Village Gate Homes, the UBC-affiliated entity tasked with managing staff and faculty housing, has announced a rent freeze after fierce criticism from tenants over relentless rent increases during the current cost of living crisis.
The freeze began on September 1 and concludes on August 31, 2026.
Village Gate Homes (VGH)—a division of UBC Properties Trust (UBCPT)— leases and manages rental homes for UBC faculty and staff on campus through its portfolio of over 1,400 apartments and townhomes.
The rent freeze means that for the next year, tenants will not see an increase in their rent.
The move comes after heavy criticism and online protests over high rents from staff, faculty, and students renting from UBC and its affiliates.
This spring, tenants living in Acadia Park were hit with a 3.5 per cent increase in their rental rates. UBC Student Housing and Community Services, which manages housing for roughly 14,000 students, had initially said it was implementing a 5 per cent increase; however the university backed down after a backlash from tenants in the mid-campus neighbourhood.
The current provincial limit on annual rent increases is 3 per cent. However, the UBC is not bound by the Residential Tenancy Act, and while a 3.5 per cent increase is illegal in other parts of the province, the university is able to set its own rules on university grounds.
A combination of some of the highest rents in Vancouver, annual rate raises, stagnant wages, and a nationwide cost of living crisis led a number of campus residents to call for a rent freeze, and they got one.
“I am glad that UBC, UBCPT/VGH, and Campus as a Living Lab are responding to market realities and to our opportunities and mandates to promote socially, financially, and environmentally sustainable housing in our company town,” said Erica Frank, a UBC professor and campus resident.
Frank says the rent freeze will relieve some pressure on finances for tenants and is certainly not to be taken for granted, but many tenants believe more can still be done.
Many say living on campus is becoming unsustainable, as the cost of living keeps rising without wages rising to meet it. Annual rent increases are putting extra strain on families, and as The Campus Resident reported in June, some are reportedly spending 90 per cent of their income on rent alone.
Residents are becoming more vocal on social media and hoping more will be done to address the issue.
“There is a real disconnect right now between the lived experiences of UBC families and the decisions being made,” said a UBC staff and faculty housing tenant, who asked to remain anonymous. “My hope is that this rent freeze can be a first step toward bridging that gap and building more trust with the community.”
Campus residents have floated several ideas for what UBC Properties Trust and Village Gate Homes can do to assist campus residents.
For one, rental rates should be adjusted with current market conditions, especially as prices fall around Vancouver.
The latest report by Vancouver-based Liv Strategies released last month shows rents continuing their downward trend, with a month-over-month decline of 1.5 per cent from July to August. UBC/West Point Grey also continues to be the 3rd most expensive neighbourhood in the city, behind the West End (ranked first) and Downtown.
Tenants also say rent hikes should occur in tandem with wage increases and brought in line with provincial regulations (in instances where tenants are not protected by the Residential Tenancy Act).
And to further address the cost of living crisis, residents are asking UBC to tackle design flaws in newer residential buildings that are driving up maintenance fees, implement cheaper childcare, and increase the amount of subsidized housing on campus instead of privately owned housing.
“I and other devoted UBC employees look forward to co-creating more collaboration in our Campus as a Living Lab, making positive outcomes for UBC’s grateful-but-now-frustrated employees,” added Frank.
AMIE BERNAERDT IS A FOURTH YEAR STUDENT AT UBC, MAJORING IN CREATIVE WRITING AND ANTHROPOLOGY.