Canada’s rental housing market may not always grab snappy headlines, but it’s quietly proving its staying power.
Across the country, large-scale organizations are putting capital into purpose-built rental housing, whether through acquisitions, repurposed properties, or REIT activity. The trend is less about flashy growth and more about steady, strategic investment — a trend that’s already shaping 2026.
Take TELUS Living, for example. In November, the telecom giant celebrated the groundbreaking of a six-storey, 55-unit rental building in Vancouver’s Point Grey neighbourhood.
The site, a former telephone exchange, is being converted into a sustainable, mixed-use development with four ground-floor retail spaces, co-working and study areas, social lounges, pet-friendly amenities, and secure bike storage. Smart home tech will enhance connectivity, energy efficiency, and security for residents.
"We're honoured to break ground on this transformative project as the Vancouver Point Grey community office redevelopment showcases what's possible when all levels of government work together with the private sector to address housing needs," Manasweeta Bhatia, Vice President, Real Estate and Business Continuity, TELUS, said in the late-2025 release.
"By repurposing our real estate assets right here in Vancouver, we're making a meaningful difference in the community by turning technological progress into homes where families and individuals can thrive."
The Point Grey project joins two other TELUS Living developments under construction in Nanaimo and Sechelt, which together are poised to deliver 254 units in early 2026.
Looking ahead, TELUS Living is proposing 18 more properties across British Columbia, which would add more than 3,000 rental homes over the next six years, with expansion to Alberta and Quebec on the horizon.
And it's not just new players who are seeing the forward-looking benefits of rentals. On the investment side, CAPREIT — Canada’s largest publicly traded residential REIT — is pursuing a similar long-term-vision approach.
All throughout last year, CAPREIT was active in strategic acquisitions across Canada, including high-quality rental properties in Laval, Québec; West Vancouver; Vancouver’s West End; and Victoria, BC. Many of these buildings are newly constructed, amenity-rich, and located in high-demand neighbourhoods. Others are vintage properties situated near existing holdings, allowing CAPREIT to consolidate and upgrade its portfolio.
"Through this repositioning strategy, we’re enhancing the quality of our portfolio, cash flow profile and long-run earnings for unitholders, while also infusing capital and supporting affordable housing in the market, which importantly benefits the broader residential real estate landscape in Canada," CEO Mark Kenney said in a release.
Julian Schonfeldt, CIO, added: “Our strategy is focused on recycling capital into high-quality, high-performing properties situated in high-demand areas that have strong long-term growth prospects."
And even beyond individual organizations, the market is signalling rental’s enduring appeal.
Hazelview Investments’ 2026 Global Public Real Estate Outlook highlights supply constraints, resilient demand, and valuations that could support renewed activity among residential REITs this year.
Indeed, the activity on the ground shows rental housing isn’t slowing down. It's a realm of the real estate market that continues to resonate Canada-wide, month after month, in ways that suggest it’s here to stay.
