April 7, 2022

Rental Report March 2022

For the month of March 2022, the average cost to rent Canadian properties was $1,905 per month and a monthly increase of 4.1%. Median rents were $1,750 per month in March, with a monthly increase of 2.90%.

Nationwide

Although average rental rates increased across Canada from February to March, regional markets have experienced their own unique trends over the past year.

Nationwide Canadian Average Rent and Monthly Change in Average Rent by Number of Bedrooms, March 2022

Rank	City	1 Bed	M/M Change for 1 Bed	2 Bed	M/M Change for 2 Bed
1	Vancouver	$2,009	-1.78%	$2,883	-2.63%
2	Richmond	$1,935	16.54%	$2,537	4.79%
3	Toronto	$1,831	-6.25%	$2,598	-3.50%
4	Burnaby	$1,766	0.95%	$2,359	-1.18%
5	Oakville	$1,760	8.63%	$2,065	0.03%
6	Victoria	$1,738	-1.59%	$2,454	10.89%
7	Etobicoke	$1,734	0.01%	$2,376	2.19%
8	North York	$1,719	0.99%	$2,085	-1.97%
9	Barrie	$1,625	8.35%	$1,869	-7.86%
10	Guelph	$1,601	-1.04%	$1,858	1.12%
11	Markham	$1,558	6.88%	$1,877	8.89%
12	Hamilton	$1,535	-1.26%	$1,851	-0.60%
13	Oshawa	$1,529	5.66%	$1,923	7.57%
14	Surrey	$1,513	13.24%	$1,879	2.10%
15	Montreal	$1,495	1.21%	$1,928	2.72%
16	Kelowna	$1,472	4.76%	$1,906	2.02%
17	Kingston	$1,460	0.84%	$1,711	0.49%
18	Mississauga	$1,458	3.22%	$1,849	5.25%
19	Scarborough	$1,447	5.62%	$1,842	8.67%
20	Nanaimo	$1,436	4.11%	$1,872	21.99%
21	Halifax	$1,435	9.54%	$1,820	-4.00%
22	Ottawa	$1,405	-4.05%	$1,992	5.94%
23	Lethbridge	$1,396	4.90%	$1,729	-2.25%
24	Waterloo	$1,371	-10.22%	$1,916	-0.68%
25	Abbotsford	$1,351	3.21%	$1,905	9.60%
26	London	$1,347	3.69%	$1,902	11.61%
27	St. Catharines	$1,307	-5.13%	$1,657	-2.64%
28	Brantford	$1,229	-9.87%	$1,769	6.79%
29	Windsor	$1,116	1.19%	$1,523	6.45%
30	Calgary	$1,051	0.04%	$1,408	12.01%
31	Longueuil	$1,016	-25.75%
32	Moncton	$1,004	2.40%	$1,227	5.12%
33	Saskatoon	$988	-0.44%	$1,248	4.63%
34	Regina	$978	1.84%	$1,074	-6.93%
35	Winnipeg	$971	-5.74%	$1,287	0.55%
36	Edmonton	$959	2.46%	$1,254	1.54%
37	Red Deer	$897	-4.26%	$1,098	-3.49%
38	Quebec	$849	10.76%	$1,233	-47.46%
39	St. Johns	$841	-4.06%	$1,101	-0.80%
40	Laval	$800	-52.87%	$1,975	7.08%

Home Types

Rental rates mostly increased across property types, most notably in 3 bedroom duplex/triplex and 3 bedroom basement apartments whose rental rates increased by 13.86% and 14.15%, respectively, month over month.

Townhouses tend to charge higher rents than most other units. However, on average, rental rates for townhouses have experienced a slight decrease from February to March.
Townhouses decreased month over month by 0.45% from $2,211 to $2,201.
Houses slightly decreased month over month by 0.14% from $2,207 to $2,204.
Apartments increased month over month by 6.17% from $1,791 to $1,905.
Condos increased month over month by 5.16% from $1,924 to $2,026.
Duplexes/Triplexes increased month over month by 4.14% from $1,703 to $1,775.
Basements increased month over month by 5.90% from $1,399 to $1,484.
Apartments accounted for just about 56% of rentals for the month of March.

Rent By Number of Bedrooms

5 bed units tend to charge higher rents than most other units, with landlords asking $3,919 per month on average in February versus $4,215 in March.
1-bed units increased month over month by 4.41% from $1,420 to $1,484.
2-bed units increased month over month by 5.66% from $1,767 to $1,870.
3-bed units increased month over month by 5.15 % from $2,268 to $2,388.
4-bed units slightly decreased month over month by 0.42% from $2,831 to $2,819.
5-bed units increased month over month by 7.28% from $3,919 to $4,215.

Provincial Rentals

The highest per square foot rental rates are found in Ontario and British Columbia, with large urban cities like Toronto and Vancouver rental rates driving the price per square foot above $3.03 / sqft for condos. Most other provinces had average rental rates per square foot well below the $2 mark, with Newfoundland and Labrador claiming the lowest average rental rates in Canada for most property types.

At the provincial level, British Columbia boasted rental rates of $2,275 per month in March. The lowest rates in Canada were found in Newfoundland and Labrador while experiencing a 2.32% decrease in rental prices this past month.

Of note, British Columbia and Alberta saw rates increase by 5.23% and 7.31%, respectively, and Saskatchewan saw rates decrease by 4.03%.

The leader in overall listings was Ontario with 3,545.

Municipal Rentals

At the municipal level, Vancouver maintained its spot as the most expensive city in Canada, with average monthly rental rates of $2,807 in March. The lowest rates in Canada were found in Regina.

Hamilton, Ontario rental rates decreased by 6.94% , representing the largest municipal decline.

The leader in overall listings was Lethbridge, BC with 401 listings.

Summary

The average rent in Canada is up 4.1% this month, driven by a greater rental rate of at least 2% in most provinces. Rental rates in Canadian cities, specifically Oakville, Montreal, Mississauga, Scarborough, and Calgary, have increased by at least 5.19% over the past month.

The rising cost of real estate in the Canadian market continues to be a hot topic amongst Canadians. The surging rates in urban centres, such as Vancouver and Toronto, can be accredited to a demand for housing that is exceeding the current supply. And as the restrictions of the pandemic wind down, we should prepare for a surge in rental rates within urban cities as people return to offices.

With the release of the Federal Budget, the Liberal Party is working towards increasing housing affordability. New policies, including a two-year ban on foreign homebuyers and a tax-free savings account for first-time buyers, are expected to combat the low housing supply and skyrocketing prices. Other measures include accelerating the construction of residential housing, and building affordable housing units.

SingleKey Data

SingleKey uses multiple sources of residential rental listings to analyze the rental market on a monthly basis such as Kijiji and Padmapper, giving us a glimpse into the rental market from both small residential landlords and larger property management companies.

SingleKey data is based on 9,855 listings that were scraped during the month of March and 9,686 listings scraped in the month of February. These listings include apartments, condos, townhouses, houses, basements, and duplexes/triplexes, as well as listings with up to 8 bedrooms throughout Canada.

Rental rates calculated in this report are based on data collected from public rental listings on sites, which is a smaller sample size than the universe of rentals in Canada, however we believe it is indicative of the actual rental market and the trends that follow.