Public feedback to landlord and tenant legislation suggests divergent views among Yukoners who own properties and those who rent.
On Thursday, the Yukon government released a What We Heard report summarizing the feedback from more than 1,500 Yukoners reviewing the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
Yukoners who participated in the public engagement opportunity told the government they:
- Support allowing tenants to end a tenancy due to domestic, sexual or family violence or the need for long-term care.
- Landlords largely agree they should be able to end tenancies for personal use of the premises or major repairs, though fewer tenants support these reasons.
- While most landlords believe they should be allowed to raise rents above the territorially-legislated cap for repairs and renovations, only a small fraction of tenants agree.
- Many respondents highlighted the need for flexibility in roommate situations and supported permitting email service of documents under the act.
The rent caps are part of the NDP’s conditions for keeping the minority Liberal government in power under an agreement the two parties have signed.
Some respondents expressed a desire for a simple government process for the quick resolution of any landlord-tenant disagreements before moving on to the lengthier, more detailed mechanisms that exist now for handling disputes.
“The report addresses key topics such as ending a tenancy, rent control, mobile homes, landlord and tenant responsibilities, residential tenancies office, short-term rentals and other comments,” the government said in a statement.
From Feb. 1 to Feb. 29, 2024, 1,420 Yukoners responded to the survey, developed in partnership with the Yukon Bureau of Statistics.
One hundred twenty Yukoners participated in public engagement events, including nine in-person sessions held in Whitehorse, Haines Junction, Dawson City and Watson Lake, and two online public information sessions.
In addition to input from Yukoners, the perspectives of several organizations are highlighted in the What We Heard report. Those include the Yukon Status of Women Council, the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition and the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights.
The response to the survey, comments and detailed feedback from the in-person sessions will be used to develop a revised Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
“I would like to thank Yukoners who took the time to provide their insights and lived experience of rental housing in the Yukon,” said Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn. “This feedback and input will help inform the new Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which our government aims to introduce in 2025.”
The announcement adds “this feedback will help the Yukon government develop updates to the act that will treat Yukoners more fairly and support a sustainable and equitable rental market across the territory.”
