2023-07-02 22:38:55
This reference is no longer applicable, says Bruce Sellery, managing director of Credit Canada. Housing costs have risen dramatically everywhere. Individuals therefore need to look at their specific situation and determine how best to spend limited resources.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) began using this rule in 1986. The 30% threshold continues to be a useful benchmark for consistently measuring housing affordability in Canada and other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia, CMHC said in an email.
The company however introduced the concept of housing hardship in 2020 to recognize that for some households spending less than 30% of their income on housing is not enough to cover all of their basic needs.
In Vancouver, a single person needs a salary of $9,000 per month, or $108,000 per year, to pay for a one-bedroom apartment and keep this expense at 30% of pre-tax income.
However, according to Statistics Canada, the average income for people aged 15 and over is $62,250. While not everyone needs or wants to rent a one-bedroom apartment, it does give some idea of the gap.
Finance experts like Anne Arbour, director of strategic partnerships and education at the Credit Counseling Society, say the 30% rule should be abandoned. It’s a really tough number and has been around for a while, to be honest. […] In today’s era of inflation and sky-high housing costs, that’s not always achievable.
Anne Arbor explains that the 30% rule was once the 25% rule when she started studying economics; and the director thinks that this rule might be revised upwards.
She advises people to assess the needs and obligations of their households. It’s easy to focus on a single number, but you have to look at everything in balance […] We all have different needs. We all have different priorities and obligations.
Take a roommate or a 2nd job
Some families, for example, may spend more on groceries, while for others it is student loan repayments that dig into the budget. Anne Arbor explains that organizations like the Credit Counseling Society can help assess household budgets.
Steve Bridge, a financial planner in Vancouver with Money Coaches Canada, agrees with Anne Arbour, but thinks the 30% rule is still a good goal to aim for.
He, too, advises households to set priorities, and assess where to cut spending, like going to restaurants. Expenses like rent aren’t as flexible, agrees Steve Bridge, although it’s possible to cut costs by finding a roommate or earn more money by having a second job.
With information from Maryse Zeidler
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