Renters in Brampton got a slight breather last month as one-bedroom prices took a 2.1% dip, sliding from $2,121 in January to $2,076 in February, according to the latest National Rent Report from Rentals.ca and Urbanation. That’s a $45 break—but don’t get too cozy. Brampton’s one-bedroom rents still hover nearly $200 above the national benchmarks of $1,877 for apartments and $1,973 for condos.
Nationally, asking rents across all property types slumped 4.8% to $2,088 in February, marking five months of declines. Brampton felt the chill too, slipping from its usual No. 9 perch to No. 11 on the report’s list of Canada’s priciest rental cities—sandwiched between Guelph (No. 10) and Waterloo (No. 12). Vancouver, Burnaby, and Toronto kept their stranglehold on the top three spots.
Condo rents are softening faster than a melting popsicle, with a Canada-wide 7.6% year-over-year drop to $2,192—a 26-month low and the sixth straight month of declines. The tiniest units got hit hardest: studio condo rents plunged 10% to $1,772, while one-bedrooms shed 8.8% to $1,973. Two-bedroom condos fell 7.6% to $2,318, and three-bedrooms eased 3.5% to $2,757.
Ontario’s a mixed bag. The province boasts 10 of Canada’s 25 most affordable small- and mid-sized rental markets, with Windsor leading the pack at $1,543 for one-bedrooms and $1,853 for two-bedrooms. But in Brampton, while three-bedroom apartment rents barely budged (down 0.3% to $3,024), every other unit type saw drops exceeding 4%.
For Brampton renters, it’s a flicker of relief in a still-pricey market—proof even high-fliers can’t escape the rental cooldown.