Victoria cartoonist draws own 'rental house wanted' poster
Long-time Victoria resident says he's never seen rental market under so much pressure
A Victoria cartoonist is trying to use his art to catch the attention of potential landlords in the city's near-impossible rental market.
Gareth Gaudin co-owns the Legends Comics and Books store in Victoria and is well known for his own cartoons featuring his character The Perogy Cat.
The pudgy feline features prominently on a poster Gaudin drew recently. It serves as his own "rental house wanted" ad for his "professional, artistic, book-loving family."
"Everyone is in the same boat. I'm just using my skills that I have as a cartoonist," he said.
"All it takes is one person with the ideal house for us to say,'oh yeah we'll rent to you.'"
The long-time Victoria resident said he's never seen the rental market under so much pressure. The vacancy rate is close to zero.
"People from out of town are just renting places sight unseen," he said.
To make matters worse, many people who own rental properties are selling to cash out on a hot housing market.
Gaudin's cartoon house wanted ad featuring The Perogy Cat has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook.
He's hopeful it will help his family find a new place to live before they are forced to move out in the next couple of months.
"We are the perfect tenants. We are clean. We stay home and draw."