Earlier this month, we launched our initial findings on renter sentiment heading into the 2025 federal election. In it, we explored how renters plan to vote and how they feel about housing policy promises.
In our latest survey, we asked renters to choose up to three housing policies from a list pulled directly from party platforms, but without telling them which party proposed each policy. We wanted to strip away the party logos, colours, and affiliations and just ask renters to react to the ideas themselves.
Then we cross-referenced their policy picks with their voting intentions.
The results? Sometimes aligned — but often, not at all.
This blog breaks down the top renter-backed policies and shows which parties renters are planning to vote for, even when they don’t match the ideas they say they support.
Which Housing Policies Do Renters Want?
Before we dive into the mismatches, here’s the big picture: Renters strongly favoured three policies above the rest.
Top 3 most effective policies according to renters:
- National Rent Control Rules (50%)
- Government-built housing (29%)
- Eliminating GST on homes under $1.3M (27%)
Other policies — like foreign buyer bans or zoning reform — trailed significantly.
Policy vs. Party: The Rent Control Mismatch
The most popular policy by far was national rent control — a signature plank of the NDP platform.
But when we looked at how respondents who selected rent control said they were voting, we found something surprising.
Only 13% of renters who picked rent control are planning to vote for the NDP — the party actually proposing it.
Meanwhile:
- 39% plan to vote Liberal
- 26% plan to vote Conservative
- 15% are still undecided
Public Housing: A Multi-Party Proposal with Broad Appeal
Next up: government-built housing, another policy strongly associated with the NDP and some Liberal proposals.
One of the top renter-backed policies in our survey was government-built housing, where the federal government directly funds and constructs new homes, often referred to as public housing.
What’s notable is that this policy appears in the platforms of the NDP, Liberals, and Green Party.
Even though three different parties are proposing some form of public housing initiative, many renters don’t seem to associate the policy with any one party.
GST Cuts on Homes: A Conservative-Liberal Crossover?
The third most popular policy was the elimination of GST on homes under $1.3 million — a staple of the Conservative party’s housing platform.
But here’s the twist: more renters who liked this idea said they were voting Liberal than Conservative. The Liberals’ proposed GST rebate applies only to new construction homes under $1 million, and is restricted to first-time homebuyers, but more respondents favoured the broader GST cut proposed by the Conservatives.
- 39% said they’re voting Liberal
- 31% said Conservative
- 8% said NDP
- 15% are undecided
So…Who’s Proposing What?
If you’re curious, here’s how these policies map back to party platforms.
We didn’t show this to survey respondents, but now that the votes are in, the comparison is revealing. Renters support ideas from across the political spectrum, without much regard for their partisan source.
Where Are Renters Leaning Overall?
Across both of our 2025 election surveys, party preference among renters is split almost evenly:
Who Do Renters Think Will Deliver on Housing?
Finally, we asked who they believe would be most effective on housing, regardless of vote.
Despite differences in platform support, renters gave the edge to leaders they associate with credibility and results.
Conclusion
Overall, these survey results reveal an interesting insight into how renters are approaching the election and their opinions on housing policy. While voting intentions remain similar to national averages, reflecting a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives, the most favoured housing policies come from across the party spectrum, with the top three policies picked by renters coming from the NDP, Liberals, and Conservatives. It remains to be seen in the coming years if the winning party will stick to their stated platform or work to build a consensus-based housing policy for Canadians.
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