Like most modern day city dwellers, I have fever dreams about living alone. Of strutting to the bathroom in the middle of the night without putting a shirt on, of never again eyeing a boiling saucepan on the stove wearily before sending a reminder text so the apartment doesn’t burn down. Mainly a concern because I stopped paying tenant insurance after the first month. There are some things that I would of course miss; overhearing a roommate’s partner apologize for “being like that during the full moon” (and thanking the lord herself that I’m single); paying less rent; the sneaky use of fancy shampoos and retinol face serums. Regardless, the feeling of internal, grounded peace I imagine walking through the door of my very own apartment outweighs everything. But like dragons, fairies or an all male friend group without a podcast idea, living alone remains a fantasy.
The majority of people below 40 today don’t have any assurance of owning a home. Recent statistics show an average Toronto home runs $1,228,887. Plus condo prices have increased an average of 22% in the past three months. The problem is that a section of the population is invested in things staying this way. No one is stepping in to cap or regulate the market because so many people who bought their properties at inflated prices would lose money that way. It would be unfair to them. Much like it’s unfair to middle and lower class folks to spend their lives on a hamster wheel working in order to provide additional, passive income for those who already live with the privileges of monetary insulation. But as has historically been the case, economic hierarchy dictates whose fair treatment is prioritized.
In this vein, bylaws often block other options. One such alternative could be the growing trend of ‘tiny homes.’ Early origins range from Sioux, Inuits and Samoans building small, self-sufficient structures like igloos and wigwams, or Mongolian yurts in 1000 BC. In the 1970’s through the 90’s varied artists and writers led the modern movement. Co-operatives, tiny home rentals, custom build companies and DIY building courses grew throughout the 2000’s. The past decade’s rise of social media and increased flow of information has further popularized the notion of simplified living for the benefits of reduced cost, environmental impact and lifestyle flexibility. Reddit’s not just for incels and bronies anymore. You can get building and bylaw guidance by area code, locate tiny house communities, even pay for a custom build or buy pre-made dwellings.
Bylaws vary between cities and states but the difficulty placed on those trying to do something different is universal. Tiny homes challenge the status quo. They ask us to evaluate how we currently live and if we have to continue doing so. The answers to those questions tend to threaten existing systems. In Ontario, you require the approval of a government assigned body during the construction process. You know the vision of a windswept pioneer, chopping wood for the stove, building their own home and eating fresh veggies from the garden…complete with an inspector from the city asking if you’re following standard building code and if you plan on connecting to the grid for shore power or not.
In Toronto, to qualify as a secondary residence you must be on the same property as the primary dwelling. Seems reasonable, until you discover that you must also be the owner of the primary dwelling. This rule makes it easier for someone who already has the capital to purchase a home, to build a tiny home, encouraging a secondary passive income (supplied by renters from a lower tax bracket). The systems continue to be designed by and for those benefiting from them.
In my personal utopia, anyone could build their own tiny home and pay a monthly or annual fee (in lieu of property tax) for a parking spot or patch of land in the park. This payment would be less than current rent and even when added to initial build costs (which are extremely flexible dependent on design, use of reclaimed materials etc.) is incomparable to the expense of regular home purchasing. The ability of individuals to own their own home for anywhere between $10,000 – $200,000, far below the million dollar mark the majority of Toronto homes carry, creates more accessible autonomy for a larger swatch of the population. This takes power away from the housing model that is a self governing market, a supply and demand scenario where buyers are not given a choice if all places rise in cost relative to one another and shelter is a non-negotiable.
Tiny homes on wheels also allow people to be mobile in their dwelling which could skew census information and the consistency of city taxes. A city wants a secure population to be paying property taxes on a regular basis in order to plan their annual budgets. In recent years the public is becoming more interested in how exactly that budget is allotted. People don’t want to pay property taxes that buy new tasers for a police force they want abolished. Not to mention the fact that property taxes, if existing at all, should go directly to those whose land was stolen and/or used in a trust towards environmental rehabilitation. If it is money for the ‘property’, for the land, let it be used in care of the land and its original Indigenous caretakers.
The mobility of tiny homes may allow people to work remotely and/or less hours total when their costs of living decrease due to lower utility bills and the absence of mortgage payments. Changing how we live threatens the bedrock of colonial capitalism. Alternative titles for this piece were: ‘Why Toronto Bylaw Authors LOVE That You Have a Communal Mac & Cheese Pot’ or ‘Why NYC Will Melt Down if Your Shared Bathtub Is Not In Your Kitchen.’ In any case it looks like we’re not deleting the cleaning schedule google doc just yet. In the meantime, petition your city for better tiny house bylaws and affordable rental units being mandatory in all new and existing buildings. Make your voices heard and sustain your activism with positive thinking. Sure landlords are paying off mortgages with your hard earned money but remember that you haven’t paid for more than ⅓ of a pack of toilet paper in decades!!
