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Ottawa rents dip but remain unaffordable as tenant unions fight back

A small rent decrease offers little relief in Ottawa, where tenants like Shivangi Misra are uniting against soaring costs and weak protections. Can collective action turn the tide?

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1 min read
The image shows a building with glass walls and doors, a board with text and a picture of a man and...
The image shows a building with glass walls and doors, a board with text and a picture of a man and a woman, and a sky in the background. The text on the board reads "Duca Credit Union" indicating that the building is a credit union.

Ottawa rents dip but remain unaffordable as tenant unions fight back

Rents in Ottawa have dipped slightly, but many tenants still face steep costs and unstable housing conditions. The average price for a one-bedroom apartment fell by 3.2 per cent in December 2025, settling at £1,951. Yet, this remains 22 per cent higher than five years ago, leaving low-income renters under pressure.

Shivangi Misra, a 34-year-old human rights lawyer, lives in a 10-storey building in Ottawa's Sandy Hill with her boyfriend Ethan and their dog Fergus. Both are active in the Neighbourhood Organizing Centre, a group helping tenants form unions to push back against rising rents and market pressures. Misra argues that politicians have failed renters, forcing them to organise collectively for fairer conditions.

Tenant unions act much like labour unions, bringing people together to negotiate with landlords over shared concerns. But tight market conditions—low vacancy rates and high demand—make individual bargaining nearly impossible. Prolonged rent hikes have hit low-income households hardest, according to Steve Pomeroy of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. Legal disputes have also surged. Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board saw its active caseload jump from 25,000 in 2023 to over 41,000 in 2024–25, with 88 per cent of cases filed by landlords. Dr. Carolyn Whitzman links this rise to policy changes, including the 2017 Rent Fairness Act, which removed rent control for buildings constructed after 2018. Landlords now have more incentives to evict tenants, she claims.

Despite the recent drop in rents, Ottawa's housing market remains unaffordable for many. Tenant unions continue to grow as a response to weak protections and high costs. With legal disputes climbing and rents still far above past levels, renters face ongoing challenges in securing stable homes.

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