There are significant issues with this housing measure: first and foremost, the lack of qualitative proof that a vacancy problem exists.
The VUT’s goals are to increase the rental housing stock and collect tax revenue for the city’s affordable housing objectives. While the overall objectives of the bylaw are worthy, it’s time for the city to pause the VUT so public consultations can finally be held, and reconsider the mandatory declaration approach.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Nobody denies that there are vacant units in Ottawa; however, the city approved the VUT without collecting quantitative data — in short, knowing if the city: a) has a vacant unit problem or b) the scope of the problem if it even exists. The city promoted the need for the VUT by using stale 2016 census data that claimed there were 22,000 vacant units in Ottawa, but thethere are 760 to 3,000 vacant units.
In a well-implemented VUT, revenues should decline over time as vacant units are occupied. The more revenue a city collects from its VUT, the less successful the program is. According to the city’s report, Ottawa’s VUT will do the opposite with only 540 vacant units becoming occupied after six years and net revenues climbing over the same period.
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