Waterloo's rental vacancy rate falls to 1.2 per cent, the lowest since 2019
Student demand is only part of it, CMHC says. Completions in the city fell by a third year over year while the region added 4,100 residents.
By Devon Marsh· Published August 24, 2026
·1 min read
The fall survey puts the citywide vacancy rate at 1.2 per cent, down from 1.9 a year ago and the tightest market the agency has measured here since 2019.
The squeeze is not where the towers are. Vacancy near the universities held at 2.4 per cent; in the family-sized stock west of Westmount it fell below one.
Average asking rent for a two-bedroom crossed $2,100 for the first time. The region's housing dashboard counts 4,600 purpose-built rentals under construction, most of them a year or more from occupancy.