Real Estate Receiverships on the Rise: A Consequence of Elevated Interest Rates and Construction Costs

 

According to a recent report by The Canadian Press, real estate development projects across Canada are increasingly being pushed into receivership due to elevated interest rates, construction costs and delays, and a slower real estate market. Receiverships are a way for secured lenders to have the court appoint someone to take control of the property and either liquidate it or otherwise maximize the value of the assets. While often thought of as a last resort, experts have seen an increase in receiverships as bigger construction projects with multiple mortgages and parties involved start to run into trouble.

From one of Canada’s tallest condo towers to bare tracts of land, residential development projects across the country are facing financial stress. Smaller developers are finding it hard to get more money as the second-tier lenders they often rely on become more cautious. Ontario has seen the bulk of receiverships in recent months, but over the past year, the process has been applied to everything from a historic bank building in Saint John, N.B., to a fire-plagued apartment in Winnipeg.