If you're looking for an affordable apartment to rent in North Battleford, you're not the only one.
The North Battleford Housing Authority has over 100 people on its waiting list - and it's been that way for about three years, according to manager Jeremy Reynoldson.
"Since 2007, we went from a time when we would have 30 units at the end of the month we couldn't allocate, the majority of those in Valley View Towers," Reynoldson said during a presentation to city council last week.
"Now at the end of each month, especially the last year, we've seen months where we've had two empty and two allocated. That's where we're sitting right now. Essentially, the vacancy rate is zero."
The North Battleford Housing Authority manages 520 rental units, which accounts for about 25 per cent of the rented dwellings in the city. The units are rented out through Social Housing and Affordable Housing programs.
The most recent addition to the social housing portfolio was a duplex on 109th Street in the 1990s. Before that, a number of social housing units were built or acquired in the 1980s.
Board member June Newsham said the quality of housing offered by the North Battleford Housing Authority is excellent, but the quantity is lacking.
"I'm terribly proud of what we have to offer," she said.
"But it's not near enough for the need we have."
The rental market is pretty tight in the private sector as well.
Diane Bennett, property manager for Macro Properties, said the company has a low vacancy rate.
"At the end of the month, we'll have 18 vacancies from 257 suites. They're not going to stay vacant," said Bennett.
"We have a waiting list of over 200 applicants. It's not going to take long to fill them up."
Rents in the city have been rising, mostly due to renovations, Bennett said.
Rent for an average one-bedroom suite is $650, compared to $585 a year ago, she said, adding two-bedroom apartments have climbed by about $30 a month and some rents that hadn't been raised in years were recently brought up to match similar suites in the same building.
North Battleford is still one of the cities in Saskatchewan with the lowest rents, she added.
According to a report released last fall by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., rent for a two-bedroom apartment in North Battleford increased from $623 in October 2009 to $715 in October 2010.
In comparison, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Saskatchewan cities with a population over 10,000 jumped from $833 to $872.
