Rents are falling, so why does it still feel so expensive?

Renters in Canada are finally catching a break. In Canada’s biggest cities, rents have been falling for more than a year and vacancy rates are rising. Some landlords are even offering incentives like free months of rent and move-in bonuses to attract tenants. But the reality on the ground is more complicated. In this episode, Roma and The Globe’s consumer affairs reporter Mariya Postelnyak unpack how many deals there really are in today’s rental market. We hear from a Toronto renter who recently searched for a new apartment and discovered that while competition may be easing, securing a place still takes strategy and a little budget flexibility. Then, Mariya speaks with housing analyst Shaun Hildebrand of Urbanation about the forces behind the shifting rental market. He explains why rents have been dropping in major cities, where the deals are and what the data suggests could happen next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Rents are falling, so why does it still feel so expensive? is an episode from Stress Test by The Globe and Mail.

This episode is 00:23:18 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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