Discussions

Question...are people getting away from renting their place out?  
Or is it impossible to find a rental house because of population?  
 
We have been looking for over 3 months for a 3bdrm house with yard to rent that is pet friendly and $2000 or just under  
There sure isn't alot out there!  
I've tried realtors, ebrandon, marketplace, rentcafe, all management places....  
We will be homeless soon!

The population of Brandon has increased by about 10k people in the past decade, (about 17%) with a lot of that growth since 2021. I don't think construction has kept pace.  
 
I'm sorry you are having a hard time. Housing is terribly expensive these days. I hope you find something soon.

Having heard horror stories from friends and family that have rented out homes and apartments in the past, I would never consider doing it personally, sell it and move on.  
 
From grow ops ruining basements, out of control pet breeders cutting doors in half and converting bedrooms into pig pens essentially, breaking toilet plumbing and then continuing to use it until it over flows, nope, not for me.  
 
Then couple in the horror stories during and post covid where owners couldn't evict tenants and then tenants would stop paying rent, knowing they couldn't be evicted.  
 
Then you read about these people who buy a house or apartment block and are stuck with the previous leases and unable to evict and perform upgrades on the building they just spent 1+ million dollars on if they want to because the tenant from the previous owner has rights over your building even though you never were a party to them signing the lease.  
 
I'm amazed anyone is willing to go through all that on top of normal wear and tear and minor issues like people breaking things due to the mindset that its not theirs, so who cares.  
 
Then you have to factor in the fact that most homes are now considered to be more of a financial asset than simply homes anymore.  
 
It's unfortunate that the inconsiderate arses ruin it for the respectful and clean rule abiding tenants that probably make up a large percentage of renters

If you can afford close to $2,000 per month for rent, why not just get a mortgage and buy the house you want? Then, you have the freedom do what you want in the house, have pets, and no fear of ever being evicted as long as you pay your monthly payments. You would also be building equity. So it would be a win-win situation for you.

A $250,000 mortgage is around $1,400 a month.

With the cost of rent and the general cost of living right now, many people are struggling to save for a down payment, let alone closing costs. A market correction is needed.

It is certainly impossible to find a house nowadays in Brandon, the uncontrol immigration allowed by the liberal governments has created this huge housing problem where the construction business cant keep up with the population increase, also you mainly see apartment buildings everywhere with $1500 with barely enough space.

If you can afford that amount it might be better to live just outside of brandon , rent will be less and equals out with the commute

I pay $900 for a fix it up 1 bedroom apartment which is poorly run. PM can't enforce their rules. Its the people who are behaving themselves who get warnings from the PM. They have ignore many work orders requests that I sent that need fixed They have some inspections which nothing came of it. Some of things that need fixed should of been done before I moved here. Filing complaints to the Tenancy Branch is a waste of time and effort.  
 
Many employers don[t pay very much. I make too much $ for any sort of rent assistance. This year, I barely got eligible for the Canadian Workers Benefit plan starting in July.  
 
Paying over $900 for a 1 bedroom apartment which is not located in downtown seems to be the norm. I don't know how people are surviving the lack of reasonably affordable housing even with not having a life and very rarely dining out.  
 
Edited by alight, 2025-06-06 18:41:13

Less than 10 years ago prices weren't as bad as today, I know everything increases but you could find a decent house with 3 bedrooms and a yard for $1200 I remember you had the chance to even choose which house you were going to rent, now there are not houses to rent anymore only overpriced apartments that will increase the rent every single year.

"Then you read about these people who buy a house or apartment block and are stuck with the previous leases and unable to evict and perform upgrades on the building they just spent 1+ million dollars on if they want to because the tenant from the previous owner has rights over your building even though you never were a party to them signing the lease. "  
 
Well that's a bunch of BS. Of course you're a party to them signing the lease. When you buy a property you're automatically a party to all existing contracts tied to said property.  
 
You make it sound like a landlord has no idea what's going on when they buy the property.  
 
If someone does not want the responsibilities that come with being a landlord, then don't become a landlord.

Actually renting downtown is more expensive. As they are trying to turn it into the "in" spot you will see a 1 bedroom apartment go for something like $1300 + utilities and parking. I find that Brandon businesses do no offer "competitive" wages and 9/10 will only offer you part time. It's very sad as I was making more money than I am now 13 years ago.

Having never rented out or purchased a property that was currently being rented I can't speak from experience.  
 
What I can understand is someone wanting to purchase a rental property but not fully understanding the nuances of what each rental lease might entail, especially if they came from a different country that has different rules in place.  
 
I think that when a rental property changes hands the existing leases/rental agreements should have to be renegotiated.  
 
Who knows what kind of back ground checks or due diligence was done by the previous landlord unbeknownst to the buyer, then for a new buyer to be saddled with the previous ones poor decisions seems unfair.  
 
Just the other day I was reading about a tenancy judgement made against a landlord in BC who served a legal notice to evict in 2021 with the intent to renovate and move him and his son in.  
 
But because the new carpet install took 3 months, this was during peak covid mind you which we all know was a crazy time to get products or services, the prior tenants sued and a judge awarded them $36,000.  
 
I'm amazed anyone wants to deal with hassles like that lol  
 
Edited by hutchster, 2025-06-11 23:22:42

New starts for single detached homes have declined year-over-year in Brandon. In 2017 there were 80 new homes built in Brandon compared to 48 last year, so your argument doesn't stand up.  
 
The huge price increase as a result of shutdowns in the lumber industry in 2020 is what has mainly contributed to the cost of construction, which was felt across North America. Manitoba, and specifically Brandon is still one of the cheapest places to purchase a home or rent.  
 
I moved here from Saskatchewan in 2012 from a 1986 bi-level that I purchased for just over $400,000. I was able to buy twice the home in the Brandon area. And rent is still cheaper in Brandon than just about anywhere, heck rent in Montana is higher than it is in Manitoba.