Affordability
Affordability is at the core of the Rental Protection Fund’s mission. By protecting rental homes today, the Fund ensures renters can stay in their communities while creating a lasting legacy of secure, affordable housing for future generations.
A Growing Gap
For every new affordable rental home built, four are lost to investors, conversions, demolitions, and rent hikes. The demand keeps growing, but supply struggles to keep up—underscoring the urgent need to protect the affordability that exists today.
Without protection, many units would transition to market rates upon turnover, permanently losing their affordability.
average below market rents secured
average 1BR rent for homes secured by the Fund
increase in rents if flipped to market
Affordable housing: who benefits?
The Rental Protection Fund safeguards homes for low-to-middle income households—renters who don’t qualify for subsidies but face rising housing costs. By preserving affordability, the Fund ensures these homes remain within reach for those who need them most.
The co-operative approach: increasing affordability based on means
The Rental Protection Fund’s first acquisition helped the Community Land Trust of B.C. protect two at-risk co-op buildings—Packard and Garden Court—preserving 290 affordable homes in Coquitlam.
The unique co-op model ensures long-term affordability and flexibility, allowing residents to stay in their homes even as their financial circumstances change. Since the acquisition:
average reduction in housing costs
below market housing charges
average resident savings per month
of residents with unaffordable housing costs
This compassionate approach has already made a difference:
Ukrainian newcomer
A Ukrainian newcomer is moving into a one-bedroom unit after month of living in a shared one-bedroom since leaving his war-torn country.
A senior long-term resident
A senior long-term resident was able to stay in her home with adjusted housing charges after facing a significant reduction in income due to the passing of her spouse.
A young couple from Colombia
A young couple from Colombia expecting their first child secured an affordable two-bedroom unit to support their growing family.