'I just found it offensive': Windsor, Ont. councillor sounds off on real estate listing showing mattresses on floors

An online real estate listing in Windsor is drawing the ire of residents and a city councillor for the living conditions seen in pictures.

Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante flagged the listing in a recent social media post, which showed at least seven mattresses on the floors of a single family home in South Windsor.

“They were in various parts of the house, including what appeared to be a living room, parts of the basement,” said Costante, who noted the South Windsor listing also called attention to potential investors.

“It was boasting about $4,200 a month in rent. So it was being marketed as an investment property,” said Costante. “I just found it offensive. You know, insofar as how it was being marketed. And frankly, these houses were never designed for this type of tenant arrangement.”

It’s been happening in Windsor’s west end for decades, in so-called “student housing” but as the city’s population rises due to an influx of immigration, workers and international students, it’s spreading across the city.

“It really is a snapshot of the housing crisis that we're in and frankly, I think it's going to get worse before it gets better,” Costante said.

West Windsor resident Caroline Taylor said these overloaded student homes are quite common in her neighbourhood.

“Families have sold the homes and investors buy it up. And now we are loaded up with rentals and students,” Taylor said.

Along with that, Taylor said comes issues like a proliferation of garbage strewn about the property, missed garbage days and bulk items left at the curb when students move out.

That aside, she’s concerned about living in conditions inside the home that she worries are not up to basic standards, or city code.

“I think the people that pay that money and live there don't know any better. And they begin to think that's the norm. And it's not the norm,” Taylor said. “I just feel really bad. I feel they've been taking advantage of.”

The residential rental licensing by-law passed by city council was in effect as a pilot project in Ward 1 and 2 for a short period. But according to Costante, a team of landlords raised $80,000 and filed a suit against the city, challenging the bylaw.

It’s now on pause while the parties await a decision.

“What is it that you're trying to hide? Because if it's simply the $400, one time fee and then a $275 fee thereafter, that could have all been raised in the $80,000 that they put up,” said Costante, in reference to the costs landlords will now face as part of the by-law in order to ensure compliance to city building code.

“I'm hoping that the court decision is in our favor. And we can resume the pilot project because in the few 100 homes that have been inspected so far, we've learned that only 38 per cent met code,” he said.

Meantime, Costante hopes to see fewer listings like this and said there’s one way to make that happen.

“We cannot build housing the way we built housing in the past. It has to be different,” he said. “That’s the only way we're going to be able to chisel away at this housing crisis and ensure that folks have access to affordable housing that safe and accessible.”