Most landlords plan to ban cannabis use in rental units: Survey
Ahead of legalization, most property owners believe cannabis use will decrease the value of their residential assets
Tanya Commisso
Western Investor
The majority of landlords polled in a new survey have responded negatively to cannabis use in rental units, going so far as to offer lower rent to tenants who agree to not smoking in units.
The survey conducted by real estate website Zoocasa was conducting in anticipation of cannabis legalization, coming into effect across Canada tomorrow (October 17).
A whopping 88 per cent of landlords say they plan to prohibit smoking in their buildings, with 65 per cent willing to consider lowering rent for tenants who don’t smoke cannabis inside their suites. Sixty-four per cent of Canadians agree that building management or strata councils should have the right to ban cannabis use.
Tenants seem to be on the same page – with only 35 per cent of respondents who identify as renters affirming their right to smoke cannabis inside their homes.
Stigma towards cannabis use remains high among homeowners and buyers, despite impending legalization; sixty-four per cent of property owners still believe smoking inside of homes with decrease the property’s value. Fifty-seven percent believe growing cannabis inside a home for personal use would decrease its resale value. Prospective buyers agree, with 52 per cent saying they’d be less likely to purchase a home if they knew marijuana had been cultivated there.
Cannabis retailers are also seen as less-than-desirable neighbors, with only 31 per cent of Canadians comfortable living near one. Fifty per cent of Generation Xers (those born between 1961 and 1981) believe a dispensary in the neighbourhood would devalue their home.
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