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78.2% of working Canadians can’t afford to live here!

Written by Founder on . Posted in Founder's Blog, News, Rental News. No Comments on 78.2% of working Canadians can’t afford to live here!

According to Statista.com 78.2% of working Canadians earn under $100,000.

A new stat (21.8% of Canadians earn over $100,000) came across my desk today and I started wondering how many people working in Canada, can afford to live here?

  • On statisca.com I found 2024 income distributions for Canada.
  • On nesto.ca I found average housing costs for April 2024 in Canada.
  • On rentals.ca I found average rent costs for May 2024.

In the associated chart I calculated the number of people employed fulltime, needed in each income bracket be able to carry the costs for each housing type. As an example, 10.1% of the population in Canada earns minimum wage or less. Assuming they somehow saved enough for a down payment, it would take 4-people working fulltime to carry the average home, 5 to carry a single-family home, 4 to carry a townhouse, 3 to carry a condo, or 3 to rent an apartment. A household of 3-fulltime minimum wage earners is required to carry the average rental apartment in Canada.

Also shown in the chart is a cost to rent an apartment of $643,800. I have always been under the impression that renting provided an opportunity to save for a down payment. The average monthly rent in Canada according to rentals.ca hit $2,146 for an apartment. This means that to afford rent, you need to earn $85,840/year and after 25-years (assuming the current 11% rent increases does not continue) you will have spent $643,800. If you could save 30% of your income to use as a down payment, in 25-months you would have enough for a 10% down payment on a condo, converting renting to ownership. Note: these rates do not include condo fees, that can easily push the carrying costs beyond affordable. If you have a partner, together you have more options.

In summary, if you are in the 78.2% of working Canadians that earn under $86,000 per year, you can’t afford to live here. 

Tuesday Catch Up , Tiny Home Show, Rentals.ca, welcome Richard, and goodbye tiny homes.

Written by Founder on . Posted in Founder's Blog, News, Rental News. No Comments on Tuesday Catch Up , Tiny Home Show, Rentals.ca, welcome Richard, and goodbye tiny homes.

I’m going to begin combining news items, so I can inform but not overwhelm. This will allow me to share more without generating a pile of email notices.

The Tiny Home Show in Ottawa this past weekend was a real success from my perspective. I made lots of great contacts with business people that are eager to help us move forward, along with many future tiny home community citizens. I love talking with everyone, sharing our vision of Less Space, More Life™ as it reinforces that this is a worthwhile pursuit. This year more than ever, the general response has been, “this is exactly what I am looking for, when can I move in?” Happily we are working on 2-projects now, one in Odessa, ON and the other in Elliot Lake, ON. This was the focus of our booth info, and my presentation to close the show, so if you missed it, I am polishing up the presentation and will post it here when complete.

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Scary news from our friends at Rentals.ca that the average asking rents for all residential property types in Canada increased by 9.3% year-over-year in April, reaching an average of $2,188 per month according to Rentals.ca and Urbanation’s latest National Rent Report. This rate of increase is an acceleration from the 8.8% annual increase recorded in March.

Key points from the summary:

  • Average asking rents in Canada increased by 9.3% year-over-year in April.
  • Rents have surged by a total of 32% since hitting their COVID-19 low in April 2021.
  • Purpose-built rentals outpaced condos with a growth rate of 13.1%.
  • Saskatchewan emerged as the provincial leader in annual rent growth, surpassing Alberta with an 18.4% increase.

May Rental Report

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Welcome to Richard Schumacher, P.Eng.

Richard has been helping me for the past few months bring the vision of tiny home community living into the “real world”. His years of experience as a Land Development Professional, has been somewhat frustrating at times, as I have been forced to face the challenges that being a developer actually involves.

He is a high performing professional with 20+ years of experience in real estate development, construction, entrepreneurship and start-ups. Known for exception people skills, adaptability to any environment, resourcefulness and finding collaborative and innovative solutions to complex problems. He believes in showing up and going the extra mile. He accepts the challenge, learns from failure and embraces the unknown.

His experience and controlled enthusiasm has been a welcome addition to our volunteer team. You can find him on LinkedIn here …

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Further on the topic of land development …

I have come to learn that the layers of bureaucracy that have evolved, while I understand have been created to protect, direct, and organize, have also become a nearly insurmountable barrier to development. And with each level of bureaucracy comes another round of costs, and who ultimately pays theses fees, the home-buyer. Initially the developer pays the costs with borrowed money for construction. This borrowed money also carries fees in addition to interest, so a simple $100 municipal fee may cost $125-150 by the time it reaches the home-buyer, depending on the length of time it takes the development to be sold, and there are many. Not that the developer is making money on this, it’s just that a development can cost millions to complete, all that carries interest and fees. Some may say this supports the reason to build more rental units, so the consumer isn’t burdened with these extra costs, but these costs still must be paid, and are some of the reason new purpose-built rental rates are so high.

With the current high interest rates, I have noticed a reduction in traditional construction. At the tiny home show this weekend, I had several developers approach me, interested in exploring tiny home community development. While the governments have been highlighting the advancements they are making in lowering barriers to development in the media, what hasn’t been mentioned is that new construct starts continues to decline. It can take years for a new builds to begin, so what we see now are high-density projects that may have started planning in 2014. It will take years for the effects of fighting to reduce inflation with high interest rates to be seen in housing development. I am hopeful that this will help our nimble, scalable tiny home community model to take hold in a big way.

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In closing, we are working to eliminate the phrase “tiny home” from our vocabulary. As a society, we tend to attach associations to words and phrases, and in many places “tiny home” has become associated with transient, trailer park, and slum. I gave our form of housing a lot of thought and realized that what we are building is communities of bachelor sized bungalows. Early on I moved away from the concept of homes on wheels, as this involved more explanation than I wanted to put into educating building officials. While I loved the idea of taking your home with you when you moved, we have since evolved the community concept to a national cooperative, that allows you to move within the network, without cost. Moving someone that has embraced a minimalistic lifestyle, doesn’t include moving all the “stuff” that makes moving a chore. So from here on, we will use Bachalows™ to refer to our form of permanent, inspected, building code compliant, bachelor sized bungalows, and look forward to explaining what these are every time someone asks.

Breaking Ground: Unveiling Rentals.ca’s Inaugural Renter Survey Results

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Sorry for the late post everyone.

Toronto, Canada – March 20, 2024 – In a year marked by uncertainty and fluctuating market conditions, Rentals.ca has undertaken a comprehensive survey to gauge the pulse of the Canadian rental market. The survey spans many topics, from the length of time potential renters spend searching for their next home to their satisfaction with landlords and the overall rental experience. Over 600 prospective renters were surveyed across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. This blog post explores these findings in detail, shedding light on the challenges, preferences, and aspirations of renters across Canada.

“Hearing directly from renters is paramount in understanding the perception of the Canadian rental landscape,” said David Aizikov, Senior Data Analyst at Rentals.ca. “These findings empower renters and landlords alike with the knowledge to make informed decisions, shaping a more dynamic and data-driven rental industry.”

We asked participants of the survey the duration of their rental search. First-time renters comprise 26% of survey participants, highlighting a substantial portion of the market navigating the rental process for the first time. The data shows that 34% of people have been looking for a place for at least two months, with 15% looking for more than six months. With supply issues affecting Ontario and British Columbia the hardest, this extended search time suggests a highly competitive market. In addition, Alberta continues to experience high levels of interprovincial migration adding to the increase in demand for the province.

Amongst our population of prospective renters, we found that 49% had last moved within the past three years, with 26% having moved within the last year alone. In the face of escalating inflation and affordability challenges, residents in rent-controlled markets are inclined to remain in their current accommodations, benefiting from minimal rental hikes. The proportion of long-term renters moving is declining, and we will continue to track this phenomenon.

We found that 69% of respondents highlighted the unaffordability of rentals in their region as their reason for moving, With 19% of survey participants indicating their interest in moving to a new city for their next home. Furthermore, 63% emphasized price as their primary concern when searching for a new dwelling, while only 37% prioritized location. This shift underscores a clear preference for affordability over accessibility, as pricing remains the dominant factor influencing renter decisions.

The persistent shortage of affordable units remains a pressing concern for renters, with 55% of respondents expressing frustration over the limited availability within their budget range when searching for rental accommodations. Despite this challenge, over 60% of respondents reported satisfaction with the quality of rental properties they have encountered. However, there’s a clear demand for expanded options, particularly within a price range that aligns with their desired lifestyle in their preferred location.

Rentals.ca will continue to create and publish results of both renter and landlord surveys to give a voice to those experiencing the ebbs and flows of the Canadian rental market. The future promises a more informed, responsive, and equitable rental market for all involved.

For more information about Rentals.ca or to schedule an interview, contact Giacomo Ladas at

Record High Rents in Canada, reaching $2,196 in January 2024 – Rentals.ca

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Our friends at Rentals.ca shared the latest data they have compiled on rental trends across Canada for January 2024, and its not encouraging.

February 2024 Press Release

Asking Rents Hit Another Record High in Canada, Rising 10% Annually in January 2024

Toronto, Canada – February 14, 2024 – Average asking rent for all property types increased by 10.0% annually to $2,196, reaching another record high in January 2024, according to Rentals.ca and Urbanation’s latest National Rent Report.

This increase reflects a 0.8% month-over-month rise, pushing the annual rate of rent growth to a four-month high. Compared to January 2020, before the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, average asking rents have increased 20%, translating to a $373 per month increase.
“The Canadian rental market began 2024 where it left off in 2023, with rents surging to new highs,” said Shaun Hildebrand, President of Urbanation. “However, an underlying narrative has emerged between softening rents in expensive markets and strengthening rents in more affordable markets. These shifts in demand are symptomatic of a worsening supply situation for rentals in Canada.”

Among different property types, purpose-built rental apartments witnessed the most substantial growth, with average asking rents increasing by 13.5% over the past year to $2,107. Condominium rentals followed, experiencing a 4.1% annual increase to average rents of $2,372 in January. Meanwhile, house rentals saw a 5.6% year-over-year increase, reaching an average of $2,352.
One-bedroom apartment rents saw an increase of 12.6% annually, reaching a record average of $2,146. Similarly, two-bedroom apartments saw an 11.0% surge in asking rents to an average of $2,334, while three-bedroom rents averaged $2,638, marking an 11.6% increase from the previous year. Studio apartments also experienced strong growth, with rents rising by 11.8% annually to reach an average of $1,595.

Regional disparities in rent growth were evident, with Nova Scotia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan leading with annual rent inflation rates of 19.1%, 17.8%, and 17.5% respectively. British Columbia maintained its position as the most expensive province, with average asking rents reaching $2,529 for purpose-built and condominium apartments in January, albeit with a slower annual growth rate of 2.3%.

In Canada’s largest cities, Edmonton surpassed Calgary in rent inflation, posting a 17.1% annual increase to an average of $1,479 for purpose-built and condominium rentals. Vancouver remained Canada’s most expensive city, despite a 3.0% decrease in rents from the previous year, with an average asking rent of $3,055. Toronto saw a modest 2.4% increase in rents over the past year, reaching $2,830 on average.

Roommate rents across Canada hit a record high of over $1,000, with average asking rents for shared accommodations increasing by 18.5% annually to $1,010 in January. Vancouver and Toronto recorded the highest roommate rents at $1,338 and $1,311 respectively.

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The National Rent Report charts and analyzes monthly, quarterly and annual rates and trends in the rental market on national, provincial, and municipal levels across all listings on the Rentals.ca Network for Canada. The data from the digital rental platform Rentfaster.ca is incorporated into this report.

Rentals.ca Network data is analyzed and the report is written by Urbanation, a Toronto-based real estate research firm providing in-depth market analysis and consulting services since 1981.
*The data includes single-detached homes, semi-detached homes, townhouses, condominium apartments, rental apartments and basement apartments (outlier listings are removed, as are single-room rentals.)

Giacomo Ladas

Shaun Hildebrand,