Canada’s rental housing market is undergoing meaningful transformation. New projects continue to come online, legacy assets are being modernized and the industry is investing heavily in technology and community-building strategies.

Data from the simplydbs 2025 Canadian Multi-Residential Satisfaction Study (CMRS) makes one point clear; both legacy and new-build rental properties offer distinct advantages, yet renters across both segments share more similarities than expected.

For developers, owners and managers, the opportunity lies in understanding where those strengths diverge, what truly matters to different resident groups, and how data-driven decisions can elevate design decisions, construction quality and property management performance regardless of a building’s age.

Two market pillars, one shared goal

Canada’s purpose-built rental market is anchored by two primary asset types: legacy properties, typically larger suites in established neighbourhoods with fewer amenities; and new builds, which offer modern design, tech-forward features and enhanced common spaces.

At simplydbs, we view these segments as complementary rather than competitive. Renters don’t interpret the market as “old versus new.” Instead, they see a spectrum of lifestyle choices shaped by design, space, community and amenities. 

Surprising truth: Most renters already have their ideal match

An important observation from the study is the alignment between what renters prefer and where they currently live.

• The majority of new-build residents prefer modern small suites: Among renters in properties built within the past five years, 51 per cent choose a smaller modern suite over a larger legacy unit when price and location are held constant.
• Over 50 per cent of legacy-building residents prefer larger suites: In buildings aged 21-plus years just under 60 per cent prefer larger legacy suites, indicating that space, layout familiarity and lifestyle expectations carry more weight than newness.

Overall, the trend is clear. The newer the building someone lives in today, the more they may desire modern finishes over space, while if they choose legacy properties the more they may prioritize size over modernity. This split highlights how lived experience and familiarity shape housing preferences, even when key variables like rent and location are controlled. 

It also suggests renters are making a choice in their type of housing and actively choosing what best fits their needs and desires. With increased vacancy in some markets - it makes sense the “will you move” ratios we measure year over year are increasing as options appear to be more attainable. 

What residents consider essential

We consistently guide clients to focus on what residents describe as essential, the features they would not rent without. These insights not only reveal where baseline expectations are shifting in today’s rental market but equally what housing providers may want to prioritize, to provide the most value to the most residents. 

By using the essential ranking and cross tabulating against select demographic indicators, we are better able to understand how to create positive impact. The following sections will review select preferences, amenities and features by grouping respondents into New Build and Legacy groups. The groupings can be made for an endless number of configurations. 

1. Connectivity and operational reliability:

Digital infrastructure is a top priority with overall preference ("essential" plus "nice to have") averaging over 80 per cent for all ages of properties. When looking at essential scores:

• 52 per cent of new-build residents say high-speed building-wide WiFi is essential (94 per cent overall preference).
• 50 per cent of new-build residents say reliable cellular service throughout the property is essential (86 per cent overall preference).

Across both features, there’s an approximate 10 per cent drop in essential ratings among residents in 30-plus year properties, still high, but less absolute.

2. On-site staff matters, but not equally

Across every building age, renters value on-site property managers, with overall preference at 88 per cent. Legacy building residents are most likely to consider them essential (about 42 per cent), reflecting a desire for reliable, hands-on support in older properties.

A real-person concierge, however, is far less critical. Essential levels are roughly 22 per cent lower compared to on-site managers with an average of 16 per cent.

3. In-suite essentials: laundry leads the list

In-suite laundry is one of the strongest must-haves in the entire study: 84 per cent of new-build residents consider it essential, making it one of the most important non-negotiables across all amenity categories, with an overall preference at 98 per cent.

Essentiality drops to 44 per cent in 30-plus year buildings with an overall preference at 95 per cent. In fact, as the age of the property declined the essential ranking followed.

Parking is also influential: 49 per cent of new-build residents say indoor or garage parking is essential, 10 per cent higher than those in older properties.

Interestingly, the essentiality of a bedroom large enough for a king-sized bed remains stable across building ages, with roughly one-third of renters calling it a non-negotiable.

4. Outdoor and mobility features

Elevator access remains a powerful essential with an overall score of 63 per cent, especially in newer buildings where 70 per cent rate it as required.

A private balcony is essential for 50 per cent of new-build residents, and preferred by 95 per cent overall. That said, residents in newer buildings are slightly more willing to trade the balcony for enhanced shared outdoor amenities.

This correlates to the fact the 30-plus properties group saw 55 per cent of respondents say balconies were essential. The group also responded that they'd give up a private balcony at a seven per cent lower amount compared to new-build residents, suggesting legacy asset residents wanted their balconies more and were less willing to give them up. 

It was interesting that designated parking spots showed consistency: 60 per cent of new-build residents and 56 per cent of 30-plus-year residents say a designated parking spot is essential. Overall 90 per cent of new buildings and 84 per cent of legacy property residents preferred them. 

Health-conscious policies matter as well. In non-smoking buildings, essentiality is 56 per cent for new-builds and 45 per cent for legacy properties. Non-vaping expectations follow a similar pattern.

How essentials shape the new-build baseline

Luxury amenities generate interest, but renters’ true expectations centre on fundamentals. For new builds, here are some essentials that define the competitive baseline:

• strong digital connectivity;
• responsive, professional building operations;
• in-suite convenience and practical layouts;
• supportive health and lifestyle policies;
• reliable parking and mobility infrastructure.

These and others are not differentiators, they’re minimum conditions for attracting and retaining residents in today’s PBR market.

Shared patterns across building types

Regardless of whether they live in a 30-year-old property or a newly delivered PBR, renters across Canada want many of the same foundational elements: inviting lobbies, practical suite layouts, accessible parking and reliable elevators.

Notably, issues often amplified publicly, such as eviction activity or cash-for-keys pressure, remain extremely rare, with fewer than one per cent of renters reporting either.

And across building ages, renters demonstrate remarkable openness to operational innovation. Over half say they’re comfortable with AI being incorporated into building operations, signalling readiness for more data-informed and automated service models.

One market, many strengths

We see owners and operators using resident feedback to guide modernization, shape community-building strategies and refine operations. We see growing resident satisfaction in organizations that measure consistently and respond to resident feedback.

There is value in aligning investment decisions with what residents actually value.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the Canadian rental landscape is not a story of “old versus new.” It is a story of diverse housing choices, vibrant communities and residents who appreciate quality in all its forms.

Whether the appeal is the charm and space of a legacy suite or the innovation and amenities of a new build, the goal remains the same: deliver a place that feels like home and stay closely connected to the evolving needs of residents.

About the data: This article draws on data from the 2025 CMRS Dashboard, filtered by building age categories (1–5, 6–10, 11–20, 21–30, and 31-plus years and legacy). Each group carries a 99 per cent confidence rating and a five per cent margin of error. Over 24,000 responses were collected in Q2 2025 and cleaned for quality.