Canadian New Home Starts Were Up 21% In 2021
Canadian housing starts fell recently, but they’re still much higher than they used to be. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of starts hit 261,000 homes in December. It was down from the SAAR of 268,000 units a month before. Even with that drop, this is much higher than pre-pandemic data.
For 2021, actual starts hit 271,000 homes, up 21% from the previous year. Starts are down when adjusted for seasonality, but actual annual starts are just under the 1976 record. “Of course what really matters for home supply is a much less-followed figure— home completions,” said BMO chief economist Douglas Porter.
Canadian New Homes Delivered Almost Hit 1970s Record High
Canada saw a lot of housing supply delivered — even with material and labor shortages. Canada saw 223,000 homes completed and delivered in 2021, the highest level since the early 1970s. Porter estimates the gap between starts and completions is running at 48,000 units. This would be the largest cap on record, with him estimating a typical gap is just 8,000 units. Running at six times the lag is quite the delay, most likely attributed to labor and supply shortages.
Canadian Housing Starts Vs Completions
Just how much housing is this? Household formation is harder to estimate than most think. Canada is estimated to have 10.5 million families in 2021, up 120,000 from 2020. The number of homes completed is 2.1% of the number of households, and 2x the growth of new families. However, there is a catch.
The number of families doesn’t include the number of people considered “not in a census family.” Adults living with another family, renting a home, living with their parents/kids, or on their own, are in this category. All of those numbers don’t contribute to more housing demand, except for those living on their own.
Multi-generational families mean a significant share of people don’t take up more housing. Ditto with people renting a room in someone’s house. Considering 4-bedroom apartments are pitched as 4-tenant homes to investors, the pressure on supply may be overstated.
Canada Is Likely To Break Record Housing Completions This Year
Next year is forecast to see even more completions. Canada may deliver even more units next year, as supply chain pressures ease. “…this year could easily see a record-high number of units completed (1974 holds the record at 257,000),” says Porter.
There is undeniably a shortage of inventory for housing in the resale market, which is a tricky issue. At the current rate of home price growth, few would sell if they planned to downsize or sell surplus homes (e.g., pied-à-terre, urban vacation rentals, cottages, etc.). If home prices are rising at nearly a year’s rental yield per month in the middle of nowhere, that would be silly. This obfuscates the issue of how much housing is actually being inefficiently used.
As interest rates rise and home price growth slows, more inventory tends to appear. Especially if home prices contract, as was the case in Toronto and Vancouver during a brief dip in 2017/2018. All of a sudden, carrying costs were higher than gains, and many people were in a hurry to dispose of them. At that point, Canada will find out how low supply is.
Courtesy: betterdwelling.com
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