'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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.