Residents of downtown Edmonton building face 'renoviction' after dramatic rent hikes
Residents of a historic building in downtown Edmonton are scrambling to find somewhere new to live after receiving notices of rent increases that are more than double their current rent.
In December, we reported that Annamoe Mansions, located at 11950 100th Ave. in Edmonton’s wîhkwêntôwin neighbourhood, was listed for sale for $3.5 million. In January, it was sold to Edmonton-based rental company ARH Homes for its full asking price.
At around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, notices were quietly posted on the front doors of its 25 units, giving tenants notice of dramatic rent hikes.
Tim Kenny, a resident of the building, told Daily Hive that he is facing a $1,800 increase on top of the current $895 monthly he currently pays in rent after facing a similar “renoviction” situation from the same company just two years ago.
The communications professional and postgraduate student described the increase as “inhumane and unjust,” pointing out that many of the building’s tenants have lived there for decades and are on fixed incomes.
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“We all know how much of a gem this building is. The old owner was sentimental about the space — he hardly raised rents in years,” he said.
“Our resident manager handpicks our community. He knows all of his neighbours. We’re friendly. We talk to each other in the hallways. This is a community, and this is disrupting it.”
Kenny added that the affordable rent had allowed him to pursue a master’s degree, buy a car, and start to get ahead in life. But now, he’s unsure of what his next steps will be.
“This is going to force me to rethink things. I’m just finishing my studies, and hopefully, I can do that peacefully and carry on with the next steps of my life.”
Absorbing the steep rent increase is out of the question for residents. Another tenant we spoke to, who has lived in the building for 20 years and wished to remain anonymous, said she is still reeling from the news.
Her rent increase is more than double what she currently pays, and she is now searching for somewhere new to live.
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“It was a community. It was looking out for the people. It was making sure people were safe and warm and had a good place to live,” she said. “And now? It’s the opposite. It’s shocking.”
She added that the rent hike feels like an indirect eviction.
“He’s set the rent at a rate where people are going to have a hard time paying. He’s evicting us, just not directly, so he can get away with it.”
She said that to find something similar to the place she’s called home for more than two decades, she would likely have to take on a $600 increase.
We reached out to ARH Rentals, which told Daily Hive that the increases were “necessary” due to the building’s age and lack of maintenance over the years.
“With rising costs across all markets, in our case, we are mainly looking at labour, materials, energy, and operations; it has become necessary to adjust the income to keep pace with these expenses.”
The rental company says it plans to “improve many aspects” of the building, including introducing new amenities while preserving the historic building’s charm.
“We understand that these increases may not be feasible for all existing tenants, which is why the increase is not immediate. But we are happy to work with the ones that choose to stay.”
Under Alberta law, landlords can increase rent only once per year for periodic leases and cannot raise rent at all during a fixed-term lease. However, there is no cap on the amount they can increase it by. Month-to-month agreements require three months’ notice for any rent hike.
Despite this, tenants say they have little hope of finding similar housing within their price range, with Kenny particularly worried about some of the tenants who are on fixed incomes and may have nowhere else to go.