BC Government Legislating Measures Designed to Control Home Prices and Increase Rental Vacancy

Recent legislation introduced by the BC Government will require builders to collect and report their buyer's information on the purchase and sale of condos before they are built. The NDP are putting this practice into place because they are concerned speculators are making purchases, riding out the equity increases while the property is being built, then selling them at a profit without ever living in them or reporting any of the capital gains.

“This is a key step to stopping people from using presale condos as a quick, lucrative investment,'' says Carol James. ``It's also to stop them from driving prices up for British Columbians trying to get into the housing market.''

This legislation would force the reporting of the condo flips and allow the government to collect the tax.

Whether or not one agrees with their legislation, if you read between the lines, the government is taking action because it recognizes the value in pre-sale condos as a way to build some equity during the construction phase. That’s certainly great news for our buyers who want to buy a new home or invest in a condo as a rental property.

The NDP also introduced amending legislation to give municipal governments stronger zoning tools to protect and improve the supply of rental properties. It will allow them to ensure existing rental properties cannot be redeveloped for other uses. Undeveloped land zoned for rental will be used for rental homes.

Other steps the provincial government recently took include the introduction of a speculation tax on vacant homes to encourage rentals, increased foreign buyers tax on property sales and the creation of a housing hub program to link non-profit and faith groups with property to developers to build affordable housing.

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