TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Toronto Real Estate Board President Tim Syrianos announced that year-over-year increases in average rents for condominium apartments were up very strongly in the third quarter, based on rental transactions reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® through TREB’s MLS® System.

The average rent for one-bedroom condominium apartments in the TREB market area was up by 11.2 per cent on an annual basis to $1,976 in Q3 2017.  The average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent was up by 7.7 per cent over the same period to $2,607.

“Competition between renters remained very strong for available units in Q3.  It is clear that supply is part of the issue.  Different levels of government have committed to looking at housing supply through the policy lens.  TREB has participated in these policy discussions and looks forward to continuing the dialogue.  To this end, TREB does have concerns that increased rent controls and a possible vacancy tax in the City of Toronto could serve to reduce the supply of available rental units as potential investors look to less-regulated sectors in which to invest,” said Mr. Syrianos.

The number of condominium apartments listed during the third quarter and the number of rental agreements signed were down by similar amounts on a year-over-year basis.

“It is reasonable to assume that the vacancy rate for condominium apartments has trended lower this year.  If the current relationship between rental demand and supply remains in place moving forward, rent increases for available units will continue to trend well-above the rate of inflation.  Economic and demographic trends suggest that rental demand will increase and there are real concerns that the already constrained supply of units for rent could get worse,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Rental Market Summary: Third Quarter 2017      
Apartments                  
  All Bedroom Types Bachelor One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom
  Listed Leased  Leased   Avg. Rent   Leased   Avg. Rent   Leased   Avg. Rent   Leased   Avg. Rent 
Q3 2017 11,574 8,716 316 $1,672 4,850 $1,976 3,350 $2,607 200 $3,234
Q3 2016 12,040 9,150 377 $1,489 5,256 $1,777 3,328 $2,420 189 $3,058
Yr./Yr. % Chg. -3.9% -4.7% -16.2%   12.3% -7.7%   11.2% 0.7%   7.7% 5.8%   5.7%
                     
Townhouses                  
  All Bedroom Types Bachelor One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom
  Listed Leased Leased Avg. Rent Leased Avg. Rent Leased Avg. Rent Leased Avg. Rent
Q3 2017 1,022 657 2 $1,600 87 $1,783 229 $2,138 339 $2,393
Q3 2016 944 604 3 $1,375 54 $1,537 217 $2,142 330 $2,176
Yr./Yr. % Chg. 8.3% 8.8% -33.3%   16.4% 61.1%   16.0% 5.5%   -0.2% 2.7%   10.0%
                     
Source: Toronto Real Estate Board                

Media Inquiries:
Mary Gallagher,
Senior Manager Public Affairs  
(416) 443-8158 [email protected]

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