The latest in a long string of reports and studies shows Halifax continues to be a tough place for renters.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) rental market update shows the city is diverging from trends seen in other cities, and features low vacancy rates and high rents.
Residents say it’s no surprise.
“I say it’s only manageable because I’m splitting the rent with my roommates,” said Dalhousie University student Christy Hochau, who is paying more than $1,000 a month to rent a room.
The CMHC’s mid-year rental report shows Halifax’s vacancy rate sits at 2.7 per cent, which is lower than the rates in other cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
The report finds the purpose-built rental apartment vacancy rate did increase slightly in 2025, driven by slower migration and steady growth in housing supply.
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However, rent growth has accelerated. The report finds the average sample rent for a two-bedroom unit grew by 6.7 per cent in 2025.
“Rent increases were primarily driven by landlords maximizing allowable rent caps and the widening gap between rents paid by existing and new tenants,” the report noted.
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The vacancy rate is even lower for affordable units — at 0.7 per cent for units priced at $1,349 or less.
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“The market is easing, but the easing we are seeing is at the top,” said Kelvin Ndoro, an economist with CMHC.
“There’s still affordability pressures that still persists at the bottom.”
A national rent report from Rentals.ca and Urbanation released last week showed Nova Scotia has become the highest-priced market on average, regardless of unit type, for apartments and condominiums.
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All this means people are hanging on to their apartments longer, as CMHC’s report cited Halifax as having the lowest tenant turnover rate compared to other major cities.
“When people are moving, they are faced by much larger rent increases, so they are likely to stay put,” said Ndoro.
But others say they’re hopeful a housing development boom can offer some relief in the years ahead.
“You’ll see a big difference. There’s about 13,000 units coming to market in that time period,” said Kevin Russell, executive director of Rental Housing Providers Nova Scotia.
Russell says many of these apartments won’t be deemed affordable, citing high construction and development fees, but adds an influx of new rental units could help free up space in the market.
“If you have more supply, it gets more competitive. And when it’s more competitive, you’ll start seeing rents fluctuating across the market,” he said.
However, Ndoro says Halifax’s housing market needs more than just new apartments to fix the problem. He says building non-market and single-family housing would go a long way in tackling Halifax’s affordable housing dilemma.
“We need to increase housing supply but also the mix is very important as well,” he said.
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