Toronto, Vancouver see dramatic rise in house renters, including one-person households
Single-family rentals (SFRs) growing at a faster pace than multifamily rentals (MFRs) as Canadians adapt to high housing costs, rising interest rates, and limited mortgage access.
Nearly 5 million Canadian households are now renters, with SFR growth outpacing MFRs nationwide between 2016 and 2021, according to the latest Census data and a new Point2Homes study.
Between the last two Census periods, the number of renter households grew at double the rate of homeowner households, adding nearly half a million new renters across the country. As of 2021, more than 33% of Canadian households rent, the highest share on record.
While apartment buildings continue to dominate Canada’s rental landscape, SFRs — including detached, semi-detached, row houses, and townhomes — are gaining popularity, especially in major metropolitan areas where affordability pressures and lifestyle changes are pushing more people away from ownership.
In major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal, homes originally built for owner occupancy are increasingly being converted into rental stock. In Montréal, 55.1% of newly built dwellings between 2016 and 2021 were rented. In Toronto and Vancouver, that figure exceeded 42%.
“Once seen as a stepping stone to homeownership or a temporary phase, renting is turning into a long-term reality for many Canadians — not always by choice,” the study noted.
Data from the 2025 CMHC Mortgage Consumer Survey shows that 79% of Canadians believe homeownership is a good long-term financial investment. About 74% are also confident that they got the best mortgage deal for their needs and 71% believe the value of their home will increase in the next 12 months.
Shift toward SFRs
Nationally, the share of SFR households rose from 25.5% in 2016 to 26.4% in 2021, growing faster than multifamily rental households. This trend is particularly pronounced in cities like Brampton, ON, where SFR households grew by 44.4%, compared to just 5.5% for MFR households.
The report highlights that for many renters, single-family homes offer a more spacious and desirable living option in urban areas where buying is no longer feasible.
“Renting has become a necessary adjustment, and often the only way to live in desirable areas without spending a fortune,” the study stated.
According to Nathanael Lauster, associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, “The historical trend in Canada has been that people want to form independent households. But when housing is scarce and expensive, they adapt by living in ways they wouldn’t otherwise choose.”
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An especially notable trend is the surge in one-person households renting single-family homes, signaling a cultural shift in rental preferences.
As of the last Census, 4.4 million Canadians live alone, double the number from 30 years ago. Solo renters now make up over half of all one-person households and are choosing SFRs in growing numbers.
In Vaughan, ON, solo renters in single-family homes jumped by 82.4%, while solo apartment renters grew by just 30.3%. Similar patterns were observed in Brossard and Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, and even dense urban centers like Vancouver, where one-person SFR households increased by 42.1%, compared to 7.7% in the MFR category. In Toronto, solo SFR renters grew 25.2%, compared to 5.6% in apartments.
Apartments lead in net gains
Despite the faster growth rate of SFRs, apartments remain dominant in terms of absolute numbers. Of the 479,300 new rental households added between Census years, about 310,200 were multifamily and 167,700 were single-family.
In cities like Montréal and Toronto, each added more than 23,000 MFR households, supported by zoning policies and ongoing investment in high-density development.
In contrast, the largest single-family rental household increases were in Ottawa and Calgary, with gains around 8,800 units, driven by suburban growth and demand for more space.
While apartments remain the most accessible and widely available rental option, single-family rentals are rapidly becoming a preferred long-term housing solution, especially for those priced out of ownership.
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