Sunday, August 12, 2007

a crawl space of your own



We have been looking at rents on Craigslist, and talking about the disconnect. Rent vs Own calculators, vacancy rates, etc. Just be thankful you aren't in Whistler - where a crawl space rents for $650 a month. That's right - a crawl space!

(CBC) - A severe shortage of rental accommodations has forced some residents in the resort town of Whistler, B.C., to get down on their knees to find a home - literally.

Residents like Warren William have been living in crawl spaces under condo units, happy to have any place to call home. "You gotta duck in to get in," says Williams, "I have a four-foot-tall door."

Even such tiny quarters aren't cheap.

At $650 a month, including utilities, the crawl space where Williams lives is inside the Nordic Vistas townhouse development, and he considers the price a steal.

Cramped and crowded rental housing is common in the resort community, where real estate prices are among the highest in Canada. Every winter, thousands of young people in low-paying resort jobs struggle to find homes.

In 2002, a single home was shut down after it was found to contain nearly 80 beds, with 24 in the attic.

What's next? Cardboard box CONdo's at the Whistler dump?

I thought that Canada was a "First World" nation.

There is something hideously wrong here.

note - I lifted the pic above from another site and photoshopped it. No credit because I don't remember where, and it was most likely lifted from elsewhere anyway. If you sort of recognize the pic, thanks!

7 comments:

Clarke said...

In light of a lot of the rental properties on craigslist, and the rents being asked for, a $650 a month crawl space may be coming soon to Vancouver neighbourhood near you.....

Less than stellar living accomodations for the help in resorts is not exactly new -Banff was infamous for this for years-but Whistler appears to be in a class by itself. I remember seeing segments on the local news years ago on how many people were staying in some rental homes. A crawl space is pretty low though.

Whistler is a funny case, as it would seem the labour supply is high as people seem willing to live in third world conditions just to work there.

Anonymous said...

Maybe people are willing to live in 3rd world conditions because the tips in Whistler are so outstanding. Then again, it sounds like all of those tips would be going to rent so people are neither ahead or behind. Well, maybe a bit more behind. Just my take on it.

S2

Anonymous said...

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solipsist said...

anon 8:50 - no, it wasn't your site, but you are welcome to lift my altered image for use as your own. I don't think that it would be in your best interest though...grin!

Maybe people are willing to live in 3rd world conditions because the tips in Whistler are so outstanding.

Then they have pretty skewed priorities - to live like a bad dog in exchange for a paltry sum of money. Just my take.

Less than stellar living accomodations for the help in resorts is not exactly new -Banff was infamous for this for years-but Whistler appears to be in a class by itself.

Would that be the "special" class? As in remedial?

markx said...

If these young people really want to save on rent, join the Navy! At least you get to call yourself a veteran after living in cramped quarters for a couple years. Living in a crawl space in Whistler for $650 a month so that you can call yourself a former ski bum? That's kinda pathetic. Sailors on Navy ships probably enjoy better living quarters than this. People in submarines probably live in worse conditions, at least they get paid decently.

Ulsterman said...

Markx, i'm sure your comment was tongue-in-cheek, but do you have any idea just how much fun a 20-year old has working a ski season in Banff or Whistler? Life isn't always about the sensible / rational decision. Sometimes it's just about taking advantage of the ability to wait tables 'til midnight, club 'til 3, screw 'til whenever, board the next day and so on. Sure beats life in the cubicle, whiny kids and a whopper of a mortgage.

William's Real Estate Blog said...

And you would have thought that Squmish prices will sky rocket as a result of the housing shortage in Whistler and the 2010 Olympic Game. Yet, to a certain degree, it is somewhat lagging the rest of the lower mainland.