housing
MORE THAN JUST AVERAGE
Better data and deeper conversations are required to improve affordability within the rental segment of our housing market. Here, we expand just a little beyond the "average" conversation.
Average rents are both an easy, and difficult thing to measure. Because of rental restrictions in British Columbia, looking at the average of all rents or the average asking rents on available homes will tell you two very different things. Those with long tenures will be paying below-market rates in today’s rising rental rate environment and show a lower average. But also, when you look at average asking rents, they are often skewed by a few higher-priced luxury listings, particularly in areas without a lot of listings available. So to try and better understand where asking rents are, it's useful to consider the distribution of rental rates. Over the past three months in Metro
Vancouver, asking rents have averaged $2,211 for studios, $2,457 for one-bedroom homes, and $3,201 for two-bedroom homes— unambiguously high numbers. In fleshing out available rents around these averages, it's notable that 61% of available studios in Metro Vancouver ranged between $1,500 and $2,500; 57% of one-bedroom homes ranged between $1,750 and $2,750, and 47% of two-bedroom homes ranged between $2,500 and $3,500. While no matter how you slice it being a renter is expensive, conversations about rental affordability would benefit from a more holistic view of the cost of participating in this segment of the housing market.
MAKING SENSE OF ASKING RENTS
3K
2K
1K
0K
0-500
500-1K
1-1.5K 1.5-2K 2-2.5K 2.5-3K
3-3.5K 3.5-4K 4-4.5K 4.5-5K 5-5.5K 5.5-6K 6-6.5K 6.5-7K
ASKING PRICE RANGE
STUDIO
BED
BED
BED
DATA: DISTRIBUTION OF ASKING RENTS, 3-MONTH AVERAGE, METRO VANCOUVER
SOURCE: VARIOUS LISTINGS WEBSITES
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