The Impact of Financialization on Tenants

Findings from a National Survey of ACORN Members

ACORN Canada worked with the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate and researchers to better understand how financialization affects tenants, especially those tenants who are facing disproportionate barriers to housing. This report includes a compilation of ACORN’s existing research focused on tenants’ rights, findings from a national survey conducted by ACORN of more than 600 tenant households, and in-depth conversations with select members and community contacts to help understand tenants’ lived experiences. The findings of the survey (N=606) clearly illustrate a larger trend, which is that financialized landlords perform worst on almost all counts when it comes to affordable and habitable homes compared to other landlords—including large (private/family-owned/corporate); small (private/family-owned); and non-profit, co-op and social housing. In addition to the quantitative survey, it was critical to understand the lived experiences of tenants in financialized housing. Central to a human rights-based approach to housing is to learn from the voices of tenants whose rights are being violated. The report closes with a list of recommendations for federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments, developed in consultation with ACORN members, that aim to address the problems associated with financialized rental housing and move towards meeting the human right to housing for all tenants.

Publication Date: 
2022