The vacant home tax in Windsor started in June with the city saying it's a way to activate housing units.
Windsor's push to tax people that own houses that sit empty in a city dealing with an affordable housing crunch has led to some surprising early results.City administration say they've been surprised by some of the early results of a recently introduced vacant home tax in Windsor.Windsor's push to tax people that own houses that sit empty in a city dealing with an affordable housing crunch has led to some surprising early results, according to staff.
City inspections have led to more than 100 being charged an additional three per cent of the home's assessed value."We had 70 property owners come forward and self declare that the property was in fact vacant," said the city's chief financial officer Janice Guthrie.She said the self declarations have led to conversations with city staff who are working to help the owner get a tenant in the property or a proper building permit for renovations.
She said these properties are spread throughout Windsor, including a batch in Sandwich Towne on the city's west end.The vacant home tax in Windsor started in June with the city saying it's a way to activate housing units. The goal is to activate housing units in a city with a record low vacancy rate that has pushed rents and housing costs to record highs for the area."Other than covering the staff costs dedicated to the program, it does not directly offset that tax pressures that we're having to take a look at," said Guthrie.The city has decided to take a soft approach to the tax that differs from systems like the one originally launched in Toronto.
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