Montreal faces a paradoxical housing situation with a shortage of affordable apartments despite an overall average vacancy rate of 2.9% in 2025. Émile Boucher from the Regroupement des comités logement highlights that luxury apartments have a vacancy rate of 5.9%, while affordable units only have 1.5%. This discrepancy reflects an ongoing affordable housing crisis, with many tenants spending excessive portions of their income on rent. The reliance on a single vacancy rate obscures the realities of varying market conditions across different neighborhoods.
