The Great Toronto Ghost Town: Are There More Houses Sleeping Than People Snoozing?
Ah, Toronto. A city of diversity, maple syrup dreams, and enough construction cranes to make a toddler dizzy. But amidst the towering condos and bustling streets, there's a rumour rumbling louder than a rogue TTC streetcar: a rumour of empty homes. Lots of them. We're talking vacant residences gathering dust bunnies like collector's items.
So, how many empty homes are we talking about exactly? Well, buckle up, because things get a tad...fuzzy.
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| How Many Empty Homes In Toronto |
The Numbers Game: Counting Sheep vs. Counting Empty Condos
The City of Toronto likes things official. They ask homeowners to declare their units vacant, and in 2022, a measly 2,336 folks fessed up. But here's the twist: the city then flagged a whopping 44,902 other properties as vacant! Now, some folks eventually declared those, bringing the final count down to a more manageable 17,437.
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Hold on, though. Independent reports estimate the number of vacant homes in Toronto to be much higher, like, way higher. We're talking 1 in 10 homes being a lonely ghost town. That's enough empty bedrooms for a small army of sleepwalkers!
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Why So Many Empty Homes, Toronto?
So, what's the deal with all these empty domiciles? Here's the lowdown:
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- Investment Shenanigans: Some folks buy property as an investment, leaving it empty while they wait for the real estate market to do its magic trick and inflate the price. Because who needs tenants when you can just chat with the spiders, right?
- Snowbird Syndrome: Our Canadian snowbirds jet off to warmer climates for the winter, leaving their houses behind like forgotten pool toys. Hey, sunshine is nice, but a little tenant income could help pay for those pi�a coladas!
- The Renovation Rub-a-dub-dub: Sometimes, homes become empty because they're undergoing renovations. It's like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, only instead of a beautiful winged creature, you get...a newly painted kitchen?
The Big Impact of Empty Abodes
Empty homes are a bit of a housing headache. With a tight rental market, all those vacant residences could be putting a roof over someone's head (and some serious rent money in your pocket if you're a landlord).
FAQ: Empty Homes Edition
- How to Know if a House is Empty? This can be tricky, but sometimes there are clues: untended lawns, overflowing mailboxes, or that distinct vibe of a house that hasn't been lived in for weeks.
- How to Report a Possibly Empty Home? Most municipalities have a process for reporting suspected vacant properties. Check your city's website for details.
- How to Convince My Snowbird Uncle to Rent Out His Empty House? This might require bribery (tropical fruit care packages?) or a good old-fashioned intervention with pie charts and dire warnings about lonely dust bunnies.
- How to Decorate an Empty House to Make it Look Lived-In? For those considering renting, there are tricks! Invest in some houseplants (plastic ones work in a pinch) and keep the lights on timers. Maybe even set up a cardboard cutout family to spook away potential burglars (and potential tenants weirded out by the whole thing).
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