TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 07/18/14 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 7,342 rental transactions through the TorontoMLS system in the second quarter of 2014. This result was up by 25.7 per cent compared to Q2 2013. The number of units listed for rent in the second quarter was up by 22.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis to 12,510.

"Condominium apartments rented out by investors represent an important component of the overall rental pool in the Greater Toronto Area. These units account for the majority of newly completed apartments listed for rent in the marketplace today. Renters looking for apartments located in popular neighbourhoods with up-to-date designs and modern finishes are increasingly renting investor-owned units. This is why the number of rental transactions continued to increase last quarter," said Mr. Etherington.

Average rents for popular one-bedroom and two-bedroom unit types dipped slightly on a year-over-year basis. The average one- bedroom rent in Q2 2014 was $1,583; the average two-bedroom rent was $2,142.

"Last quarter we saw stronger growth in the number of units rented relative to the number of units listed. This suggests that competition between renters increased. If this trend continues, we will likely experience renewed growth in average rents in the second half of 2014," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Rental Market Summary Tables: Second Quarter 2014

Apartments
                      All Bedroom Types      Bachelor
                                                     Avg.
                        Listed   Leased   Leased     Rent
                      ----------------- -----------------

Q2 2014                 12,510    7,342      196   $1,327

Q2 2013                 10,241    5,843      178   $1,335
Yr./Yr. % Chg.           22.2%    25.7%    10.1%    -0.6%
Source: Toronto Real Estate Board


Apartments
                          One-Bedroom       Two-Bedroom      Three-Bedroom
                                    Avg.              Avg.              Avg.
                         Leased     Rent   Leased     Rent   Leased     Rent
                       ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
                                                                       $2,61
Q2 2014                   4,333   $1,583    2,660   $2,142      153        4
                                                                       $2,49
Q2 2013                   3,177   $1,610    2,372   $2,175      116        6
Yr./Yr. % Chg.            36.4%    -1.7%    12.1%    -1.5%    31.9%     4.7%
Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

Townhouses
                      All Bedroom Types      Bachelor
                                                     Avg.
                        Listed   Leased   Leased     Rent
                      ----------------- -----------------

Q2 2014                    830      444        1   $1,020

Q2 2013                    780      408        1     $925
Yr./Yr. % Chg.            6.4%     8.8%     0.0%    10.3%


Townhouses
                          One-Bedroom       Two-Bedroom      Three-Bedroom
                                    Avg.              Avg.              Avg.
                         Leased     Rent   Leased     Rent   Leased     Rent
                       ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
                                                                       $2,03
Q2 2014                      53   $1,400      134   $1,858      256        9
                                                                       $1,92
Q2 2013                      39   $1,509      125   $1,822      243        2
Yr./Yr. % Chg.            35.9%    -7.3%     7.2%     2.0%     5.3%     6.1%

Greater Toronto REALTORS® are passionate about their work. They are governed by a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art Multiple Listing Service. Over 39,000 TREB Members serve consumers in the Greater Toronto Area. TREB is Canada's largest real estate board.