Whereas in Vancouver, 46% of condominiums are not owner-occupied, a housing crisis took place in major cities of Canada. What do these dwellings become? Are they excluded from the rental market? What is the current legislation?

Discover how this phenomenon impacts your rental market and how it changed in the last years

In Vancouver, half of condos are not owner occupied

According to Canadian Housing Statistics Program, 46% of Vancouver condominiums are not owner-occupied. This rate rockets to 49% in the British-Colombia University area. As a comparison, in 2009, only 35% of condominiums were not occupied by their owners.

This data underlines the importance of housing investment in the city whereas it is in terms of speculation or money placement. While in Vancouver, the vacancy rate is of 1% and that the average rent price is about $2000 for a one-bedroom unit in the city center, does this really mean that these condominiums are excluded from the rental market?

Rental, secondary home or vacant ?

Condominiums that are not occupied by the owners are not necessarily excluded from the rental market. In Vancouver, following the 1% tax on vacant units, many investors decided to rent their condominiums, offering new units on the market and increasing the vacancy rate. The vacancy rate represents the percentage of empty dwellings. We estimate that the equilibrium between the offer and the demand is when this rate reaches 3%. Below this rate, we can talk about a housing shortage. Therefore, in Vancouver, those units are either rented long term, short-term on collaborative platforms, or vacant.

How is it in other provinces ?

In the province of Québec, la banque de données des statistiques officielles (BDSO) estimates the vacancy rate of 2,3% for 2018. This rate goes down to 1.9% in Montreal and 1.2% in Gatineau. In Alberta, the cities of Calgary and Edmonton have a respective vacancy rate of 6,3 and 7%. Although it decreases, the rate remains important compared to the rest of Canada.. In Ontario, the city of Toronto instituted a tax of 1% on vacant rentals and the province taxes 15% for each investment made by a non-resident. In that way, Ontario wishes to bring back rentals on the market and increase this vacancy rate. Therefore, even though a rental is not owner-occupied, it does not mean that the unit remains vacant. The landlord can rent the dwelling on a short or long term basis or, for a minority of units, remain empty. As a landlord, make sure that you always have the right insurance according to your needs!