Housing Data Hub Definitions

This page includes definitions for the data on the various tabs of the Housing Data Hub.

  • Housing Starts: In the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) Starts and Completions Survey, a start is defined as the beginning of construction work on a building. This is usually when the concrete has been poured for the whole of the footing around the structure or an equivalent stage where a basement will not be part of the structure.

  • Residential Conversions: In CMHC’s Residential Conversions and Demolitions Statistics, conversion of non-residential space to residential units and residential to residential conversions are defined as follow:
    • Non-Residential to Residential Conversions: A non-residential space is considered as being converted to residential units if the newly created units are being used for residential purposes.
    • Residential to Residential Conversions: Refers to the conversion of a single unit structure to a multi-unit structure or to the addition of multi residential units to an existing multi-unit structure.
  • Residential Units in Planning Applications Under Review: The number of proposed residential units as of a specific date that are under review, meaning a Planning Application was received and a determination has not yet been made.

  • Residential Units in Approved OPAs and Zoning By-law Amendments: The number of proposed residential units as of a specific date that have an Official Plan Amendment and/or Zoning By-law Amendment approved but no Site Plan Application approval.

  • Residential Units in Approved Site Plan Applications: The number of proposed residential units as of a specific date that have a Site Plan Application approved.

  • Residential Units with Building Permit Applications: At this stage, an application for a building permit  that contains residential unit(s) is under review and not yet issued.

  • Residential Units with Issued Building Permit: At this stage, a building permit has been issued and contains residential unit(s) with construction not started.

  • Residential Units Started Construction: At this stage, a building permit has been issued and contains residential unit(s) with an inspection completed. Construction has begun on the building where the dwelling unit will be located.
  • Rent-Controlled Homes: Rental homes charging market rents that are subject to rent control, with annual rent increases capped at the provincial rent increase guideline (under the Residential Tenancies Act) plus 2%.

animated portrait of a woman

Example: Sandy is a nurse practitioner who lives with her five-year-old daughter. She moves into a newly-built two-bedroom rent-controlled home in 2025 and pays $2,977 per month.

 

 

  • Affordable Rental Homes: Rental homes that meet the applicable affordable rental housing definition at the year of approval.

animated portrait of a womanExample: Patricia is a retired insurance broker on a fixed income. She moves into a new affordable rental home in 2025 and pays $1,404 per month for her 1-bedroom home.

 

 

  • Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) Homes: Rental homes where the tenant pays no more than 30% of their income towards rental costs. If a household receives social assistance, the rent is based on the rent benefit set by the Ontario government.

animated portrait of a smiling man Example: Kamal worked as a plumber before he was injured at work. Due to the injury, Kamal lost his employment income and his home, and then moved into a shelter. Now, Kamal receives income support through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and is moving into a new home where he pays a portion of his ODSP benefits towards rent, allowing him to live in Toronto without spending his entire income on housing.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes in Pre-Planning Stages: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes that have received approval from the City for financial incentives through a City housing program since January 1, 2020, and have not yet submitted a planning application to the City.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes with Planning Applications Under Review: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City for incentives on or after January 1, 2020 that are under review, meaning a planning application was received and a determination has not yet been made.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes with Approved OPAs and Zoning By-law Amendments: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes first approved by the City on or after January 1, 2020 that have an Official Plan Amendment and/or Zoning By-law Amendment approved and have not yet obtained approval of their Site Plan Application.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes with Approved Site Plan Application: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City since January 1, 2020 that have an approved Site Plan Application and have not yet submitted a building permit application.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes with Building Permit Application: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City since January 1, 2020 that have an approved Site Plan Application and have applied for a building permit that is under review and not yet issued.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes with Issued Building Permit: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City since January 1, 2020 that have been issued a building permit and have not yet started construction.

 

  • Rent-Controlled Homes Started Construction: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City since January 1, 2020 that have begun construction on the building where the homes will be located.

  • Rent-Controlled Homes Completed: The number of rent-controlled, affordable rental and RGI homes approved by the City since January 1, 2020 that have completed construction on the building where the homes will be located and have reached the occupancy stage.
  • Active Subsidized Housing Units in the Housing Stock: Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing which is administered by the City of Toronto. In most cases, RGI rent is 30 per cent of a household’s monthly Adjusted Family Net Income. Community housing is provided by various types of housing organizations, including the City’s housing corporations (Toronto Community Housing Corporation and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation), and not-for-profit, co-op and Indigenous-led housing providers. In addition, commercial rent supplements provide RGI through agreements with private landlords.

  • Total Active Applications: For applications on the Centralized Waiting List for RGI housing that are active during the quarter, this breaks down households with or without dependents on file (children under age 18, adults with physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from living independently or who are living with their parents/legal guardians and are full-time students), and households for which the main applicant is 65 years of age or older and would qualify for senior mandated units.

  • Waitlist Composition
    • Household with dependents: Households with children under age 18, adults with physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from living independently or who are living with their parents/legal guardians and are full-time students.
    • Household with no dependents: Households without dependents (listed in above definition).
    • Seniors: Households where the main applicant is 65 years of age or older.

  • Households Housed by Applicant Category
    • Special Priority: Survivors of family/domestic abuse and human trafficking
    • Overhoused: Tenants already living in subsidized units that need to move to a smaller unit due to changes in their household (according to local occupancy standards)
    • Terminally Ill: Applicants who have less than two years to live
    • Households Exiting Supportive Housing: Tenants relocating to RGI housing from supportive housing
    • Homeless-Youth-Separated Families: Applicants experiencing homelessness; or Youth who are 16 or 17 years old at the time of applying for Rent-Geared-to-Income housing and who are heads of household
    • Indigenous: Applicants who identify as Indigenous to Canada
    • General List: Households on the Centralized Waiting List for RGI assistance that do not fall into any of the above categories and are prioritized based on the date of their application and the number of bedrooms they qualify for based on Local Occupancy Standards.

  • Households Housed by Unit Type: For the applicants on the Centralized Waiting List for RGI housing that were housed in each quarter, this dataset shows the bedroom size of the unit. The size of the unit (for example, number of bedrooms) assigned to a household is dependent on the number of individuals in the household, including the number of children.

  • Households Housed by Housing Type
    • Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC): Community housing managed by TCHC for whom the City of Toronto is the Sole Shareholder
    • Toronto Senior Housing Corporation (TSHC): Community housing for seniors managed by TSHC for whom the City of Toronto is Sole Shareholder
    • Co-op/ Non-Profit: Any community housing provider that is not a part of TCHC/TSHC.
  • Total Affordable Housing Units: Occupied rental housing that meets the City’s affordable definition that is under administration by the City.
  • Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion Applications: Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion applications with six or more existing rental units that were approved by Toronto City Council since January 1, 2017 are reflected in the following data:
    • Percent of Affordable Rental Units Demolished and Replaced: The ratio of units replaced to units demolished. Values over 100% reflect a surplus of new units.
    • Conversion: Changing rental housing to a non-rental residential use (for example, condominium ownership), or the severance or dividing of land containing six or more rental units where the result is each piece of land has less than six rental housing units.
    • Demolition: Removal of all or part of a building, including interior renovations or alterations, that results in a change to the number of dwelling units or dwelling units by bedroom type.