There’s a clear divide among Saskatchewan renters as the province heads into its upcoming election, a recent Rentals.ca survey found. It shows renters’ housing issue concerns and how those concerns might influence voting decisions.

Nearly 88% of Sask. renters don’t feel there’s enough affordable housing where they are

The survey found that 78 per cent of respondents see high rental prices as the most pressing issue in the current market, and that 87.6 per cent believe there aren’t enough affordable housing options in their area.

Supported political policies and parties

When it comes to key policy areas candidates should focus on, nearly half of respondents said affordable housing options for low-income renters are a priority, while 19.5 per cent support rent control policies.

On top of this, over 60.0 per cent also stated that rental housing policies will be a very important consideration in who they vote for in the election.

Support for the two leading parties, the Saskatchewan Party and the New Democratic Party, was about 30.0 per cent each, while nearly as many renters indicated they don’t plan on voting.

“It’s refreshing to see that renters are split, considering the NDP’s platform has promised protections for renters via rent control or rent increase caps,” notes Max Steinman, CEO of Rentals.ca.

“It shows that Saskatchewan residents have a balanced understanding of the potentially harmful impacts that rent control has in the long-term to overall housing supply and investment and upkeep in housing stock.”

Review the full survey findings here.