Low vacancy rate squeezes students
Last Updated: Thursday, August 6, 2009 | 9:19 AM CT Comments22Recommend4
The Canadian Press
The apartment vacancy rate in Winnipeg is at an all-time low of 0.9 per cent. (CBC)Students are likely to have a hard time finding accommodation in Winnipeg before fall classes begin.
The city's vacancy rate is 0.9 per cent, the tightest it has ever been, according the latest figures from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
Curtis Shewchuk, property manager of Sussex Realty, which manages more than 4,000 apartment units in Winnipeg, said he knows of students knocking on the doors of buildings and asking whether anything is coming up for rent.
Many students are doubling up and getting roommates, he said, but anyone looking for a place to live Sept. 1 had best be on the case quickly as the few vacancies that remain won't last long.
The vacancy squeeze also applies in Brandon, where the rate stands at 0.1 per cent.
The CMHC figures apply for units in buildings with three apartments or more and are current as of April.