By: Elliott Williams
Entering the Toronto housing market is a daunting task but it is even harder for some millennials.
A Toronto based real estate agent told Humber News that a couple in their mid twenties have been denied a condo rental simply because of their age.
‘’I was out with them last night looking at a few more places, I’ll be taking them out again tomorrow night to look, ‘’ said Tony Sbrocchi, the real estate agent for Ryan Young and Nina Tesen .
‘’ It is tough. At this point the way the housing market is unless they have the down payment to buy a condo they aren’t getting into the house…. I don’t know how millennials are supposed to get out of their parents’ home if nobody is willing to rent to them because of their age,’’ Sbrocchi said.
The couple are employed and are said to be making $ 80 000 dollars annually combined.
Last week, Young and Tesen provided a landlord with credit reports that rated them as excellent, and provided letters from their employers that show they have full time jobs.
But despite their credentials, their rental application was denied because the landlord did not want young adults to live in the apartment.
The Communications Lead of Social Justice Tribunals Ontario, Whitney Miller, said the young couple can file against the landlord on a human rights ground.
“Where the Human Rights Code is contravened, an adjudicator has the authority to award monetary compensation, restitution and to order a party to do anything it ought to do to promote compliance with the Code,” Miller told Humber News. “The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario HRTO adjudicators decide on the appropriate remedy based on the particular facts of each case,” Miller added.
Young and Tesen have filed a complain with the HRTO. But their search for a new renatal condos is still ongoing.