by A Metro Vancouver couple has been trying to buy in the housing market, but was recently turned down for a Pitt Meadows condo because their family is too big.
Lucas Parry and Mackenzie Graham have three children under the age of two.
The family is running out of space on their rental property in Coquitlam and has been trying to buy their first home.
“We have our down payment,” Mackenzie told Global News.
“We have everything. We want to contribute to the mortgage instead of rent. Rents are crazy in this town right now.”
The couple received an offer on an apartment in Pitt Meadows, which would have doubled their current living space.
However, the floors have a rule that limits the number of people in the unit to four, not five.
The Parrys said they also wanted to convert the laundry room into a second bedroom.
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The shares rejected the purchase, even though the couple learned that at least one other unit in the complex has undergone a similar conversion.
“I feel like our family was discriminated against in this situation,” Lucas said. “On the whole, I don’t think so, but this situation seems unfair.”
Mackenzie said it’s frustrating because it feels like the layers are just picking and choosing who gets to do what and who doesn’t.
A real estate agent told Global News that this situation is becoming more common, but it should not continue.
“Something has to give at the end of the day,” realtor Edward Eviston said. “When people live in the city and try to work in the city and raise a family in the city.
“I think over time the floors will become more amenable to new, creative solutions, but for now you have a pretty big gap between families and people who have lived in that building for 30 to 40 years.”
Strata’s council and property manager did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.
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However, in a statement to Global News, the Attorney General and the Department of Housing said: “We are determined to increase the availability of housing to buy and rent and strengthen people’s protections to respond to this crisis. We need to strike the right balance between the needs of buyers and the need of strata businesses to manage their properties effectively.
Meanwhile, the Parrys said they will continue to look for a new home and respect the rules, even if they don’t see the logic behind those decisions.
“We weren’t trying to be crooks. We asked them to do it,” Mackenzie said.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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