Investor-occupants made up almost 10% of B.C. homeowners in 2020: Statistics Canada

Investor-occupants made up almost 10 per cent of homeowners in B.C. in 2020, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

A new report from the data agency shows B.C.’s share of investor-occupants, who own a single property with multiple units, including their primary residence, sat at 9.6 per cent that year, much higher than in other provinces.

Investor-occupants made up 2.5 per cent of New Brunswick’s homeowners, 1.8 per cent in Nova Scotia, 0.8 per cent in Ontario and 0.7 per cent in Manitoba, while other provinces weren’t part of the study.

Statistics Canada attributed the high numbers of investor-occupants in B.C. to incremental forms of density, such as single-detached houses with secondary suites or laneway units, duplexes, or triplexes.

About 12.5 per cent of Vancouver owners and 12.2 per cent of Victoria owners were investor-occupants in 2020.