Rents still a good deal despite hot Vancouver housing market: CMHC

Despiterecord-low vacancy rates and rising rents, tenants in Greater Vancouver get better value for their money than almost anywhere else in the country, says the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

CMHC analyst Brian Yu said rents in Vancouver are still comparable to many other cities in Alberta and Ontario.

He also noted that rents don't reflect the fact that homes in Vancouver are the most expensive in the country to purchase.

He cited the example of a two-bedroom condo in Calgary that costs almost as much torent as it does in Vancouver, even though real estate prices in Vancouver are up to 40 per cent higher than the Alberta city.

He also noted thatrent increases in Vancouveraveraged four per cent last year, which was much lower than Calgary's.

"If we compare this to other markets like Calgary, which had [a] 19½ per cent increase in rent, what we see is really the increase in rental is really quite moderate."

Yu said part of the reason for the difference in rent increases is the fact thatB.C. has legislated rent controls, while Alberta does not.