The role of short-term rentals in the Canadian housing market

Release date: July 30, 2024
Infographic: The role of short-term rentals in the Canadian housing market
Description: The role of short-term rentals in the Canadian housing market

In 2023, an estimated 107,266 short-term rentals in Canada were potential long-term dwellings,Note 1 meaning that they could have served as long-term housing.

Short-term rentals in Canada, by type of listing, 2023
Table summary
This table displays the results of . The information is grouped by Category (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
Category Number of short-term rentals Share of short-term rentals
Potential long-term dwellings (PLTDs) 107,266 30.2%
Entire unit - Listed for less than 180 days a year 118,934 33.5%
Entire unit - vacation types 53,407 15.0%
Partial units (any type) 75,462 21.3%

In 2023, potential long-term dwellings accounted for more than 1% of housing unitsNote 2 only in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. This compares with 0.69% for Canada.

Potential long-term dwellings as a share of housing units
Table summary
This table displays the results of . The information is grouped by Province or territory (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
Province or territory Number of potential long-term dwellings Share of potential long-term dwellings
N.L 1,515 0.67%
P.E.I. 880 1.30%
N.S. 2,987 0.67%
N.B. 1,442 0.41%
Que. 19,614 0.51%
Ont. 38,955 0.69%
Man. 1,485 0.28%
Sask. 975 0.21%
Alta. 9,514 0.56%
B.C. 29,643 1.38%
Y.T. 165 0.90%
N.W.T. 62 0.40%
N.T. 29 0.29%
Canada 107,266 0.69%

In 2021, potential long-term dwellings accounted for a small share of housing units in Canada’s largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Shares were highest in tourist areas, especially in ski towns.

Share of potential long-term dwellings among all housing units
Table summary
This table displays the results of Share of potential long-term dwellings among all housing units. The information is grouped by Largest Metro Areas and Municipalities (appearing as row headers), calculated using Share (appearing as column headers).
Largest Metro Areas Share
Toronto 0.36%
Montréal 0.39%
Vancouver 0.45%
Ottawa–Gatineau 0.26%
Calgary 0.33%
MunicipalitiesNote 3  
Whistler 35.0%
Mont-Tremblant 16.4%
Canmore 15.0%
The Blue Mountains 13.2%
Prince Edward County 4.9%

Sources: Statistics Canada, table 36-10-0688-01 – Housing stock in unit by institutional sector, housing type, dwelling occupation, dwelling type, and tenure type, table 98-10-0239-01 – Structural type of dwelling by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, table 98-10-0240-01 – Structural type of dwelling by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions; AirDNA.

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