More than one-third (39 per cent) of Abbotsford renters are spending more than the recommended 30 per cent of their income on housing.
But that figure is slightly better than the provincial average, 43 per cent. That’s despite B.C. residents earning roughly $5,000 more in average yearly income than the rest of Canada, according to the latest numbers on the nation’s rental housing index, released Tuesday by the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association.
The information comes from the 2018 Canadian Rental Housing Index, a database of rental housing statistics based on the latest census data from Statistics Canada.
“Traditionally, spending 30 per cent or less of household income on rent has been viewed as the benchmark of what is considered affordable,” Jill Atkey, the association’s acting CEO, said in a news release.
Roughly one in five Abbotsford renters (19 per cent) spend more than half of their earnings on rent and utilities.
But the proportion of Abbotsford residents renting their housing is lower than in much of B.C. The census data shows 14,610 rental households, which is more than doubled by the 33,305 households who own their home.
– With files from Ashley Wadwhani, Black Press
