Oak Bay resident doctor, family searching for rental housing

A soon-to-be family of five in Oak Bay, B.C., is joining the chorus of people struggling with the rental market after being given notice by their landlord they need to move out.

The father, a much-needed family physician in residence, fears the cost of living could push them out of the community.

“By the time I’m able to open a practice, I’ll have been in school for 10-plus years,” says Alexander Kilpatrick. “I have 10 years' worth of debt to make up on before I’m even starting to make money at that point in time.

“If things aren’t financially feasible as a family physician and we’re not able to get into the rental market then yeah, there is the very real possibility that we get pushed out of the community,” he says.

Kilpatrick’s wife, Brioney is a middle school teacher, pregnant with their third child. The family says their landlord plans to move back into the home they've been renting for two and half years.

“[The] initial search is fairly overwhelming,” says Kilpatrick.

As a doctor in residence, he’s working on a reduced salary three to four times less than what he projects to make as a family physician and Brioney is preparing to go on maternity leave in September.

They hope to find a three- or four-bedroom place, but fear it’s an unrealistic request for their income and other expenditures like debt payments and daycare.

“If we’re looking for something similar now, we’d be looking at $2000-3,000 more,” says Kilpatrick.

Oak Bay’s mayor says his council has been clear it wants to tackle the housing crisis head-on and needs provincial and federal support.

“I think it’s terrible,” says Kevin Murdoch in response to the Kilpatrick family’s situation. “They’re not alone in this situation. I know people in my life that are in very similar situations that are professionals with good incomes, facing a real struggle to find housing.”

The mayor says the district is working on encouraging infill housing, which can help increase rental and homeownership options in communities. It can include the addition of secondary suites, carriage and laneway homes, and replacing single-detached homes with higher density properties.

“Now it’s really how do we put the regulations in place to be built within the community,” says Murdoch.

The Kilpatricks are looking for a new rental option within two months.

“We’re trying to set down roots here so that I’m hopefully able to set up a practice once I’ve graduated and be able to stay here long term and be active participants in the community,” says Kilpatrick.