Skip to content
CMHC Home Canada Mortgage
and Housing Corporation
  • Sign In or Register
  • FRANÇAIS
  • MENU
MENU
× FRANÇAIS
  • Home
  • Professionals
    • Project funding and mortgage financing
      • Funding programs
        • Affordable Housing Innovation Fund
        • Community (social) housing
        • Federal Lands Initiative
        • Funding for Indigenous housing
        • Housing Accelerator Fund
        • Housing Supply Challenge
        • Innovation and research
        • National Housing Co-Investment Funding
        • National Housing Strategy Project Profiles
        • Rapid Housing Initiative
        • Rental Construction Financing Initiative
        • Shared Equity Mortgage Providers Fund
      • Mortgage loan insurance
        • Homeowner and small rental mortgage loan insurance
        • Homeowner Business Transformation (HBT)
          • Arrears Report Upload Tool
          • Default Management Request Submission Tool
          • Homeowner Claims Submission Tool
          • User Access Management (Coming Soon)
        • Multi-unit mortgage loan insurance
          • MLI Select
        • Default, claims and properties for sale
        • Underwriting centre
        • emili
        • NHA approved lenders
        • Calculating GDS / TDS
        • How to recognize and report mortgage fraud
        • Contact mortgage loan insurance
        • Insured Mortgage Purchase Program (IMPP)
        • COVID-19: CECRA for small businesses has ended
      • Securitization
        • NHA Mortgage Backed Securities
        • Canada Mortgage Bonds
        • Canadian registered covered bonds
        • Blockchain in the housing industry
    • Housing markets, data and research
      • CMHC Reports Calendar
      • Housing markets
        • Housing market reports
        • Mortgage market and consumer reports
      • Housing research
        • Consultations
          • Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
            • Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act – Frequently asked questions
        • Housing research reports
        • Housing surveys
        • Research awards and scholarships
        • Understanding core housing need
        • Collaborative Housing Research Network
      • Housing data
        • Data tables
          • Household characteristics data
          • Housing market data
          • Mortgage and debt data
          • Rental market data
        • Housing market information portal
        • Residential Mortgage Industry Data Dashboard
        • Housing in Canada Online (HiCO)
        • CMHC licence agreement for the use of data
        • Housing Knowledge Centre
    • Industry innovation and leadership
      • Housing innovation
      • Our Partners
        • Partnerships
        • Federal, Provincial and Territorial Forum on Housing
          • Resources for Members of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Forum on Housing
      • Industry collaboration
      • Industry expertise
        • Affordable housing
        • Indigenous housing
        • Senior housing
        • Accessible and adaptable housing
          • Universal Design Guide
        • Developing sustainable housing
        • Resources for mortgage professionals
        • CMHC e-newsletters
    • Events and speakers
      • Conferences
      • Speakers’ bureau
        • Kevin Hughes
  • Consumers
    • Buying a home
      • Homebuying calculators
        • Mortgage calculator
        • Affordability calculator
        • Debt service calculator
      • Buying guides
        • Homebuying step by step
        • CMHC's condominium buyer's guide
      • Mortgage loan insurance for consumers
        • What is CMHC mortgage loan insurance?
        • Do I qualify for mortgage loan insurance?
        • CMHC mortgage loan insurance costs
        • CMHC Eco Plus
        • CMHC — home renovation financing options
        • FAQs — mortgage loan insurance
        • COVID-19: understanding mortgage payment deferral
      • First-time home buyer incentive
      • Incentives for homebuyers
      • Newcomers
    • Owning a home
      • Manage your mortgage
        • Mortgage fraud
        • Mortgage planning tips
        • Plan and manage your mortgage
        • Your credit report
        • Your home value
      • Aging in place
        • Housing options for Seniors
        • Housing and finance tips
        • Mortgage financing options for people 55+
        • Preventing fraud and financial abuse
    • Renting a home
      • I want to rent
        • Things to consider before renting
        • Types of housing for rent in Canada
        • Finding or advertising a rental property
        • Visiting the rental property
        • Lease and rental agreements
        • Signing the lease
        • Credit checks and bad credit
        • Rental payments and deposits
        • Roommates and pets
      • I am renting
        • Moving day
        • Landlord/Tenant responsibilities
        • Inspections
        • Maintenance and repairs
        • Complaints and evictions
        • Rent increases
        • When you can't pay rent
        • Renewing or terminating the lease
        • Moving out
      • One-Time Top-Up to the Canada Housing Benefit
      • COVID‑19: eviction bans and suspensions to support renters
  • working-at-cmhc
  • About CMHC
    • Management and governance
      • Speakers’ bureau
      • CMHC's 2023 Annual Public Meeting
      • Board of directors and committees
      • Our management committee
      • Pension governance
        • Pension overview
        • Key roles and responsibilities
        • Annual reports
    • Corporate reporting
      • CMHC’s 2022 Annual Report
      • Program evaluation
      • Quarterly financial reports
      • Joint auditors special examination report to CMHC board 2018
      • CMHC’s Insured Mortgage Deferral
      • Summary of the corporate plan
      • Transparency
        • Access to information and privacy protection
        • Accessibility at CMHC
        • Accessibility feedback process
        • Briefing materials
        • Procurement
          • Vendor Diversity Program
        • Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures
    • Contact us
      • CMHC departments
        • Contact your multi-unit housing solutions specialist
        • Contact mortgage loan insurance
        • Indigenous and the North Housing Solutions
      • Granville lsland
      • Media relations
      • National office
      • Regional offices
      • Holiday service hours
    • Discover Life at CMHC
  • Media Newsroom
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
    • Media relations
    • New social housing buildings for women in Montreal
  • National Housing Strategy
    • What is the strategy?
      • About the initiatives
      • How to apply
      • Help and resources
      • Priority areas for action
      • The National Housing Strategy Glossary of Common Terms
      • The Strategy in Action
    • Federal/Provincial/Territorial housing agreements
    • Other funding and financing opportunities
  • The Housing Observer
  • Careers
  • Housing Knowledge Centre
 
  • Home
  • Professionals
  • Housing markets, data and research
  • Housing research
  • Housing research reports
  • Housing needs and conditions
  • Evictions: Focus on Seniors and Older Adults
  • Save page to My Folder
    Save
  • Share this page
    Share

Evictions: Focus on Seniors and Older Adults

PDF - Report

As the evictions landscape in Canada continues to change, older tenants are affected.

Yet, the policy frameworks for renting and evictions do not consider differences amongst tenants, like age or life stage.

This Research Insight provides an overview of a project that examines renting, evictions and the life course. It includes a GBA+ perspective, a trauma-informed understanding of ageing and considers the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author:
CMHC
Document Type:
PDF
Date Published:
April 5, 2022
Download

Lived experience and literature review provide data

Key research questions for this project included:

  • What is the lived experience of eviction for seniors in Canada?
  • How are older tenants responding when they receive eviction notices?
  • What are the effects of eviction on senior tenants?
  • What further measures can be introduced to support senior tenants at risk of, or experiencing, eviction?

To answer these questions, we commissioned a research team from the Institute of Urban Studies (IUS), University of Winnipeg. We asked them to:

  • undertake a literature review
  • develop a framework that advances a life course perspective on eviction
  • conduct interviews with housing professionals and seniors with lived experience of eviction

Health, affordability and market-related factors can result in eviction

Older tenants are faced with eviction for many of the same reasons as younger tenants. These include:

  • Affordability challenges: These are a primary driver of eviction for senior tenants. Other life events, such as the death of a partner and reduction in household income, can be related drivers.
  • Health factors: Physical decline and failing health were cited by participants as another set of drivers of eviction for older adults. This can take expression in difficulties physically maintaining a unit to a certain standard. Cognitive health issues were also cited as potential contributors.
  • Market-related factors and landlord factors: Included here are development-led evictions, such as own-use, reno- and demovictions, to which longer-standing tenants in older buildings can be vulnerable. Also, attempts at informal eviction (like shutting off utilities, bullying, etc.) were cited by some participants as part of their experience as an older tenant.

Recommendations include that senior-focused prevention measures are necessary, as well as other tenant supports.

There are limited senior-specific supports, services and housing options for those experiencing eviction.

Specific examples of senior-focused eviction prevention measures include:

  • financial assistance for older tenants who rent
  • apartment cleaning services
  • supports and funding for health issues that can contribute to an eviction
  • on-site tenant support workers, to provide ongoing senior-focused supports
  • landlord training and education
  • older tenant legal education

The need for senior-specific supports during an eviction was also highlighted. Examples, include:

  • assistance with the search for housing
  • support for the residential move (financial and non-financial)
  • assistance with possession storage and relocation
  • support for the psychological impacts of eviction and trauma of being forced to move

There is need for more housing for older adults that is affordable, suitable, and accessible. Related to this is a need for more senior-focused shelters and transition homes.

For more information, download the full report (PDF).

Sign up to our Housing Research Newsletter to be notified when new insights and other reports are released.

evictions-focus-seniors-older-adults-enpdf

Was this page relevant to your needs?

Thank you for your feedback!

Sorry to hear that! Can you tell us about the problem?

Google Captcha Loader

For further assistance, please contact us

Thank you. Your feedback has been submitted.

Save Icon

SAVE TO MY FOLDER

Evictions: Focus on Seniors and Older Adults

SAVE
Close this Window   |   Manage my Folder
Save Icon

SAVE TO MY FOLDER

Evictions: Focus on Seniors and Older Adults

Done Done!
Close this Window   |   Manage my Folder
Share icon

Share via

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Twitter
  • print
  • CopyLink

SuccessCopyLinkVersionLink copied

Share icon

Share via

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Twitter
  • print
  • CopyLink

SuccessCopyLinkVersionLink copied

share icon

Mail-blue Share via Email

Did You Know?

You can include an email signature?

Register | Sign In

×
Google Captcha Loader
share icon

Mail-blue Share via Email

Done Done!
Close this window

By Topic

  • Professionals
    • Project funding and mortgage financing
    • Housing markets data and research
    • Industry innovation and leadership
    • Events and speakers
  • Consumers
    • Home buying
    • Owning a home
    • Renting a home

About Us

  • CMHC's Story
  • Management and Governance
  • Our Partners
  • Corporate Reporting
  • Contact Us
  • Careers

More

  • CMHC e-Newsletters
  • CMHC Library
  • Housing Observer Online
  • Media Newsroom
  • CMHC on Twitter
  • CMHC on LinkedIn
  • CMHC on Facebook
  • CMHC on Instagram
  • CMHC on YouTube
Privacy Policy    |    Terms and Conditions    |    Transparency    |    Accessibility Plan    |    Accessibility Feedback     Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) ©2023 
Canada
loader icon