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 Fund
        • Affordable Housing Innovation Fund
        • Apartment Construction Loan Program
        • Canada Greener Affordable Housing
        • Community (social) housing
        • Federal Lands Initiative
        • Funding for Indigenous housing
        • Housing Supply Challenge
        • Innovation and research
        • National Housing Strategy Project Profiles
        • Rapid Housing Initiative
      • Mortgage Loan Insurance Products
        • Homeowner and Small Rental Mortgage Loan Insurance
          • CMHC Purchase
          • CMHC Improvement
          • CMHC Income Property
          • CMHC Refinance
          • CMHC Newcomers
          • CMHC Self-Employed
          • CMHC Portability
          • Eco Products for Lenders
        • Multi-Unit and Rental Housing
          • 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)
      • 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
        • Fall 2024 Rental Market Report
      • 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
          • Mortgage consumer 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
        • 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
      • Industry collaboration
        • Expert Community on Housing (ECoH)
      • Industry expertise
        • Affordable housing
        • Indigenous housing
        • Senior housing
        • Accessible and adaptable housing
        • Developing sustainable housing
        • Resources for mortgage professionals
        • CMHC newsletters
    • Events and speakers
      • Conferences
        • 2024 National Housing Conference
          • About
          • National Housing Conference - Agenda
          • Location
          • InnoZone
          • Details for participants
      • 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's Eco Products
          • CMHC’s Eco Improvement
          • CMHC Eco Plus
        • CMHC — home renovation financing options
        • FAQs — mortgage loan insurance
      • Incentives for homebuyers
      • Newcomers
      • The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive
    • 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
  • About CMHC
    • CMHC’s goals, values and commitment to housing
    • Discover Life at CMHC
    • Management and governance
      • Speakers’ bureau
      • CMHC's Annual Public Meeting
      • CMHC’s board of directors and committees
      • Our management committee
      • Pension governance
        • Pension overview
        • Key roles and responsibilities
        • Annual reports
    • Corporate reporting
      • CMHC’s 2023 Annual Report
      • Program evaluation
      • Quarterly financial reports
      • Joint auditors special examination report to CMHC board 2018
      • CMHC’s Insured Mortgage Deferral
      • Corporate Plan Summary
      • 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
      • Contact mortgage loan insurance
      • Regional offices
      • Granville lsland
      • Indigenous and the North Housing Solutions
      • National office
      • Holiday service hours
  • Media Newsroom
  • 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
  • Canada’s Housing Podcast
  • Careers
  • Housing Knowledge Centre
 
  • Home
  • Professionals
  • Industry innovation and leadership
  • Industry expertise
  • Affordable housing
  • Provincial/Territorial agreements
  • Investment in affordable housing (IAH)
  • National Occupancy Standard
  • Save
  • Share

National Occupancy Standard

Supporting the design and evaluation of housing policies and programs.

What is the National Occupancy Standard?

The National Occupancy Standard was created in the mid-1980s by the federal, provincial and territorial governments.  

It provides a common reference point for “suitable” housing, which is how many people a given dwelling unit might accommodate given the number of bedrooms.  

The Standard supports the design and evaluation of housing policies and programs. It also contributes to our understanding of housing needs and conditions at the community, regional and national levels. 

The National Occupancy Standard is not a rule, regulation or guideline for determining if a given dwelling unit can be rented to or occupied by a given household.

What is a “suitable” household?

Under the Standard, suitable housing is based on the following criteria:

  • A maximum of 2 persons per bedroom.
  • Household members, of any age, living as part of a married or common-law couple share a bedroom with their spouse or common-law partner.
  • Lone parents, of any age, have a separate bedroom from their children.
  • Household members aged 18 or over have a separate bedroom, except those living as part of a married or common-law couple.
  • Household members under 18 years of age of the same sex may share a bedroom, except lone parents and those living as part of a married or common-law couple.
  • Household members under 5 years of age of the opposite sex may share a bedroom if doing so would reduce the number of required bedrooms. This situation would arise only in households with an odd number of males under 18, and odd number of females under 18 and at least one female and one male under the age of 5.

An exception to the above is a household consisting of 1 individual living alone who may live in a studio apartment with no separate bedroom.

How the National Occupancy Standard is currently used 

The National Occupancy Standard continues to be used in Canada as an indicator of housing suitability as part of the overall assessment that determines if a household is in core housing need. 

Core housing need happens when housing is unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable and the household can’t afford alternative housing in the local market. The incidence of core housing need is determined through surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and is reported by CMHC at local, regional and national levels.  

The information can be used to create targeted programs to address the unique needs of various regions. For instance, some regions may need more dwelling units with more bedrooms but other regions, where shelter costs are particularly high and unaffordable, may require more subsidies. 

Additionally, the National Housing Strategy Act (2019) commits to realizing the human right to adequate housing for everyone in Canada over time, with priority to those most in need. Adequate housing must be available to all, without discrimination. The ongoing assessment of core housing needs allows for the tracking of community-level housing need and monitoring the progress towards realizing the right to housing of Canadians over time.  

The National Occupancy Standard should not be used to restrict access to housing 

The Standard is not meant to an enforceable standard for private landlords or community housing providers to use to decide whether to rent, or continue to rent, a given dwelling unit to a given household.  

While the Standard can help inform spatial needs based on household size, relationships, age and gender, landlords and housing providers are encouraged to consider other important factors like:  

  • urgency of need
  • affordability
  • cultural conventions
  • household stability
  • safety
  • the household’s own perception of what is suitable for them when matching households to units

The National Occupancy Standard must not be used as a reason to discriminate against prospective tenants. 



Save Icon

SAVE TO MY FOLDER

National Occupancy Standard

SAVE
Close this Window   |   Manage my Folder
Save Icon

SAVE TO MY FOLDER

National Occupancy Standard

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

Share via

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • print
  • CopyLink

SuccessCopyLinkVersionLink copied

Share icon

Share via

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • 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

Was this page relevant to your needs?

Thank you for your feedback!

How Can We Help?

Suggest an Improvement

Report a Bug

How Can We Help?

Suggest an Improvement

Please share your suggestion.

Google Captcha Loader

How Can We Help?

Report a Bug

Please describe the problem.

Google Captcha Loader

Thank you. Your feedback has been submitted.

Date Published: July 19, 2022

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 Newsletters
  • CMHC Library
  • Housing Observer
  • Media Newsroom
  • CMHC and Accessible Housing
  • 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) ©2025 
Canada
loader icon