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OUR VIEW: Vulnerable renters get a needed break

NDP moves should lift a lot of worry, stress from people trying to make ends meet
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The provincial government has helped remove a Damocles’ Sword from above the heads of many home renters by closing loopholes that enabled landlords to circumvent rent controls.

It’s no secret it is increasingly hard for people to enter today’s cost-prohibitive housing market, and this will provide much needed relief to renters who were vulnerable to so-called “geographic” rent increases of up to 80 per cent in hot rental markets, far surpassing the allowed four per cent annual rent increase.

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Removing the fixed-term leases with move-out clauses will also give renters a break from being subjected to potentially huge rent increases if they want to continue living where they are.

It’s getting increasingly expensive to survive in the Lower Mainland and the NDP government should be lauded for looking out for vulnerable renters through these protections. It should lift a lot of worry and stress from people trying to make ends meet.

— Now-Leader