Houseboat owners at Fisherman's Wharf say double-digit rent increases are making it difficult for some of them to stay afloat financially, and have asked the provincial tenancy branch to investigate.
More than 30 float-home owners have made an application to the Residential Tenancy Branch for dispute resolution of rent increases by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority they say have, in some cases, topped 30 per cent over the last few years.
"We're very concerned that the way rents are going up is really unfair. Our landlord doesn't appear to be accountable to anybody," Stainforth said.
"People feel very jittery. You don't know what to expect from one year to the next in terms of rent increases."
Two to three years ago the harbour authority, stopped calculating rent on the basis of linear footage and started using total square footage, Stainforth said.
That saw a huge jump in rents, with one topping out at 46 per cent, she said.
"This is a very close-knit community. It's really a village. This is getting into the third year since the large increases began and what we're beginning to see is people are being forced out of their homes down here."
Houseboat owners are facing a 10 per cent increase across the board April 1 -- far in excess of the 3.2 per cent increase for conventional residential tenancies allowed by the province for 2010. Current rents are between $640 and $1,020 a month.
For the rent, the float-home owners receive moorage, municipal water, sewer and garbage collection. They say that's less than amenities provided in other float-home communities, such as parking, storage, natural gas, cable and fire protection standpipes.
A spokesperson for the GVHA could not be reached.
The province confirmed that the Residential Tenancy Branch has been contacted by Fisherman's Wharf residents and a hearing has been scheduled in May.
Whether or not the branch has the jurisdiction to deal with the issue will be determined by the dispute resolution officer at the hearing.
Stainforth said the float-home owners believe they should fall under the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act: "We have to do something so we're going the way we're going."
