It’s in many ways, an idyllic location to live — nestled on the west side of Calgary, close to the banks of the Bow River, in the shadow of Canada Olympic Park.
For the hundreds of residents, many who are on a fixed income, Greenwood Village mobile home park has also been — until recently — an affordable place to live.
Like other mobile home parks, residents own their house but not the land. Instead, they rent the pads their home sit on, and those montly fees also pay for some utilities like water and sewer, garbage and recycling collection, and upkeeping the mobile home park.
But recently, fees at the mobile home park took a big jump. It has not only made it a much more expensive place to live — homes are also proving difficult to sell.
Realtor Deanna Bailey is trying to sell a home for a woman whose mother recently passed away.
“They’ve had it listed since October — it’s a property that her mom had left — and they lot fees have gone up significantly since they took it over, about $500 per month,” said Bailey.
The latest increase came last November. Bailey’s client says she’s already received notice from the property managers about another planned increase this November around $100 – which would add up to about $1,250 per month.
“From the rest of the residents here, the feedback I’ve been given is the constant fee hikes are putting a strain on the residents and are affecting sales,” said Bailey.
“From what I have seen just in the last six months alone, the homes are going for 50 per cent less than in other (mobile home) parks in the city — that is, in dollars, over $100,000 less than most other parks in the city.”
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Despite three price reductions — the house still hasn’t sold.
Bailey said at least five buyers have said ‘no’ when they were told about the fees.
Ward 1 City Councillor, Sonya Sharp, who represents the area, said she’s aware of the residents concerns and her “heart goes out” to the people affected, but added “this issue falls under provincial jurisdiction.”
The NDP has been calling on the provincial government to introduce rent control.
Alberta is the largest province in Canada that has no restrictions at all on rent increases,” said the NDP’s Shadow Minister for Housing, Janis Irwin, who in 2023, introduced proposed changes to the Alberta Housing Act.
However, in a statement to Global News, the UCP government rejected the idea of rent control saying “Alberta will not go down the disastrous road of rent control. Alberta tried rent controls in the past and found it harmed the rental market by discouraging new development.”
“You only need to look at other Canadian provinces with rent control, like BC and Ontario, to see that this policy would reduce the housing supply, stifle construction, and make housing even less affordable,” says the province’s statement.
“Instead, we are focused on increasing the housing supply to improve affordability and housing options for Albertans, and our plan is working. According to a recent report by Rentals.ca, Alberta experienced the largest year-over-year decline in asking rents in the country last year.”
Realtor Deanna Bailey is angry about the big jump in lot fees and worried residents who are on a fixed income could be forced out of their homes because they can’t afford the fees.
Bailey said she’s angry and worried some residents of the area could end up homeless, because they can’t afford the fees.
“I don’t understand how it gets to this point,” said Bailey.
“I have a client who owns two mobile home parks and he is such a decent person — and in the last 10 years the fees have gone up by only $50.”
Global News reached out to the management of Greenwood Village, but they did not respond to our request for comment on the fee hikes.
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