More than a million Canadian homes need ‘major repairs,’ CMHC says

More than a million Canadian homes were in need of serious repairs as of 2021, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimated in a new report.

This figure amounts to 6.1 per cent of all homes in Canada, a report by CMHC chief economist Mathieu Laberge said on Thursday.

“As of 2021, nearly 1 million homes across the country already required major repairs, putting existing housing supply at risk at a time when Canada needs it most,” Laberge said in his analysis.

But the poor housing conditions are concentrated among those who already live in precarious conditions. Indigenous people and those living in subsidized housing are more likely to live in homes requiring major repairs, he added.

More than one-third (36.8 per cent) of all dwellings provided by local governments or First Nations were in need of repair, compared to 6.1 per cent of the overall figure.

Buildings occupied by renters (7.3 per cent) were more likely than those owner-occupied homes (5.3 per cent) to be in need of repair.

Homes in need of repair are 13 times more likely to mould or mildew than homes in good condition, and four times more likely to contain a pest infestation.

“This can reduce housing supply and contribute to poorer housing conditions that can affect their health,” the report said.

Canada’s territories have major repair need rates much higher than the rest of the country, with more than a quarter (26.6 per cent) of the homes in Nunavut, 18.4 per cent of the homes in the Northwest Territories and 12.3 per cent of the homes in Yukon were in need of major repairs.

While all provinces saw major repair need rates improve from 1996 to 2021, the rate got worse in the Northwest Territories.

New Brunswick saw the sharpest improvement, with a 4.44 per cent improvement, followed by Manitoba at 3.05 per cent.

Repairing older homes can be a “critical strategy” in making housing more affordable in Canada, Laberge said.

“Canada’s housing challenge is often framed as a race to build enough homes for a growing population,” he said.

“New construction remains essential. But maintaining the homes we already have is also important, especially in the context of an aging stock when housing supply is needed to support affordability across the country,” Laberge added.