Third party will charge fees to list properties for rent targeted for healthcare workers

In a move almost certain to reduce the number of housing units available for healthcare workers to rent, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) announced that as of today (June 1, 2023), a third party will be managing their Housing for Healthcare workers program.

Well, it was less an announcement than an email to all those who listed rooms, apartments, or homes for rent through the program, which was launched in October. This writer and his family participated and are housing a healthcare intern for a couple of months (at a very, very good deal according to the numbers being listed).

According to the email that was sent of behalf of Brody Purser, Associate Vice President of People for MAHC, over 300 housing options were submitted by landlords throughout Muskoka allowing for more housing access for healthcare workers than “ever before.”

“We are aware of at least 15 matches where a healthcare worker was matched to housing using this program,” the email read. “We suspect many more applicants also utilized this program in finding housing however, we didn’t always get confirmation if a connection was made or not. The program had some wonderful successes but also came with some challenges that were unexpected and learned along the way.”

Challenges the program faced included many landlords charging monthly rates that were more than the healthcare workers could afford to pay, which was stated as between $1,500 and $2,000.

Too many options for housing outside the town cores in Huntsville and Bracebridge, causing transportation issues for those coming from cities where public transportation and active transportation are a way of life. Combine that with high gas prices, and living out of town isn’t a viable option.

The last challenge they claimed causing MAHC to use a third party to manage the program is the management of the over 300 landlords participating and the hundreds of applicants inquiring.

“It became time-consuming trying to keep up with all the requests/questions about the program,” according to Purser’s email.

Rather than reallocate some of the work in house or hire someone to do the job, MAHC has sourced out MedsHousing.com to provide an online platform to manage the listings.

MAHC says other healthcare organizations will be participating in the program through this including the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) University and Muskoka and Area Ontario Health Team (MAOHT).

In each case finding housing for healthcare workers has proved to be a challenging prospect, according to MAHC.

The hope is that the MedsHousing.com platform will streamline the process and efficiently connect the healthcare community to housing that meets their needs by finding accommodations that are near hospitals, clinics and medical schools.

“The platform will allow landlords more autonomy, flexibility in making changes on the fly, provide photos and listed amenities,” according to Purser’s email.

Third Party to Charge for Listings

Those wanting to start listing a rental unit – and even those who want to continue listing a rental unit – will need to create a MedsHousing account (link at the bottom of the article) and complete a registration form.

For existing landlords, a discount code providing six months of free listing was sent in the email from MAHC, with some conditions.

For all others, the current rates to list a rental property are $129 annually for a MedsGold listing (with all the figurative bells and whistles) or $89 for MedsBasic (less bells and whistles). There is also a monthly rate available.

Note, that these fees apply whether or not a tenant is found. And this may have adverse impacts on the situation such as causing less units to be listed and rental prices to increase to absorb this cost – which is the opposite of what the goal is supposed to be.

Or it could work out swimmingly. We will wait and see.

Those looking to find out more or list should visit www.MedsHousing.com

Don’t forget to subscribe, it’s free!