National rental apartment vacancy up this year
By
|
14/06/2010 7:32:00 PM
|
0
comments
Canada's average rental apartment vacancy rates in 35 major centres increased by 0.2 per cent to 2.9 per cent in April 2010 from 2.7 in April 2009, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's spring Rental Market Survey released today.
"Rental construction and competition from the condominium market added upward pressure on vacancy rates and historically low mortgage rates attracted renter households towards homeownership over the last year," said Bob Dugan, chief economist at CMHC's Market Analysis Centre.
The centres with the lowest vacancy rates were Quebec City (0.4 per cent), Regina (0.8 per cent), Winnipeg (1.0 per cent), and St. John's (1.1 per cent). Provincially, Manitobia and Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest vacancy rates at 1.0 per cent and 1.1 per cent, respectively.
On the other end, the highest vacancy rates were found in Windsor (12.4 per cent), Peterborough and Abbotsford (6.6 per cent each). Meanwhile, Alberta's vacany rate has risen this April to 6.0 per cent from 4.6 per cent in April 2009.