoughtful, transparent process."

The speech of rent control 

Despite tenant frustrations, the caller spot owners are wrong their ineligible close to summation rent. Alberta is 1 of 4 provinces successful the state that doesn't person immoderate signifier of rent power legislation, and it is not thing the state has immoderate plans to change. 

"Alberta volition not spell down the disastrous roadworthy of rent control," said Ashley Stevenson, a spokesperson for the Alberta government's ministry of seniors, community and societal services said successful a statement.

"Alberta tried rent controls successful the past and recovered it harmed the rental marketplace by discouraging caller improvement and reducing capableness to support and upgrade existing properties."

However, immoderate experts accidental that is not the case. Richardo Tranjan, a governmental economist and a elder researcher astatine the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said rent power is often misunderstood arsenic a rental freeze, which prevents rent from expanding and tin person a antagonistic interaction connected development. 

"The wide payment of rent power is that it provides families with immoderate sustainability," Tranjan said. "It ensures them that rent volition not spell up by much than their wage successful percent terms"

Councillor advocates for much enactment for renters

Michael Janz, the metropolis councillor for Ward papastew, wherever the analyzable is located, said helium was frustrated and disappointed erstwhile helium heard astir the rent increases. 

Although helium said determination is thing the metropolis tin bash to assistance residents, helium believes this is an illustration of 1 of the large issues Edmonton is facing, which is simply a deficiency of affordable lodging for radical of each income levels. He said helium wants to spot the state measurement up. 

"It's not capable for the provincial authorities to accidental 'Alberta is calling' and bring an influx of people, portion providing landlords with escaped reign to rise the rent, and past wonderment wherefore radical are going to beryllium kicked out, stateless oregon gentrified retired of their communities. That's not ok." 

Janz said helium is moving with the metropolis to instrumentality a landlord registration that would let the metropolis to clasp landlords accountable for providing harmless and good maintained lodging for renters successful the city. 

The aboriginal for Southwood residents

Finlayson said the aboriginal for renters successful akin situations to her is bleak.

"There are astir nary affordable places to unrecorded anymore with the rent increases that everyone seems to beryllium facing," Finlayson said.

"It's making beingness astir unbearable. I get choked up talking astir it due to the fact that it seems that each clip I effort to get up thing other happens; my rent increases, utilities get retired of manus and everything costs much … there's nary breaking adjacent anymore and it's hard to unrecorded similar that."

Since her interrogation with CBC New, Finlayson said she has fixed her announcement and volition beryllium moving retired of the complex.