Rental market vacancy rates drop slightly despite strong housing growth in 2025

Recent data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) 2025 Rental Market Report shows a slight decrease in the region’s vacancy rate from 2024 levels.

Rental vacancy rates are an average across the Kingston census metropolitan area (CMA), which includes Kingston, South Frontenac, Frontenac Islands and Loyalist Township.

The overall rental market vacancy rate for Kingston CMA in 2025 is 2.4 per cent, down 0.5 per cent from 2024. While this indicates a slight decrease in available rentals from last year, the current vacancy rate exceeds Kingston’s historical average of approximately 1.8 per cent over the past decade.

Only multi-residential buildings with three or more units are counted in CMHC’s primary vacancy rate calculations so that certain rented dwellings, considered part of a secondary rental market, do not figure into the vacancy rate.

“Kingston continues to grow, and today’s CMHC data shows we’re making progress in adding the housing we need to support the community. While vacancy rates have tightened slightly over last year, they remain above our historical average showing that the increase in building activity over the past two years is helping us keep pace with our population growth,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson.

“There is more work to do, that’s why Council remains focused on supporting a variety of housing options and maintaining the momentum in building permits we’ve seen in 2024 and 2025. Every new home built whether an apartment, townhouse, or detached house brings us closer to our target 3 per cent vacancy rate and supports more affordability for residents throughout the city.”

Rental availability is consistent across bachelor, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units, with units with 3 or more bedrooms showing the lowest vacancy rate.

Kingston CMA vacancy rates by unit type

Population growth

Census data and estimates from Statistics Canada show that more people have called Kingston home in recent years, exceeding the 2026 population projections and contributing to the current pressure on vacancy rates.

*Estimated population.

**Population projections completed by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd.

Housing supply

The City has kept pace with issuing building permits to meet the province’s municipal housing targets, for which Kingston has committed to 8,000 new homes by 2031. The City has exceeded annual targets for building permits issued in both 2024 and 2025 (1,243 and 1,054 permits respectively). The 2025 total represents data as of Nov. 30 with final year-end totals still to come.

Year-to-date highlights (as of Nov. 30, 2025):

• 849 permits issued for multi-unit residential units, which help meet the needs of the growing community.
• 89 permits issued for additional residential units, which provide an important supply of new rental housing in existing homes.

This momentum in building and planning approvals is in alignment with City Council’s Strategic Priorities and illustrates the continued importance of intensification and a variety of housing options to help Kingston move closer to its target 3 per cent vacancy rate. A growing inventory of rented and purchased housing units will help support housing affordability for residents, a foundational pillar of Kingston’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.

Further information

Kingston In Focus—a collaborative project between Queen's University, the City of Kingston, Kingston Economic Development and the Kingston and Area Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites—offers real-time and static data on priority areas of impact in the city, including housing. The housing dashboard shows changes in housing rates, vacancies, prices and rentals.