VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A new website which lets you place a silent bid on a rental unit has Vancouver’s mayor expressing some concern about the potential consequences.

If Biddwell leads to pushing rental prices even higher, Mayor Gregor Robertson says that’s a problem.

“The potential for that to create more bidding wars with rental housing is a real concern,” says Robertson. “With a very low vacancy rate, it’s a very tough market right now for people renting, so we’re watching it very closely.”

But even if the city wants to do something about Biddwell, it’s unclear what powers it actually has to react.

“I don’t know that at this time,” says Robertson when asked about what tools the city has to intervene if it wishes. “But staff have been looking at it, tracking its progress, and we’ll be looking at that over the next weeks and months.”

He admits the tool could help tenants find a place more smoothly in certain cases. The website launched last week.