A new survey from Rentals.ca paints a stark picture of the Canadian rental market this summer, revealing that affordability pressures are reshaping where and how people live.
The 2025 Renter Preference Survey found that 34% of respondents commit more than half of their after-tax earnings to rent, far above the 30% affordability benchmark met by just 22% of renters.
Those aged 18 to 24, typically working with monthly budgets between $1,000 and $1,499, are the most likely to be in this high-spend bracket. Despite the strain, 66% of renters in this category said they would rather live alone than take on a roommate.
Credit: Rentals.ca
Extended searches and dissatisfaction are common among those paying over 50% of their income. Nearly half (46%) have been hunting for housing for six months or longer, compared with 29% of all renters, while 53% express disappointment with current listings. More than half are considering relocating to another city, and 52% are looking for units priced under $1,499 a month.
Here are the other highlights of the survey:
- What Renters Will Pay Extra For: When it comes to amenities, certain features consistently draw interest, even from budget-conscious tenants. More than half of respondents (57%) said they would pay more for in-unit laundry. Air conditioning (44%) and parking (43%) also ranked high, followed by private outdoor space (34%) and pet-friendly policies (31%).
- Generational Differences in Rent Burden: The survey also breaks down rent-to-income ratios by age group. Nearly half of renters under 25 (49%) spend more than half their income on rent. For those aged 25–34, that figure is 40%, while 29% of tenants aged 35–54 and 35% of those over 55 are in the same situation.
- Incentives: Move-in offers like free rent or discounted utilities appeal to some demographics more than others. Renters in their mid-20s to early 50s were the most likely to find such incentives “very important,” while younger and older tenants tended to be more neutral, weighing other factors above short-term perks.
The survey gathered responses from 510 participants nationwide and has a margin of error of ±4.3% at the 95% confidence level.