Victoria indicatorsRental apartments available
3.3% vacant
A planning benchmark from a higher government’s method, not a target: shown for reference. Targets and comparisons
Source: CMHC. We read it on Nov 11, 2026.
Over time
Vacancy rate, private apartments (3+ units)
2025 By year
- 3.3%
3% in provincial housing needs method
M municipal election: Oct 15, 2022P provincial election: Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Sep 20, 2021; Apr 28, 2025
Vacancy rate, private apartments (3+ units)
2025 By year
- Greater Victoria 3.3%
- City of Victoria 3.2%
3% in provincial housing needs method
M municipal election: Oct 15, 2022P provincial election: Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Sep 20, 2021; Apr 28, 2025
Vacancy rate, private apartments (3+ units)
2025 By year
- 3.3%
3% in provincial housing needs method
M municipal election: Oct 20, 2018; Oct 15, 2022P provincial election: Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Oct 21, 2019; Sep 20, 2021; Apr 28, 2025
Vacancy rate, private apartments (3+ units)
2025 By year
- Greater Victoria 3.3%
- City of Victoria 3.2%
3% in provincial housing needs method
M municipal election: Oct 20, 2018; Oct 15, 2022P provincial election: Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Oct 21, 2019; Sep 20, 2021; Apr 28, 2025
Targets and comparisons
Higher government target or benchmark
Higher government benchmark: the Province’s housing needs method, in its June 2024 guidance, says rates between 3% and 5% are typically considered healthy and uses 3% when it calculates how many homes a community needs. It is a planning benchmark, not a target with a date. It is drawn from 2024, when that guidance applies.
Source: HNR Method Technical Guidance (Housing Needs Reports), Province of B.C., June 2024, page 11. Area: Each municipality. Updated: When the Province revises the guidance. Licence: Public document, not under an open licence. Quoted with attribution.
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Greater Victoria | City of Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| 2023 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| 2022 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 2020 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 1.0 | – |
| 2018 | 1.2 | – |
How it compares
CMHC, 2025, %. Comparisons are not goals.
Who decides
Municipal councils of Greater Victoria (13). Each council decides zoning and approves new housing in its own area. Local Government Act, s. 479
Show the 2 other bodies and the laws
| Body | What it decides | Law or bylaw |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal councils of Greater Victoria (13) | Each council decides zoning and approves new housing in its own area. | Local Government Act, s. 479 |
| Province of B.C. | Can set housing targets for a municipality. | Housing Supply Act, s. 2 |
| Government of Canada and Parliament | Finances and insures housing loans through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. | National Housing Act, s. 3 |
Councils: last general local election October 17, 2026; next on October 19, 2030, the third Saturday of October set by the Local Government Act, s. 52. Province: last general election October 19, 2024; next set for October 21, 2028 unless called earlier (Constitution Act, s. 23). Canada: last general election April 28, 2025; next set for October 15, 2029 unless called earlier (Canada Elections Act, s. 56.1).
Each row says what a body decides and links to the law, order or bylaw that gives it that role. It does not say who caused a change: markets, households and other governments also move these numbers. Who decides what, for every measure · How we choose
What this number does not show
- This is CMHC's headline vacancy rate: purpose-built rental apartments in buildings with three or more units. Earlier versions of this site showed 3.1% for 2025, which is Statistics Canada's series for buildings with six or more units only; that explains the difference from CMHC's 3.3%.
One more limit
- Condos, basement suites and houses for rent are not included.
Not measured yet in housing: renovictions and tenant displacement. See all 17 gaps
In plain words
Up 0.7 points in a year. Up 2.3 points since 2019.
Out of every 100 apartments in purpose-built rental buildings, how many were empty and available to rent in October.
How we decide “Better”
CMHC marks the year-over-year change as statistically significant
A higher number means more rental apartments were available, which generally makes it easier to find one. 3.3% in October 2025 compared with 2.6% in October 2024 (CMHC quality a; change marked statistically significant: yes). City of Victoria (zones 1–4): 3.2% compared with 2.5%.
Outcome measures read Better, Worse or About the same; published government targets read Ahead of, On or Behind target; value-judgement measures read Rising, Falling or Steady in a neutral colour. A change smaller than the agency's own margin of error, or otherwise smaller than 5% of the earlier value, is About the same (or Steady). No change is calculated across a marked break in a series. The rule.
All notes on this number
Why it matters. When very few apartments are empty, it is harder to find a place and rents tend to rise.
- This is CMHC's headline vacancy rate: purpose-built rental apartments in buildings with three or more units. Earlier versions of this site showed 3.1% for 2025, which is Statistics Canada's series for buildings with six or more units only; that explains the difference from CMHC's 3.3%.
- Condos, basement suites and houses for rent are not included.
- A vacant unit is not necessarily affordable. This number says nothing about price; see average rent.
- A single October survey is a snapshot, not an average over the year. CMHC tests whether each change is statistically significant; this page uses that test.
- The area is the Victoria census metropolitan area, which is larger than the City of Victoria. City figures are CMHC's zones 1 to 4.
Which places
Area: Greater Victoria (CMA)
Statistics Canada’s Victoria metropolitan area: 13 municipalities plus nearby electoral-area and reserve lands.
Included
- Victoria
- Saanich
- Oak Bay
- Esquimalt
- View Royal
- Langford
- Colwood
- Highlands
- Metchosin
- Sooke
- Central Saanich
- North Saanich
- Sidney
- Juan de Fuca electoral area, part 1 (for example East Sooke, Jordan River and Shirley)
- First Nations reserves: Cole Bay 3, Union Bay 4, East Saanich 2, South Saanich 1, Becher Bay 1, Esquimalt, New Songhees 1A and T'Sou-ke
Not included
- Salt Spring Island
- Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano, Mayne, Pender and Saturna islands)
- Port Renfrew area (Juan de Fuca electoral area, part 2)
Official definition
Shown for comparison
- Comparison area: City of Victoria The City of Victoria municipality only, all neighbourhoods.
How the agency describes it: Victoria census metropolitan area (Greater Victoria), with the City of Victoria shown separately.
How we got it
This number is published by the agency as shown; it is not calculated here. The script reads it from the agency’s own file.
City of Victoria
- City of Victoria (CMHC zones 1–4): 3.2% vacant (October 2025). Was 2.5% in October 2024; CMHC marks the change as statistically significant.
Licence and credits
Published under an open licence: anyone may reuse it with credit. About licences.
- Licence
- CMHC Licence Agreement for the Use of Data; also listed as Open Government Licence - Canada
- Updated by agency
- Annually (survey in October, published in December); latest release Dec 17, 2025
- Retrieved
- Nov 11, 2026, 3:16 AM B.C. time
The open.canada.ca record lists this table under the Open Government Licence - Canada; the Statistics Canada table footnote says CMHC's licence governs. Both allow free reuse with attribution.
Adapted from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Rental Market Report data table, Victoria (vacancy rates, private apartments), October 2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation of this product. Adapted from Statistics Canada, table 34-10-0130-01. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
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