Newsletter

As of last week, as per Bill 44, all strata properties, be it a condo, townhouse, or bare land strata home, are fully rentable. Any rental restrictions that were in place are now unenforceable. The only restriction that strata properties can make is a bylaw restricting short term rentals (Airbnb-type rentals).

When the news first came out, the rumour circulated that strata homes that have 55+ age restrictions can enforce rental restrictions, but that is NOT true: ALL strata properties now must allow rentals.

The other major change is that all age restriction bylaws are unenforceable, except buildings that have or are adopting a 55+ age restriction. The 55+ age restriction means that one or more people who RESIDE in the residence (be it owner or tenant) must be 55+. The strata owners have the option to pass a bylaw specifying if one or all residents in a unit need to be 55+. Note that an owner of a strata unit in this building can be any age, but whoever RESIDES in the unit needs to be 55+.

This is a big legislative change, and there are many questions that have come up and many answers are not clear yet. Do reach out to me with your questions, and note I may have to refer you to a lawyer who is an expert in strata law. The main takeaway is that it doesn’t matter if your current bylaws state that your strata has a 19+ or 40+ age restriction, or limits the number of rentals in the building to, let’s say, 5 units at a time; these bylaws are now unenforceable: All strata properties are fully rentable, and only the 55+ age restriction for residents is enforceable if there is a 55+ bylaw. Some buildings are apparently quickly adopting this age restriction as a new bylaw, lawyers have been busy this past week.

Victoria Real Estate Board Market Report for November 2022

A total of 384 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this November, 41.2 per cent fewer than the 653 properties sold in November 2021 and 20 per cent fewer than in October 2022. Sales of condominiums were down 42.4 per cent from November 2021 with 136 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 34.1 per cent from November 2021 with 182 sold.

Market update March 2022: Low inventory, high demand, shift to stabilizing prices?

Low inventory and continued high demand kept pushing prices for all types of homes up in March. However, anecdotally there is less intense competition and not all homes go over ask or sell without conditions. There may have been less buyers in March due to spring break, but high prices and general uncertainty may also mean prices are going to plateau in the coming months. It all depends on the number of homes coming on the market this spring, as inventory is still at an historic low.

The following news release from the Victoria Real Estate Board puts the numbers in context:

A total of 833 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this March, 29 per cent fewer than the 1,173 properties sold in March 2021 but a 16 per cent increase from February 2022. Sales of condominiums were down 26 per cent from March 2021 with 279 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 28.2 per cent from March 2021 with 412 sold.

Record low inventory prevents Victoria real estate market from cooling-off

A total of 718 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this February, 16.8 per cent fewer than the 863 properties sold in February 2021 but a 51.5 per cent increase from January 2021. Sales of condominiums were down 7.9 per cent from February 2021 with 267 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 20.8 per cent from February 2021 with 309 sold.

“It was heartening this month to see some more listings come to market in February,” said 2022 Victoria Real Estate Board President Karen Dinnie-Smyth. “However, inventory levels remain at record lows and without a strong government focus on increasing supply, buyers will continue to face escalating prices and difficult market conditions.”

There were 849 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of February 2022, an increase of 14.1 per cent compared to the previous month of January but a 35.6 per cent decrease from the 1,318 active listings for sale at the end of February 2021.

YOUR PROPERTY ASSESSMENT NOTICE

By now, all homeowners should have received their property assessment from the BC Assessment Authority. You’ll notice that these 2022 assessments are a lot higher than the ones for 2021. Depending on the property type (single family or condo) and location, assessments in Greater Victoria have gone up between 20% and 40%. The following table shows price gains between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021 for Greater Victoria and the Mid-Island (data courtesy BC Assessment Authority). Two things to note:

1. Rural areas are playing catch-up with urban areas: The farther away from the core and the more rural, the larger the relative price gains.
2. These increases are as of July 1, 2021. The market has since gone up even more, especially for condos, which were later to see price increases.

No change on the horizon for the Victoria real estate market

A total of 653 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this November, 17.9 per cent fewer than the 795 properties sold in November 2020 and 12.3 per cent fewer than the previous month of October. 236 condominiums sold, 5.2 per cent fewer than in the previous month of October. 276 single family homes sold, 18.6 per cent fewer than in the previous month of October.

“Strong demand for housing in our community continues to exceed the ultra-low number of listings of homes available for sale,” said Victoria Real Estate Board President David Langlois. “This demand creates competition and pressure on pricing and we continue to see home values notch up. At this moment in time, there are fewer than 600 residential properties for sale in our market.”

Low inventory continues to constrain the Victoria real estate market. The active number of listings on the market at the end of October 2021 was half what it was in 2020 – and in the fall of 2020 the market was already very tight – leading to rising prices for all housing types.

The Victoria real estate board’s press release reads as follows:

A total of 745 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this October, 24.7 per cent fewer than the 990 properties sold in October 2020 and 2.1 per cent fewer than the previous month of September. Condominium sales were down 18.1 per cent from October 2020 with 249 units sold. 18.6 per cent fewer condominiums sold in October 2021 than in the previous month of September. Sales of single family homes were down 30.4 per cent from October 2020 with 339 sold. 2.4 per cent more single family homes sold in October 2021 than in the previous month of September.

Continued low inventory characterizes the Victoria Real Estate Market. The Victoria real estate board’s president advocates for a greater commitment to development to balance the local housing market, as described in the following news release.

A total of 761 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this September, 23.1 per cent fewer than the 989 properties sold in September 2020 and 8.4 per cent fewer than the previous month of August. Condominium sales were up 9.3 per cent from September 2020 with 306 units sold. 11.3 per cent fewer condominiums sold in September 2021 than in the previous month of August. Sales of single family homes were down 38.6 per cent from September 2020 with 331 sold. 7.3 per cent fewer single family homes sold in September 2021 than in the previous month of August.

“We are in a situation this month that is very similar to last month,” said Victoria Real Estate Board President David Langlois. “We have seen a lot of demand for homes of all types, but very little inventory come onto the market. And just like last month, it would be inaccurate to say that the market has slowed down and certainly an oversimplification to say the market is experiencing traditional seasonal slowing. What we are experiencing is a continued response to long-term low inventory levels.”

There were 1,124 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of September 2021, 53 per cent fewer properties than the 2,389 available at the end of September 2020 but four properties more than the 1,120 active listings for sale at the end of August 2021.

­­The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in September 2020 was $879,700. The benchmark value for the same home in September 2021 increased by 25.1 per cent to $1,100,200, a 1 per cent increase from the previous month of August. The MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core in September 2020 was $482,000, while the benchmark value for the same condominium in September 2021 increased by 13.3 per cent to $545,900.

“It’s a complex market and it has been for some time here in Greater Victoria,” added President Langlois. “We have a lot of people who want to share in this wonderful community, but we do not have the homes to answer the demand at all points in the housing spectrum. Adding more inventory – be it rental or market housing – requires a commitment to building from our community members. If you support more homes, you need to vocally support projects coming through your local municipal council. Many amazing developments never happen or are buried in expense, which adds to the end cost, before they make it through years of permitting because of opposition at public reviews – often by a small but vocal minority. In order to stop our cycle of pressure on pricing due to limited supply, our community must choose to commit to new housing or commit to prices escalating further.

A total of 835 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this July, 14.7 per cent fewer than the 979 properties sold in July 2020 and 11.4 per cent fewer than the previous month of June. Condominium sales were up 18.8 per cent from July 2020 with 284 units sold. 16 per cent fewer condominiums sold in July 2021 than in the previous month of June. Sales of single family homes were down 29.2 per cent from July 2020 with 396 sold. 10 per cent fewer single family homes sold in July 2021 than in the previous month of June.

“The real estate story right now continues to be inventory,” said Victoria Real Estate Board President David Langlois. “The market is driven by inventory; and fewer home listings lead to fewer home sales. In that context, these numbers do not reflect a downturn in our market but reveal sales falling due to this continued trend of low inventory.”

A snapshot of the market shows continued low inventory, with prices higher again this month compared to last.

The Victoria Real Estate Board writes:  

The Victoria market continued to show its strength through the month of May, with a near record setting pace for sales and ongoing record low inventory levels. A total of 1,049 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this May, 129.5 per cent more than the 457 properties sold in May 2020, but 6 per cent fewer than the previous month of April. Sales of condominiums were up 200.9 per cent from May 2020 with 325 units sold. 1.8 per cent fewer condominiums sold in May 2021 than in the previous month of April. Sales of single family homes were up 111.4 per cent from May 2020 with 537 sold. 4.8 per cent fewer single family homes sold in May 2021 than in the previous month of April.

The Victoria Real Estate Board’s Market Update reads as follows:

“Comparing last year’s April market to 2021 does not provide us any real insight into long term market trends,” said Victoria Real Estate Board President David Langlois. “Instead of comparing to last year’s numbers, we need to look at years before the pandemic to see how April 2021 compares to average. In the most recent five years pre-pandemic, the average number of sales in the month of April was 896. April 2016 holds the record for sales with 1,286 properties sold. The five-year average for active listings was 2,596, so we sit at more than one thousand homes fewer than a recent average level of inventory.”

A total of 1,116 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this April, 288.9 per cent more than the 287 properties sold in April 2020, but 4.9 per cent fewer than the previous month of March. Sales of condominiums were up 353.4 per cent from April 2020 with 331 units sold. 12.2 per cent fewer condominiums sold in April 2021 than in the previous month of March. Sales of single family homes were up 246 per cent from April 2020 with 564 sold. 1.7 per cent fewer single family homes sold in April 2021 than in the previous month of March.