COVID Leads to Rental Housing Shortage in Cornwall Ontario

AUGUST 6, 2020 – Scary times for many. Thanks to COVID and tenants not paying their rent and fear of the unknown many small rental home owners have sold up leaving many scrambling to find a unit in Cornwall which already had been struggling with rental units for workers at places like Olymel and others who bring in workers from Quebec to fill positions.

The Cornwall Ontario & Area Real Estate for Sale & Rent facebook group has seen its membership quadruple in less than a month with most posts requesting a home to rent.

“No kidding, places that we’re renting for 1400/1500$ are now 1700/1800$ and for every 1 place available there are 20 families looking. Just had a panic attack and cried my eyes out last night because of this. I have to be out of my house October 1 because it sold…How do people expect a family to pay these outrageous rental prices with kids? It’s just not feasible.”

Cornwall area landlords are starting to get Ottawa like rents without local residents earning Ottawa salaries which is causing mild panic in some.

“I hear you on this. I’ve been looking to move since around march, I cant find anything, everytime something even half decent pops up, it’s either already rented or the person doesnt respond back. No offense to anyone, but cornwall is nothing special, and a large majority of the places for rent arnt even nice or are in a very rough part of town and landlords are asking rediculous prices. The homeless rate will definitely be going up that’s for sure.”

Cornwall had a higher amount of sub standard units in its rental pool, but talk of licensing landlords and putting pressures on them would only end up causing that pool to diminish as Landlords could raise rents commiserate to their improvement.

Rental numbers have suffered as the city allowed many apartment complexes to turn condo over the last decade leading to a shortage of good quality rentals.

Are you facing a housing crisis? Post a comment or email info@cornwallfreenews.com

4 Comments

  1. The second comment in the post is actually mine. The prices of these rentals is crazy, like where are the jobs to even back up the crazy costs of these rentals, an income from olymeal or walmart logistics isnt going to cut it, same with most of the other jobs in cornwall, it’s not a high income town, never has been, and with all the crime and drugs that are here half the town is run down and not appealingly to even look at. All I gotta say is, soon people will either go homeless or move away from cornwall and the population will diminish …

  2. Some folks pay their credit cards instead of rent, because they’re up poop creek if Visa, Mastercard, or other captor freezes their credit… kind of embarrassing for those that chose dining out, a winter vacay, pricey toys, or a dozen other distractions beyond their means, instead of essentials.
    Small wonder landlords are getting out.
    A lot of hard lessons being learned these days.

  3. I sort of agree with Kyle. But at the same time if it isn’t feasible for landlords they will get out of being a LL and who can blame them. If LL costs go up the LL will add it to the rent, it won’t come out of the small profit they might make.

    And I fully agree with Kyle, if it doesn’t make sense a LL will get out of the market.

    Costs are always increasing, they never go down. So, you can’t blame LL for getting out.

  4. Its even worst now, what a joke. Landlords are taking advantage of this covid thing, I dont think they really got effected in my opinion. 2 months ago some places were selling for around 900+ and those same places are now asking for 1100+ for worst than I’m living in now at 860+. Pretty sad, everyone is trying to milk everyone. Its just not realistic unless you have a career making 40k+ and in Cornwall thats hard to come by. I know there’s a lot of people working remotely that have careers in bigger cities.

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