The BC Non-Profit Housing Association has released 29 reports on rental housing demand and core housing need in the Province of British Columbia.  These reports offer projections of the demand for rental housing and core housing need to 2036 for the Province as a whole as well for each of the 28 regional districts.  The reports address an evidence gap that exists with respect to housing projections in the Province and will be a valuable tool going forward as the non-profit housing sector, and local, regional, provincial, and federal governments endeavour to adequately plan for the future.

Each report provides 10 and 25 year projections for two separate scenarios – constant tenure and shifting tenure.   The constant tenure scenario assumes that tenure patterns will stay constant at 2006 levels.  The shifting tenure scenario assumes that tenure patterns will follow the same trend seen over the past decade, with a shift away from rental towards ownership.

Some highlights:

• Rental housing demand projected to increase by up to 36% over the next 25 years, with more than two-thirds of that demand in Greater Vancouver.  Nearly 75% of the growth in rental demand will be in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley combined.
• Demand for households who struggle to afford market rents is projected to increase by 43% over this same period.
• There will be up to 764,000 households requiring rental housing in BC by 2036, which is 200,000 more renter households than in 2011.
• In Greater Vancouver, rental housing demand is estimated to range between 428,755 and 466,477 households in 2036, an increase of between 97,669 and 135,391 households from 2011.
• Core housing need among senior households will increase by 120% by 2036 (Households in core housing need cannot afford market rents.)

Our Home, Our Future: Projections of Rental Housing Demand and Core Housing Need to 2036 – Reports:

• British Columbia
• Greater Vancouver
• All 29 Reports