2022 saw prices of the basics of life skyrocket, and that included housing. In May 2022, Discover Airdrie spoke to Airdronian Sarah Couturier who was desperate to find other living arrangements after she learned that her then-current landlord, whom she herself said she and her family had a great tenant-landlord relationship with, gave her the standard 90 days to vacate the home.

The family initially was not worried by the news, that is until they began to look for other accommodations within their budget. It wasn't until Couturier had 30 days left to find another place for her family to live, that she began to panic.

“We thought we wouldn't have any problems. We've never had problems before and whenever we needed a place to rent, there was always a plethora of places. We started our hunt and we got maybe 10 applications in through the month of March and into April and nothing was biting," she said in a previous interview.

Couturier underlined that because the family has pets, the pool of potential rental properties shrunk significantly, especially since some landlords ask for a $500 pet deposit on top of the rent. She said that even trying to view a home was nearly impossible, with overbookings happening and appointments cancelled at the last minute. 

When Discover Airdrie spoke to her, Couturier said that the currently was paying $1,800 for a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house. This did not include the cost of utilities, which if added together amounted to a little over $2,000 a month. 

“It's very, very disheartening to know that that's what you're competing for. When we first moved to Airdrie in 2009, we were in the newer neighbourhoods, in a townhouse, and we paid $1,250 a month. That same unit today is being rented for $1,900,” she said previously.

Several days after Discover Airdrie published the story, Couturier reached out and said that several people had reached out to her and she was able to secure a financially feasible rental for her and her family. However, Airdronians made it known that Couturier wasn't alone in her struggle to find rental accommodations in the current market, with many of Airdrie's residents echoing their frustrations and fear of not being able to afford a roof over their heads.

According to various market data, over the past month, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Airdrie decreased by 2 per cent to $1,185, however, with Airdrie being a community in which many young families reside, rental prices for two-bedroom apartments are likely to be higher.

This past summer, the city announced that Airdrie residents will now be eligible for funding support through the Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit (TRAB).

The program is a two-year benefit program for working households or for those in between jobs. It is designed for households who may have trouble receiving priority for regular Rental Assistance Benefit (RAB) or community housing but still need help making their housing affordable.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com   

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