Report shows Halifax's 2022 rental vacancy rate second lowest in Canada
A new report shows the rental market in Nova Scotia has been hit hard with increased demand and short supply.
"We’ve seen that younger people are staying in rentals longer and continue to boost rental demand," says Kelvin Ndoro from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
On Thursday, the CMHC released its yearly report, highlighting Halifax’s rental vacancy rate sits at one per cent, or the second lowest in Canada.
The city's turnover rate is 11 per cent, which is also the second lowest nationwide.
The turnover unit rent hiked 28.9 per cent, while the rent increase to current tenants is up 4.5 per cent – that's the highest in Canada.
As a result, officials say in 2022 the average Halifax two bedroom unit was around $1,449.00, which increased 9.3 per cent.
According to officials, low vacancy rates are a sign construction lacking with population growth.
Between July 2021 and July of 2022, about 28,000 people moved to Nova Scotia.
"Halifax actually had negative interprovincial migration, which means we saw more people leaving to other parts of Nova Scotia then we’re coming here whereas the surrounding areas like East Hants Warden, Kings County, Cumberland for example, Truro has seen an increase in interprovincial migration,” Ndoro says.
Kevin Russell from the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia said he wasn't shocked by the data.
"When the government introduced rent control in Nova Scotia in 2020 we advised government and anyone that would listen that rent control would result in higher rents than pre-rent control,” Russell says.
According to Russell, Nova Scotia’s two per cent cap on rental increases is forcing some property owners to sell.
“That market is going back into single-family home ownership. We’ve done surveys with our members that show that there’s 12,000 units at risk of being sold,” says Russell.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

Police find 6 bodies, including 1 child, in St. Lawrence River
The bodies of six people, including one child, were found in the St. Lawrence River Thursday afternoon after an air search involving the Canadian Coast Guard, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police said.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' years ago nightmare for neighbour on upscale street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
Lack of data on transit violence amounts to 'blanket of ignorance': Researcher
Canada needs standardized data on violence on transit systems to help tackle issues ranging from a lack of mental health supports to eroding public trust, say researchers, citing the recent stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy at a Toronto station as the latest example of random attacks on commuters.
Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault for ski collision, jury decides
Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn't at fault for the crash.
Meet the Canadian astronauts up for a seat on the Artemis II mission to the moon
This Sunday, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will announce the four astronauts that will be blasting off to fly around the moon for the Artemis II mission, one of whom will be a Canadian astronaut.
5 things to know for Friday, March 31, 2023
Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be charged with a crime, someone tried to break in to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser's residence, and the final report into Nova Scotia's 2020 mass shooting has been released. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Industry minister to deliver Rogers-Shaw update at press conference today
Federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is set to make an announcement this morning about Rogers Communications Inc.'s proposed $26-billion purchase of Shaw Communications Inc.