Average rent up in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The average rent price rose in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek last year while the apartment vacancy rates fell, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

According to the agency’s latest rental market report, the average rent for an apartment in Fort St. John in 2022 was $962 per month, up from $941 per month in 2021.

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Fort St. John increased by around 1.6 per cent from $1,048 per month in 2021 to $1,065 per month in 2022.

In Dawson Creek, the average rent for 2022 was $904, up from $903 in 2021.

The average two-bedroom apartment in Dawson Creek went from $1,000 per month in 2021 to $1,027 per month in 2022 — an increase of 2.6 per cent.

Apartment vacancies in Fort St. John dropped to 10.6 per cent in 2022, compared to 12.7 per cent in 2021.

Vacancy rates of two-bedroom apartments in Fort St. John fell from 13.6 per cent in 2021 to 9 per cent in 2022.

In Dawson Creek, the average vacancy was 5.8 per cent in 2022, down from 9.5 per cent in 2021.

The vacancy rates for two-bedroom apartments in Dawson Creek also fell, going from 6.8 per cent in 2021 to 3.8 per cent in 2022. 

The average rent for a two-bedroom townhouse also increased last year, from $974 per month in 2021 to $1,065 per month in 2022. 

An average two-bedroom townhouse in Dawson Creek went from $1,151 per month in 2021 to $1,173 in 2022. 

Provincially, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased from $1,566 per month to $1,721 per month. 

Meanwhile, the vacancy rate for two-bedroom apartments in British Columbia remained the same at 1.5 per cent. 

Nationally, the vacancy rate for rental purpose-built apartments in Canada dropped to 1.9 per cent in 2022, and rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased to $1,258 per month. 

The data for the CMHC’s report was collected in October 2022.

To view the complete CMHC Rental Market Survey, visit the CMHC’s website.