Recently evicted people tend to be younger, have financial difficulties, and report having low trust in others

Released: 2024-04-12

Among renters, 3% experienced an eviction in the previous 12 months, which represents 1% of all Canadians. This finding was determined using three recent waves of the Canadian Social Survey, collected from April 21 to December 3, 2023.

Across most major housing markets in Canada, demand for rentals has far outpaced supply, largely driven by increasing immigration, employment growth, and homeownership costs pushing people towards renting. From 2011 to 2021, the growth in renter households (+22%) was more than double that of owner households (+8%). Increased demand for rentals can lead to reduced affordability and lower vacancy rates of affordable housing. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) estimated that the average rent growth increased by 8% year over year in 2023.

Due to these conditions surrounding the rental market and affordability, this study sought to identify characteristics of those who have experienced an eviction and factors behind evictions.

Over half of evictions are due to landlord factors, which include own use, sale of property, and major repairs or renovations

While there are many grounds for eviction, evictions for landlord purposes were among the most commonly-cited reasons. Specifically, among the top reasons for eviction were the landlord wanting the unit for their own use (30%), the landlord wishing to sell the property (17%), and evicting tenants to perform major repairs or renovations (4%).

While the relative proportion of evictions for major repairs or renovations is low, there is regional variability. Hamilton, Ontario reported a 983% increase in such evictions from 2017 to 2022, as an example. Evictions for major repairs or renovations are sometimes referred to in the media as "renovictions" and the term often has negative connotations.

But it is important to note that not all evictions for major repairs or renovations are done in bad faith. Bad faith evictions for major repairs or renovations encompass several scenarios such as superficial or no improvements being made to the unit, or former tenants being denied the opportunity to move back in after the repairs or renovations are completed. Regardless, the end result for evictions for major repairs or renovations is often the same: existing tenants are replaced with tenants who are charged higher rent beyond what would otherwise be permitted by legislation with the former tenants. In response, cities including New Westminster, British Columbia and Hamilton, Ontario are starting to implement bylaws against bad faith evictions to ensure tenants are treated fairly.

Difficulty paying rent is the second-most common reason for eviction

Nearly 6 in 10 evictees (59%) found it difficult or very difficult to meet their financial needs, compared with 32% of the total population who reported financial difficulties. This may explain why the second-most commonly reported reason for eviction in the past year was difficulty paying rent (18%).

Recent renter households have previously been found to face higher median shelter costs than existing renter households. In 2021, the median monthly shelter cost for a two-bedroom dwelling in Canada was $1,330 for recent renter households, compared with $1,050 for existing renter households.

According to the CMHC's 2024 Market Rental Report, vacancy rates for the least expensive units were below average in most cities, indicating an insufficient supply of affordable housing needed for lower-income renters.

Those struggling with mental health and people with a disability are overrepresented among evictees

Among evictees, nearly 6 in 10 (59%) were between the ages of 25 and 44, with over one-third (34%) being between the ages of 25 and 34. This may be expected due to younger adults being more likely to rent than own. Nearly half of evictees reported fair or poor mental health (46%), compared with one in five members of the total population (20%). A further 28% identified as having a disability, which is more than double the proportion found within the total population (13%).

Nearly 7 in 10 evictees report having low trust in others

The federal government developed the Quality of Life Framework for Canada as an overarching set of 84 indicators to measure the well-being of Canadians beyond the traditional measure of gross domestic product. Having trust in others is an indicator of well-being based on dimensions of social cohesion and connections.

When asked whether most people can be trusted, nearly 7 in 10 evictees (69%) reported having low trust in others, while 56% of the total population indicated low trust in others, though this difference did not meet the threshold for statistical significance. In contrast, in a 2020 crowdsourced survey of roughly 37,000 Canadians, less than one-quarter (24%) responded that most people cannot be trusted.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).