Reading — Test 21

Reading passage

**Community Voices: Is Moving Season Getting Out of Hand?** Every July, moving trucks line the streets of Canadian cities as leases turn over. This week, we asked readers to weigh in after a local news story reported that rental vacancy rates in mid-sized cities have dropped again this year. **Priya, Winnipeg:** "I moved into a new apartment two months ago, and the hardest part wasn't the boxes — it was the bidding-war atmosphere. Three other applicants were touring the unit at the same time as me. Landlords know they have the upper hand, so they can skip repairs and still fill the unit in a day. We need stronger tenant protections before this gets worse." **Dev, Kitchener:** "I disagree that landlords are the villains here. My building owner spent thousands fixing the balcony and updating the laundry room last spring, and rents went up to cover it. People forget that maintenance costs money. If we cap rent increases too aggressively, landlords stop investing in their buildings altogether, and everyone ends up worse off." **Marisol, Halifax:** "What nobody mentions is how exhausting the actual move is. I switched apartments in April, and between transferring utilities, forwarding mail, and coordinating movers around a full-time job, it took nearly three weeks before I felt settled. Cities should require more notice before a lease ends so tenants aren't scrambling." **Tom, Calgary:** "Honestly, my last move went smoothly because I planned early — booked movers six weeks out, decluttered before packing, and set up a change-of-address list. Most of the stress people describe comes from waiting until the last minute. A little organization solves more of this than new regulations would." The debate reflects a familiar tension: is the moving crunch a systemic housing problem, or a matter of personal planning? Readers remain split, but most agree on one thing — nobody looks forward to lease-renewal season.

Question 1 of 9