Across Canada, about 4.4 million households rent while nearly 10.9 million own, but those numbers flip in certain neighbourhoods and regions. According to Statistics Canada data, the national homeownership rate sits at 66.5%, meaning roughly one in three households rents. In some parts of the country, that share is much higher — and in a few, renters actually outnumber owners. Knowing where those areas are, and why they exist, changes how you think about buying, selling, or investing in Canadian real estate.
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This article is general information only and does not constitute professional advice. For your specific situation, consult a qualified professional.
Renter-majority neighbourhoods don’t just appear in expensive cities. They cluster where housing costs outpace local incomes, where the housing stock leans toward apartments, and where demographic shifts — like an aging population or a high share of recent immigrants — tilt the balance away from ownership. Here’s what you actually need to know.
When you hear about neighbourhoods where renters outnumber owners, the first concept to understand is the shelter-cost-to-income-ratio.
What I tend to notice is that areas with the lowest ownership rates almost always have high shelter-cost-to-income ratios. It’s not that people in those neighbourhoods prefer renting — it’s that the math doesn’t work for buying.
Where Renters Outnumber Owners: A Regional Breakdown
The national average hides big differences. Newfoundland and Labrador has a homeownership rate of 75.7%, while Nunavut sits at 19.2%. That’s a gap of more than 56 percentage points. The table below shows how each province and territory compares.
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| Province / Territory | Homeownership rate | Share spending 30%+ on shelter |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 75.7% | 14.6% |
| New Brunswick | 73.0% | 12.9% |
| Alberta | 70.9% | 21.2% |
| Saskatchewan | 70.7% | 17.2% |
| Ontario | 68.4% | 24.2% |
| Manitoba | 67.4% | 17.3% |
| Nova Scotia | 66.8% | 17.9% |
| Yukon | 64.4% | 16.2% |
| Quebec | 59.9% | 16.1% |
| Northwest Territories | 53.5% | 11.9% |
| Nunavut | 19.2% | 5.7% |
Nunavut is the only territory where renters clearly outnumber owners at the regional level. But within provinces, neighbourhood-level ownership rates can look very different. In Montreal, for instance, the city’s rental-heavy housing stock means many neighbourhoods have ownership rates well below the provincial average. The same is true in parts of Metro Vancouver and Toronto, where high interest rates and rising costs have pushed more households into renting.
Three Common Misunderstandings About Renter-Majority Neighbourhoods
Assuming renting is always a choice
In many renter-majority neighbourhoods, the median household income simply doesn’t support a mortgage. A two-bedroom apartment in one of these areas might rent for $1,800 a month, but the purchase price for a similar unit could be $500,000 or more. The monthly mortgage payment — even with a 10% down payment — often runs double the rent. It’s not that people won’t buy; it’s that they can’t qualify. A security camera system like the Reolink RLK16-800D8 is a practical addition for renters who want to monitor their building entryways and unit doors without permanent installation.
Confusing low ownership with low demand
Nunavut has a 5.7% shelter-cost burden rate — the lowest in Canada. That sounds affordable, but it reflects a market where most housing is subsidised and private ownership is scarce. Low ownership doesn’t mean people don’t want to own. It often means there’s nothing to buy. In cities like Montreal, neighbourhoods with high rental shares have extremely low vacancy, and rental prices are rising even as ownership rates stay flat.
Thinking renter neighbourhoods are always cheap
British Columbia has the highest shelter-cost burden at 25.5%, yet its ownership rate is still above 64%. That means even in a province where renting is painfully expensive, more households still own than rent. The renter-majority neighbourhoods that do exist — think parts of Vancouver’s West End or Kitsilano — are often among the most expensive rental markets in the country. Renting there isn’t a budget move; it’s often the only option when entry-level homes cost well over $1 million.
What Creates a Renter-Majority Neighbourhood
Housing stock and building type
Neighbourhoods with a high concentration of apartment buildings — especially purpose-built rentals and older walk-ups — naturally have higher renter shares. In Quebec, where 59.9% of households own, the province’s dense urban cores like Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal are dominated by triplexes and multiplexes designed for rental occupancy. The physical layout of the neighbourhood locks in a renter majority. New construction in these areas tends to be rental as well, so the balance doesn’t shift easily.
Income and mortgage qualification
Even where home prices are moderate, the income required to qualify for a mortgage can be a barrier. In Ontario, 24.2% of households spend 30% or more of income on shelter. That leaves little room for down payment savings. First-time buyers in renter-heavy neighbourhoods often need parental help or a co-signer, and many don’t have access to either. The process of qualifying — verifying income, gathering documentation, getting pre-approval — is a sequential hurdle that filters out a large share of potential buyers.
These steps happen in order: a buyer checks their credit score, collects pay stubs and tax returns, gets a pre-approval letter from a lender, then starts searching. In a renter-majority neighbourhood, many households never get past step one because their debt-to-income ratio is already too high from rent itself.
Migration and demographic shifts
Recent data from liv.rent’s 2026 Rental Market Trend Report shows that interprovincial migration slowed 6% year-over-year in 2025, while emigration from Canada hit a record 95,733 — up 17% from 2024. Ontario and British Columbia accounted for nearly 70% of all emigrants. When people leave, they often sell their homes, and those homes are more likely to be bought by investors and turned into rentals than by first-time buyers. That dynamic reinforces renter majorities in certain neighbourhoods, especially in Metro Vancouver and Toronto, where rents have started to decline as supply catches up with falling demand.
Future outlook: what could shift the balance
Housing starts tell a mixed story. Quebec led the country with a 32% jump in starts in 2025, while Ontario fell 17% and British Columbia dropped 5%. More supply in Quebec could eventually ease rental pressure and open up ownership pathways. In Ontario and BC, declining starts mean rental markets will stay tight, and renter-majority neighbourhoods may expand. Alberta’s apartment starts grew 29%, but single-family construction fell 4%, suggesting the province’s rental-heavy urban core in Calgary could see renter shares rise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Renter-Majority Areas
Which Canadian city has the highest share of renters? ▾
Are renter-majority neighbourhoods always more affordable? ▾
Do investors prefer renter-majority neighbourhoods? ▾
Can a renter-majority neighbourhood become owner-heavy? ▾
How does the rental vacancy rate affect renter neighbourhoods? ▾
What role does public housing play in Nunavut’s low ownership? ▾
What the Data Tells Us About the Future of Renter-Heavy Neighbourhoods
The renter-majority map of Canada is not static. Quebec’s 32% jump in housing starts could shift more households into ownership over time, while Ontario’s 17% decline in starts suggests its renter-heavy neighbourhoods will stay that way. Alberta’s cooling migration — down 16% year-over-year — and Calgary’s falling rents point to a market that may become more balanced for both renters and buyers. But the biggest unknown is what happens to the territories. Nunavut’s ownership rate of 19.2% is so far below the national average that even major policy changes would take years to shift it.
Remember: this article is general information only. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified professional.
If this was useful, you might also want to read Why Some Canadian Cities Are Experiencing a Housing Crisis While Others Are Thriving.
Sources and Further Reading
How Interest Rate Changes Could Make or Break the Canadian Housing Market — A closer look at how mortgage rates affect ownership rates across the country.
Will Canada Ever See Affordable Housing Again? Or Is It a Permanent Crisis? — Examines the structural factors behind housing affordability in Canada.
Statistics Canada (2021). Homeownership rate and shelter-cost-to-income ratio by province and territory. 🔗
Statistics Canada (2021). Housing Statistics in Canada. 🔗
liv.rent (2026). 2026 Rental Market Trend Report. 🔗 (Data referenced via Statistics Canada and Canada.ca sources.)
