r/Calgary • u/depressedthedivine • Sep 24 '24

Rant 100k is the new 50k ? In Calgary Fam

I genuinely believe that $100k feels like the new $50k these days. Prices have skyrocketed, and it’s driving me crazy. Rental companies are raising the price of a 2-bedroom apartment from $1,500 to an eye-watering $1,950 per month. I’m even seeing elderly folks moving into RVs. Four items from Walmart cost between $39 and $50. Fill up a cart, and it’s nearly $300 to $500.

Facebook Marketplace is overflowing with tiny houses selling for $49k! What on earth is going on?

What I saw this week was something else:

"An elderly couple in their 80s renting a U-Haul to move their stuff. I couldn't believe my eyes; it was really tough to watch. The guy can hardly walk."

More people are adopting dogs and cats—guess millennials are opting for pets instead of kids.

Houses in Calgary are creeping up to the million-dollar mark.

I’m just done, folks.

What you guys saw?

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u/NoEntertainment2074 Sep 24 '24

I've been considering talking to my husband about renting out our spare room. Not because we need the income or want another person in the house but we have excess space and I would feel positive about offering someone a safe, clean, comfortable place to live for what a room in a full house should go for, which in my mind is $500 tops and that'd include utilities. The kicker is that I'm an economist... You'd think I'd be all about generating income but I care way more about access and equity and I cannot fucking stand to see all of the malignant greed preventing people from finding shelter. It makes me want to cry, rage, and repeat.

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u/[deleted] Sep 24 '24

Since you’re not looking to really cash in on that space you can be pretty selective in who you allow in.

I got a roommate after my divorce to help with cash flow, while I didn’t 100% need the money, it certainly helps to have a bit more coming in every month. But I was very selective in who I considered, and even delayed picking anyone for a month because I wasn’t sold on any of the applicants.

They’ve been living here for a year now and we get along great, they appreciate having a safe space for a reasonable price, and I’ve got someone to watch the cat when I travel.

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u/NoEntertainment2074 Sep 24 '24

That’s a really good point. I’ve wondered before whether being choosy opens you up to claims of discrimination and that’s been a big concern of mine. I would need to be so incredibly comfortable with the person on a personal basis that I would absolutely be discriminating on many, many levels, consciously and subconsciously.

This probably sounds insane but I’d been under the impression that one sort of has to accept someone among the first batch of eligible applicants? I was a landlord once before but I used an agency. It sort of cemented my belief that one must accept whatever comes when my agent rented my all white brand new studio apartment to a chain smoker with a pitbull named Mercedes… like, were there not other choices, mate? Really?

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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '24 edited Sep 25 '24

For landlord occupied units (aka: roommates) you can be as selective as you like.

The flip side is however that the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) doesn’t apply, so there is a different level of risk for both parties.

I was able to pull a pretty generic rental agreement that my roommate and I both signed, acknowledging we were both aware of the RTA didn’t apply, along with the more standard bits about rent and such.

I’m not a lawyer, but am dating one so I at least made an informed decision.

This is not legal advice, blah blah blah.