A new report says average asking rents fell in August compared with a year ago to mark 11 months of straight declines.
The Rentals.ca and Urbanation report says the average rental rate across Canada was $2,137 in the month for a 2.3 per cent decline from a year ago, though still up one per cent from 2023.
Rents have been on the decline as the federal government has reduced immigration rates that slowed population growth, and as a wave of condo completions come onto the market.
In Barrie, the report says the average rent for a one-bedroom unit in August was $1,986, a drop of 5.9 per cent from a year ago, while the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment last month was $2,265 for a 4.2 per cent decline from August 2024.
The report shows condo rents were down 3.7 per cent in August from year ago while purpose-built rental rates were down 0.4 per cent. House and townhouse rates were down six per cent from last year.
Average rents in Canada went on the decline during the height of the pandemic, but began to rise in the summer of 2021, climbing from a low of under $1,700 a month at the time to around $2,200 last year.
Vancouver and Calgary saw some of the steepest rate declines among big cities over the past year, down 9.3 and 9.5 per cent respectively in August from last year, while Toronto saw a 3.3 per cent decline.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2025.
with files from Barrie 360
