After residing in the Foothills for the past six years, a local family doesn't know where it will be living in a few months thanks to receiving notice of a significant rent increase.
Jeremy Hill said he was told last month that his rent would be going up from $2,500 to $4,500 effective June 1.
Hill, who lives with his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter on a property owned by the Okotoks Agricultural Society, first received a text message on Feb. 13 saying that he was facing a possible rent increase.
"We would like you to know that we are looking at a possible rental rate adjustment and that this would take place 3 months from now on June 1. We do have to give you notice, so please take this as your notice," reads the text message.
After an inspection, the Okotoks Agricultural Society's rental committee decided on a $2,000 rent increase "in keeping with current rental rates and rising expenses," which was communicated through an email on March 25.
"So they walked around and looked at it, seeing everything's outdated and rotting," said Hill, "and then still decided to bump $2,000 on the rent to keep up with the market around here. But the market around here that they're talking about is all brand new houses, not a house from the (19)70s."
Hill added that the house has extensive water damage and does not have egress windows.
"The landlord that we were dealing with for the last six years must have stepped down or something, and now there's new people, new volunteers that took over," he said.
Hill also said the manner in which the rent increase was conveyed doesn't satisfy provincial regulations.
"They can't just text about an increase, it has to be in writing. So we're fighting about that," he said.
According to the Government of Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act, notice of "three full tenancy months before the date on which the increase is to be effective" is required, along with "the landlord’s signature" and "the date the landlord signed the notice."
Based on texts and emails shared with the Western Wheel by Hill, these requirements were not met.
"A notice that does not contain all the above mentioned legal requirements is void and the rent can not be increased until the landlord serves a notice, which contains all of the legal notice requirements," reads the Residential Tenancies Act.
Hill and his family will be looking for a new home in light of the rent increase.
Okotoks Agricultural Society president Joan Weder and secretary Kathy McAteer, who sent the text messages, both declined to comment.
