One Canadian rental analyst sees Victoria becoming slightly more affordable.

According to PadMapper, rent for the average one-bedroom apartment dropped 3.8 per cent in April to $1,540 a month. The cost of a two-bedroom dropped 1.5 per cent to $1,970 in April.

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The decrease places Victoria rents fifth among Canada鈥檚 most populous metro areas, falling one spot behind Barrie, Ont. Vancouver鈥檚 rents of $1,900 for the average one-bedroom are the most expensive in the country, followed by Toronto at $1,750.

鈥淔or the first time since January 2020, one-bedroom rents in both Vancouver and Toronto were flat on a monthly basis. (Though rent prices were still down in the double-digits year-over-year.),鈥� according to PadMapper. 鈥淭hese flat rates may be a result of a recent migration of renters who never lived in these pricey cities but wanted to take advantage of the cheap rent and unheard of move-in specials currently being offered. These new renters moving in evens out the overall demand so we aren鈥檛 seeing the trend of continuous decline in rent prices anymore.鈥�

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Doug King, executive director with the Together Against Poverty Society in Victoria, said the dip in rental rates is the kind of news they鈥檝e been waiting for.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the first indication that rents will start to decrease as a result of (rising vacancy rates),鈥� he said. 鈥淗opefully, this is the crest of the wave and a sign that perhaps the measures the NDP (government) have taken are starting to pay off.鈥�

King said the group is still awaiting the latest figures from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and must determine whether the slight decrease in rates is due to the pandemic or the recent increase in Victoria鈥檚 rental stock.

鈥淭hese rental-designed buildings will help relieve some of the pressure on other parts of the market,鈥� he said, adding that those on low incomes or who have been renting their current home for a number of years will still have trouble finding affordable homes.

鈥淔or people on income assistance of disability, rent is so high they would have a hard time getting into the private market and will still depend on government assistance.鈥�

King said that is why renovictions are such an important issue and more needs to be done to make sure protections are in place.

According to PadMapper, Quebec City has the lowest rents of any major Canadian city, with a one-bedroom fetching $790.

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