The Rent Report

008 - Inside Canada's Mortgage Market, with Mark Mitchell

Connect with Mark Mitchell: Website: https://www.londonontariomortgages.ca/ [https://www.londonontariomortgages.ca/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MortgageBrokerLondonOntario [https://www.youtube.com/@MortgageBrokerLondonOntario] In this episode of The Rent Report, we sit down with Mark Mitchell, a mortgage broker based in London, Ontario and one of Canada's most candid voices on the mortgage industry, real estate, and monetary policy. Mark runs a popular YouTube channel covering everything from rate decisions to market psychology, and this conversation draws on all of it. The episode opens with the Bank of Canada's decision to hold its policy rate at 2.25% and what it signals for borrowers. Mark breaks down why the central bank is effectively paralyzed right now, caught between tariff-driven inflation risk on one side and trade war-induced economic weakness on the other. The result is a mortgage market in wait-and-see mode, with fixed rates increasingly favored as variable becomes a bet on a near-term trade war resolution. From there, the conversation moves into the wave of pre-construction condos now coming to closing across Ontario at values well below their original purchase prices. Mark explains how some lenders are handling underwater assets through blanket appraisals, and why that may be less surprising than it sounds when you consider who financed the original developments. Context from the rental side adds another layer, where an oversupply of small investor-owned units is colliding head-on with a wave of new purpose-built rentals, pushing free rent incentives to levels not seen before. The episode also covers the Ontario government's takeover of RECO, the provincial real estate regulator, following the $10 million iPro Realty fraud and a pattern of subsequent brokerage scandals. Mark provides a detailed account of what happened and why self-regulation may not be well suited to an industry built on sales commissions. Other topics include the mortgage renewal wall and whether borrowers are actually at risk, the near-disappearance of investor and flip activity in the resale market, the record absence of new condo project starts in the GTA in Q1 2026, and what the narrowing spread between new and existing mortgage rates might mean for where the market goes next.

007 - High Supply, Low Demand, and the Technical Recession - June 2026 Data Dive

In this episode of the Rent Report Podcast, Urbanation and Rentals.ca break down the June 2026 national rent data, including why Canadian rents are barely moving despite it being peak rental season, what's driving record supply across the country, and which cities are bucking the trend entirely. 🏠 What we cover: Why May 2026 saw only a 0.1% rent increase (vs. the 5-year average of 1.3%) 200,000+ purpose-built rental units under construction — and what that means for renters Nova Scotia overtakes BC as Canada's most expensive rental province Vancouver: 30 months of declining rents — and signs of a rebound Why Alberta rents are falling even as it's the only province with population growth Shared accommodation rents down 24% in Vancouver since 2024 The rise of illegal rooming houses and what it means for renters' rights What the softening market means for negotiating power, incentives, and free rent offers 🎙️ Guests: Giacomo Ladas — Associate Director of Communications, Rentals.ca David Aizikov — Product Manager, Data Services, Urbanation 📥 Get the full national rent report: rentals.ca 🔔 Subscribe to the Rent Report Podcast for monthly Canadian rental market data, city-by-city breakdowns, and expert analysis from Urbanation and Rentals.ca.

006 - May 2026 Data Dive, with David Aizikov and Giacomo Ladas

Is the rental market finally turning a corner? After 19 consecutive months of year-over-year rent declines, April 2026 brought the first increase in active rental prospects in over a year and a half. But whether that signals a real shift or just seasonal noise is only part of the story. In this episode, we're joined by David Aizikov, Product Manager for Data Services at Urbanation, and Giacomo Ladas, Associate Director of Communications at Rentals.ca, to break down the May 2026 rent data and what it means for renters, property owners, and investors across Canada. They cover the explosion of rental incentives (one in two purpose-built listings now offers a concession, worth more than a full month's rent on average), the growing divide between recovering urban cores and struggling suburban markets, and why cities like Surrey and Brampton are bearing the brunt of investor stress. The conversation also gets into where demand is actually going to come from in a year of near-zero population growth, why three-bedroom units have quietly become the hottest segment in the market, and how the cultural stigma around renting in Canada is starting to crack. Plus: a preview of Rentals.ca's upcoming renter preference survey, including early data on incomes, search behaviour, and how Canadians are (and mostly aren't) using AI in their apartment hunt.

005 - Condos, Rentals, and Land Sales - Q1 2026 Roundup, with Shaun Hildebrand

In this episode of The Rent Report by Urbanation, Shaun Hildebrand, President of Urbanation, breaks down the Q1 2026 market reports covering the full arc from national rental trends down to individual submarkets across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area and the Outer Greater Golden Horseshoe. The headlines are striking: new condo sales in the GTHA hit a 35-year low. Canada posted its first-ever annual population decline. Purpose-built rental vacancy jumped to a post-pandemic high. And in the Outer GGH, new condo months of supply crossed 100, meaning at current absorption rates it would take over eight years to clear existing inventory. But the picture isn't entirely bleak. Condo lease transactions hit a Q1 record. Purpose-built rental construction starts reached a multi-decade high. And a major supply cliff on the horizon, with condo completions projected to fall dramatically through 2027 and beyond, could set the stage for a sharp reversal in market conditions within a few years. Shaun digs into what all of it means for renters, buyers, developers, and investors navigating one of the most complex housing markets in recent Canadian history. Urbanation subscribers can access the full versions of all reports on the Urbanation data portal.

004 - April 2026 Data Dive, with David Aizikov and Giacomo Ladas

In this month's Data Dive, David Aizikov and Giacomo Ladas join us to take a closer look at the latest National Rent Report by Urbanation and Rentals.ca, unpacking the trends behind the headlines and what they signal for Canada's rental market. Rents have now declined on an annual basis for 18 consecutive months, and the market is on the verge of a milestone: average asking rents are edging back below $2,000 a month nationally, effectively reversing three years of rent inflation. But as this episode explores, falling rents aren't entirely good news. With youth unemployment approaching 15% and real wages for young Canadians declining after inflation, softening rents are as much a signal of economic strain as they are a win for affordability. The conversation also tackles the big supply question: with cranes dotting skylines across the country, are we building too much? David and Giacomo argue that the narrow view says yes, but that the same short-term thinking left Canada in a 40-year construction deficit that created this crisis in the first place. The group also examines the growing pressure on small landlords, who are being forced to negotiate rent reductions and retention incentives to compete with newer, amenity-rich purpose-built rentals, all while their operating costs remain unchanged. Finally, the episode looks ahead at a looming crunch: construction starts have collapsed, but population growth is projected to return by 2027, raising the very real possibility that today's vacancy relief becomes tomorrow's supply shortage all over again. Tune in for expert insights, data-driven analysis, and a forward-looking perspective on the key indicators to watch in the months ahead.