Renters might wonder why a Bank of Canada rate announcement matters when they don’t have a mortgage. The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25% in July 2026, and the prime rate sits at 4.45%. Those numbers don’t show up on a lease agreement, but they shape the rental market through landlord costs, new construction, and how many
An underground parking stall in a Canadian city can cost between $50,000 and $100,000 to build. A 200-unit residential building required to provide 250 stalls faces up to $25 million in parking-related construction costs. That money gets folded into the price of every home sold or rented in that building. Canadian cities are now rethinking whether forcing developers to build
Handing over pay stubs, bank statements, photo ID, and a credit check consent feels like applying for a mortgage, not a rental. But Canadian landlords are asking for more paperwork than ever, and the reason goes beyond simply checking if you can pay the rent. Between rising rental fraud and tighter privacy laws, landlords are caught between two pressures: verify
Scammers listed thousands of fake apartments on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace last year alone — the IRCC tracked 95,000 fraud cases tied to those two platforms. Most of those listings were for properties that either didn’t exist or belonged to someone else. For anyone hunting for a place to rent in Canada right now, especially from abroad, those numbers mean
Taking out a 30-year mortgage can cut your monthly payment by roughly $276 on a $600,000 loan at 4.50% compared to a standard 25-year term. That sounds like relief for anyone struggling with Canada’s housing costs. But that same decision adds around $99,000 in extra interest over the life of the mortgage, and after five years of payments, you’ll have
At the end of December 2025, there were 133,495 properties listed for sale across Canada — up 7.4% from a year earlier but still below what’s normal for that time of year. That mismatch is the first clue about why some listings sit too long while others sell in days. The national average home price sat near $653,000, and the
More than 17% of Canadians now share housing to manage rising costs, and roommate listings have surged 42% this year alone. That means more people are signing leases with friends, partners, or strangers — and most have no idea what they’re legally agreeing to. If one person misses rent, the others are on the hook for the full amount under
Detached homes made up just 18% of new housing starts in Ontario as of 2025, down from roughly 50–60% two decades ago. That shift is reshaping what Canadian families can actually buy. With land running out in cities like Toronto, Mississauga, and Vaughan, and government policy pushing density, the traditional single-family home is no longer the default option for most
Vancouver’s vacancy rate hit 3.7% in 2025 — the highest level in 30 years. Across the country, the average asking rent fell to $2,030 in February 2026, marking the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year declines. After years of near-zero vacancy and relentless rent hikes, the Canadian rental market has flipped. New units sit empty for months, landlords offer free months
In June 2026, the national average home price sat at $696,078, but that single number masks a market where five provinces posted all-time price records while others kept sliding. For buyers trying to figure out which neighbourhood is gaining ground, the national figure is close to useless. What matters is reading the local signals — the kind of construction happening,
In Ottawa, buyers now routinely review 5, 10, or even 15 listings before making an offer. That’s a complete reversal from the 2020–2022 market, when homes were snapped up in days. This shift isn’t limited to one city. Across Canada, the same pattern is emerging: more inventory, less urgency, and buyers who are taking their time to compare, negotiate, and
Two houses, same city, same square footage, built in the same decade — one sells for £350,000, the other for £550,000. That kind of gap isn’t unusual in Canada, and it’s not about the kitchen upgrade. The national average home price hit roughly £667,700 in June 2026, down 4.1% from a year earlier. But averages hide what happens at street
