The Plancher Fund is a $1 billion investment fund that will be used to provide large-scale financing for the maintenance, acquisition and construction of community housing buildings in Quebec.
Whether you’re a cooperative housing manager or a NFPO, you’ll have a lot to gain by participating in the Plancher program. The Fund will enable you to earn income on the value of your buildings and save on renovation costs by leveraging the value of your buildings.
The Plancher Fund: An investment that pays off and helps you renovate!
In practical terms, Plancher will boost your financial agility by generating income while lowering the cost of renovations and borrowing thanks to low-interest renovation loans. By participating in the Plancher Fund, you can:
Benefit from a 1% rate of return on the value of properties invested in the fund
Pre-qualify for a renovation loan at an interest rate that is 1% to 1.5% below the market rate
To learn more about the Plancher Fund and how you can get involved, speak with someone from our team.
Generate income using the value of your community housing buildings
Your buildings are worth millions, even tens of millions. Unfortunately, for most housing cooperatives and NFPOs, all these assets remain dormant, encased in brick and mortar. And yet it could provide you with substantial income thanks to the Plancher Fund.
By lending a portion of the value of your buildings to Plancher, you will be able to generate a return of 1% per year. For example, a cooperative worth $20 million that decides to lend $5 million would generate $50,000 in additional income per year for as long as it remained part of Plancher. No program currently offers this kind of opportunity.
This income provides you with renewed financial agility:
01
Your budget estimates will no longer depend solely on your rental income
02
Financing the upkeep of your buildings would be simplified
03
Your ability to complete projects will be enhanced
04
This will allow you to keep rent increases to a minimum
Save on your building renovations
By participating in the Plancher Fund, you’ll be pre-qualified to secure attractive renovation loans. The fund’s financing structure will make it possible to obtain loans at interest rates 1% to 1.5% below market rates.
Not only will you save money by taking out a loan with the Plancher Fund, but your savings rate will increase along with the value of the property you’ve invested in the fund.
Benefits for cooperative members and NFPO tenants
Limit steep rent increases
The additional income and savings offered by the Plancher Fund will reduce the need for substantial rent increases to cover maintenance costs.
Improve quality of life
You can invest your savings in improvement projects such as green spaces, better quality materials, community services and so on.
How does the Plancher Fund work?
Plancher is offering the following action plan to housing cooperatives and NFPOs:
01
Lend a portion of your building’s available, idle capital, i.e., part of your equity, to the fund. This equity will be pooled with that of other participating cooperatives and NFPOs
02
The equity portfolio thus created will serve as collateral for a line of credit with a financial institution
03
Plancher will issue loans at below-market interest rates and invest in renovation, acquisition and construction of community housing projects
04
Community housing projects will generate a 1% return for participating cooperatives and NFPOs
Learn more about the benefits of the Plancher Fund