Mapping rising rental cost

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently announced that the vacancy rate in Canada had hit an all-time low, 1.5%, in 2023.

When considering what to do to address the ongoing housing crisis in Canada, many pundits have suggested that the solution is to empower private firms to build more housing stock. The problem with this approach is that as privately built apartments go up, the cost of renting goes up with them.

Ottawa is a city where a significant portion of the housing market is made up of privately owned developments. As renters scramble to find housing in an increasingly competitive rental market, they are being squeezed by the high rents that these buildings set.

Below, we’ve mapped out the average rental prices for one bedroom units in Ottawa. This analysis is based on 602 units listed on the rental website Padmapper. We hope in future mapping to include a breakdown of which developers and holding companies own which buildings.

In the meantime, here are the numbers for February. For a downloadable version, click here.