The Co-op Difference

Today, a new report comparing housing charges (rents) in co-op housing with rents in similar private market rental buildings was released. It looked at Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa between 2006 and 2021.

The report shows that rent trends in non-profit co-op housing differs dramatically from that of the private rental sector, where rents have increased nationally by 11 percent in the last year alone.

The report found that housing charges (rents) in co-ops have been consistently lower than rents in comparable buildings in the private market, and that the gap has widened over time.  While in the early years, the co-op housing costs were, on average, $150-$200 less per month than similar market rental buildings, this gap widened to upwards of $400 to $500 per month in the later years in all cities, except Edmonton.

“Of course, co-ops benefitted from public investment which supported their construction and operation in their early years” said Tim Ross, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. “But the long-term payoff of that investment is clear. We now have permanently affordable co-ops across the country that enable people to put healthy food on the table and save for their children’s education, along with living securely.

“Because individuals and families living in co-ops tend to have lower than average incomes, the affordability of co-op homes has an outsized impact” added Tom Clement, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.

The report did not consider the impact of separate rental assistance often provided to low-income households living in co-op housing through federal and provincial programs. These programs bridge the gap between the co-op housing charge and what the household can afford. But as governments increasingly support low-income households through rental assistance programs (sometimes called housing benefits), the value of co-op housing is clear.

“Because of the relative affordability of co-ops, the cost to government of supporting low-income households in co-op housing is much lower than supporting those same households in the private market. And based on the trends outlined in the report, we expect the savings to government to only increase” said Thom Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC.

“Not only does the mixed-income model of co-op housing create inclusive, supportive communities, it makes financial sense” added Jovette Fournier, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Association of Eastern Ontario.

And there was no trade-off in the condition of the co-op buildings with their affordable rents. 97% of co-ops in the same administrative area as those studied in the report were rated as being in excellent, good or fair physical condition in 2020.

“Co-operative housing has long been a source of affordable, secure housing in a community setting, but given the inflationary situation all Canadians are facing – along with the insecurity that comes with rapidly rising rents in the private market – the benefits of co-operative housing have never been clearer. Now we just need to build more of it,” concluded Ayanna Inniss, Executive Director of the Northern Alberta Co-operative Housing Association.

The Co-op Difference: Comparing co-op and market rents in five Canadian cities was commissioned by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, in partnership with the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, the Northern Alberta Co-operative Housing Association, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto and the Co-operative Housing Association of Eastern Ontario.  It was authored by Greg Suttor, Chidom Otogwu and Nick Falvo in July 2022.

Background information: key data by city:

Edmonton

• Edmonton’s average market rents were largely flat from 2015 through 2021. This reflected difficult economic conditions and slower growth in the latter 2010s. Edmonton did not experience the post-2015 escalation of market rents that widened the co-op/market rent gap in most cities.
• In that context, though co-op rents were consistently 15 to 25 percent below market, the percent difference between co-op and market rents did not widen but narrowed slightly over the study period.
• Average monthly 1-bedroom co-op rent was about $185 lower than market initially and $235 lower by 2019-2021; for a 2-bedroom, the rent gap stayed the same, at about $257 monthly.

For more information or media inquiries outside of British Columbia, please contact: Dallas Alderson, 613-715-3323, dalderson@chfcanada.coop.

Links

English report and English media release
French report and French media release