Why is Brampton rent surging 3 times faster than every other city in Canada?
Rent in Brampton shot up three times faster over the last year than the national average in Canada, according to a rental report.
Data released by Rentals.ca revealed average rents for one-bedroom units increased by 8.9 per cent across Canada on a year-over-year basis from September.
While other Canadian cities saw significantly steeper price changes during that timeframe – notably Laval, Que. with 20.1 per cent and Calgary, Alta. with 21.6 per cent – Brampton dwarfed the country with rents soaring by 29 per cent for one-bedrooms. Two-bedroom rents also increased by 25.7 per cent for the GTA city.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Even though Ontario capped rent increases at 2.5 per cent in 2023 (and is continuing to do the same for 2024), the limit only pertains to buildings constructed before Nov. 15, 2018. The Doug Ford government scrapped rent control for newer units as a way to incentivize developers and boost Ontario’s housing supply, which can result to double-digit rent increases.
The report also shows Brampton boasts some of the most costly rental prices, as it is among the top five most expensive in the country for one-bedroom units at $2,274 per month – though still $346 less each month than what it costs in Toronto. The rental cost of an average two-bedroom unit in Brampton is also significantly cheaper than in Toronto, going for $763 less at $2,650 per month.
Even though Toronto and Mississauga have higher living costs than Brampton, the cities saw rent increases ranging from roughly 10 to 15 per cent.
Rentals.ca's national rent rankings for Sept. 2023. (Rentals.ca)
So, what is driving up Brampton’s rent so much faster than everywhere else?
Broker and co-owner of Re/Max Realty Services, Gurinder Sandhu, who oversees four offices throughout Peel Region, told CTV News Toronto Thursday a few reasons are contributing to increasing prices.
“Brampton is the hub of where new immigrants go for a number of reasons,” Sandhu said. “There’s a lot of entry level jobs and manufacturing and distribution. There’s also Sheridan College there that a fair number of students coming into Canada with student visas head to as a destination, so there’s a lot of demand.”
According to the latest census by Statistics Canada in 2021, Brampton had the third largest immigrant population in the province and ranked fifth across Canada. Roughly 21 per cent of Brampton’s population comprises non-Canadian citizens, according to the census, with more than half of the city being born outside of Canada.
Last year, Canada welcomed a record number of immigrants, and the country is hoping to hit a target of 500,000 by 2025.
“Brampton has always been one of those kind of suburban communities where the affordability, whether it was a rental or purchase, was a lot better than the core of the city (of Toronto). We’re ever-increasing our population so now Brampton’s almost becoming part of the city,” Sandhu said.
Outside of what Brampton offers newcomers, Sandhu pointed to the province’s affordable housing crisis as another driver ballooning Brampton’s rental prices.
“With the increase in mortgage rates – the hyper increase in mortgage rates since March of 2022 – we’re seeing people who could possibly afford monthly payments on purchases I guess a year and a half ago can no longer get into the home that they wanted in this part of the city,” Sandu said.
In May, the Region of Peel revealed the region is only meeting roughly 19 per cent of its affordable housing needs – meaning it is serving fewer than one in five households. The region says it estimates it could take up to $50 billion over the next decade to fully meet its affordable housing needs, with an additional $4 billion just to maintain the same levels currently being met.
Sandhu recommends signing on with others to crack into Brampton’s market, whether prospective residents are seeking a place to rent or buy.
“I think we’re getting into that point where in our city co-ownership, or co-rentalship is probably going to be the norm if the rental rates continue to increase at the rate that they are now,” Sandhu said.
To prevent landlords and property managers from creating illegal rental units to house more residents than what is allowed in a home, the City of Brampton previously announced in March it would pilot a program sometime early 2024. The program would cap the number of residents, create a system for random inspections and fines for unlicensed rentals, as well as explore establishing a Landlord Code of Conduct.
A final plan for the pilot program is expected to be announced sometime this year, and would apply to select wards in Brampton with higher volumes of rental units.
Sandhu says, however, that a long-term plan needs to be sorted by all levels of government and developers to provide affordable accommodations.
“The reason there is so much immigration is because everybody around the world recognizes the world-class city that (Brampton has) become,” Sandhu said.
“There’s even a greater impetus required for our government to really figure this out… Otherwise, increasing at the rates that we’re increasing, the rates that we’re seeing are not going to be sustainable, and that will create much bigger problems than we see right now.”
With files from CP24’s Aisling Murphy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING Claims of toxic workplace at CSIS absolutely 'devastating': PM says
Allegations of a toxic workplace culture, involving harassment and sexual assault at Canada's spy agency are 'devastating' and 'absolutely unacceptable,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
Alberta set for $5.5B budget surplus, despite big bucks for fires, floods and drought
Alberta’s budget surplus is growing but will be offset by more than $1 billion this year to pay for floods, forest fires and drought.
Here's when Canada Post says you should send out your holiday packages
Canada Post had released a holiday guide on when Canadians should mail out their packages.
TREND LINE Liberals and NDP tied in ballot support, Conservatives 19 points ahead: Nanos
The governing minority Liberals' decline in the polls has now placed them in a tie for support with their confidence-and-supply partners the NDP, while the Conservatives are now 19 points ahead, according Nanos' latest ballot tracking.
2023 Atlantic hurricane season ends; finishes 4th for most-named storms
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end on Thursday as the fourth
More Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as truce in Gaza lasts another day
Hamas began freeing Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a last-minute deal to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.
What to know about the Sikh independence movement following U.S. accusation that activist was targeted
The U.S. has charged an Indian national in what prosecutors allege was a failed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist at the behest of an unnamed Indian government official.
Alternative healer faces manslaughter charge over woman's death at a U.K. slapping therapy workshop
An alternative healer who advocates a technique known as 'slapping therapy' was charged Thursday over the death of a woman at one of his workshops in England seven years ago.
Chinstrap penguins nod off more than 10,000 times per day in seconds-long 'microsleeps,' study finds
A new study has documented the peculiar sleeping habits of this species of penguin. Instead of taking one long continuous period of sleep, chinstrap penguins prefer to sleep in seconds-long intervals, more than 10,000 times a day.