Ontario's Slowest Growth Year — And the Landlords Still Winning

Why New Rentals Near Universities Are Sitting Empty + RBC on Ontario’s Fragile Rebound (Smart Real Estate) Addy Saeed and Ribhu Rampersad unpack a “vacancy paradox” in Ontario: CMHC data shows higher vacancy concentrated in post-2020 builds and student-adjacent units, even as student housing need remains acute, because today’s land, construction, and financing costs force rents beyond what many tenants can pay while older buildings bought below replacement cost stay full. They review RBC’s latest housing data showing a 5.5% national resale jump month over month led by Ontario at 8.8%, alongside continued year-over-year price declines and condo weakness in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, and Niagara, with RBC calling the rebound fragile. RBC also forecasts Ontario 2026 growth at 0.4% and does not expect Bank of Canada hikes in 2026, pushing gradual hikes to 2027. They cover Guelph’s new tenant protection measures, RECO’s new brokerage financial filing regime, and institutional activity including Starlight’s 698-unit Mississauga rental proposal and Hazelview’s view that Canada remains undersupplied. 00:00 Vacancy Paradox Setup 00:59 Why New Student Housing Sits Empty 01:40 Investor Math on Affordability 03:07 RBC Resale Rebound Data 05:06 Ontario Growth and Rate Outlook 07:40 Guelph and RECO Regulations 09:25 Institutional Capital Moves 11:17 Wrap Up and Disclosures About Your Hosts: Addy Saeed: With over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, I've navigated through the complexities of property investment, development, and management. My goal is to demystify real estate investing for our listeners. Web Links Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/learn-invest-ma... Get access to all our tools at learninvestmanage.com