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The Canadian cities renters searched for most last year

Published

2 months ago

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Millions of rental searches, clicks and inquiries made in 2025 are revealing clear patterns about where Canadians want to live and what they value most.

Edmonton and Calgary led the country in rental demand growth by volume, while Kingston saw the fastest growth rate by percentage, according to Rentals.ca’s 2025 Year in Review.

The report analyzes millions of renter actions on the platform, showing where Canadians searched most for rentals, when they were most active and which features mattered most.

The top 10 cities by total rental leads submitted in 2025 were Edmonton, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, Hamilton, Saskatoon and London.

 

Summer surge, and weekday peaks

 

Rental activity peaked in July, when lead volume was 27.2 per cent above the annual average. The single busiest day of the year was July 9, when rental leads soared 64 per cent above the daily average.

Mondays were the most active day, with lead volumes 11.2 per cent higher than the average weekday. Peak engagement occurred between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET and again from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

After Canada, the top countries driving search traffic were the United States, United Kingdom, India and France. 

 

What renters want

 

The most commonly filtered features in 2025 were:

  • Pet friendly
  • Parking available
  • In-suite laundry
  • Utilities included
  • Dishwasher
  • Balcony
  • Gym or fitness centre

In-suite laundry saw the fastest year-over-year growth at 41 per cent, followed by gym and fitness centres at 34 per cent, reflecting a stronger focus on convenience and wellness, according to the report.

 

Listings that performed best

 

High-performing listings shared several traits, including renovated older buildings with modern finishes, competitive pricing and strong accessibility in dense urban areas.

Practical amenities such as pet-friendly policies and in-suite laundry were key drivers, along with strong visuals and complete listings. Ads with 18 or more photos consistently attracted more leads.