THUNDER BAY – If you are looking to rent an apartment in Thunder Bay, you already know that the rental market is tight. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released its Fall Rental Market Report for the Thunder Bay CMA today. Highlights of the 2010 Rental Market Report are as follows:
• The vacancy rate inched down to 2.2 per cent from 2.3 per cent in October 2009.
• Fixed sample two bedroom rents increased 2.4 per cent, above the provincial allowable increase for 2010, down from 2.9 per cent in 2008-2009.
“Several factors contributed to a lower vacancy rate in Thunder Bay. Firstly, an improving economy helped bolstered renter household formation. Secondly, the first year of net in-migration in 2008-09 after several years of out-migration was also a positive for the rental market,” observed Warren Philp, Northern Ontario Market Analyst at CMHC’s Thunder Bay Office. “On the other hand, some households would have moved on to homeownership given the continued low mortgage rate environment exerting upward pressure on vacancy rates. On balance, the vacancy rate moved slightly down” summarized Philp.