The Boomer Bottleneck How Aging Homeowners Are Shaping Canada Housing Crunch
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Baby Boomers dominate nearly half of Canada’s real-estate wealth, typically housed in mortgage-free, single-family homes with extra space. Their adult children—often well-educated and employed—frequently still live at home, essentially acting as heirs-in-waiting rather than active market participants.
In contrast, those without family wealth—the “locked-out” group—are shut out of both home-buying and reasonably priced rentals. Starter homes and mid-range rentals are being filled not by traditional renters, but by wealth-transferring Boomers’ offspring paying premiums while waiting for inheritance. Meanwhile, new supply for entry-level housing remains stagnant.
The bottleneck isn’t a bubble poised to burst, but a structural standstill: Boomers aren’t selling. They “age in place” in homes that could otherwise turnover, deterred by high costs, limited senior-alternative housing, and tax advantages on capital gains. Their wealth remains tied in these underutilized assets, exacerbating the broader shortage of affordable housing.
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