The City of Burnaby is committed to supporting the creation of a diverse range of rental homes to help meet current and future housing needs, as identified in the City's Housing Needs Report. Rental housing plays a vital role in providing housing options for residents of all backgrounds and life stages. A strong supply of rental housing also supports a healthy local economy by offering viable choices for a range of household incomes who may not be able to afford to buy a home.
Through a variety of actions—including partnerships, policies, and planning tools—the City is working to expand market and non-market rental housing and build a more inclusive, accessible community. Burnaby uses its regulatory powers to help guide where and what kind of housing is built, supporting a range of housing opportunities for everyone.
Are you looking for rental housing?
Rental units—including single family homes, duplexes, townhouses, condominiums/apartments and secondary suites—provide housing for nearly 40% of Burnaby households.
Market rentals
- These are privately owned units with rental rates determined by the market.
- Available rental housing is commonly posted on Craigslist, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace or other online sites.
- Visit our City Rental Property Management page for information on renting City-owned houses.
Non-market rentals
- These are units offered at below-market rents. Also referred to as social, affordable or subsidized housing, non-market rentals and non-profit co-operative housing are intended to provide housing for people with low to moderate incomes, or for specific groups such as seniors and people with disabilities.
- Apply for affordable rental housing with BC Housing
- Apply for subsidized rental housing with BC Housing
- Find Co-operative housing with Co-operative Housing Federation of BC
- Explore housing and homelessness resources available in Burnaby and New Westminster in the Burnaby Neighbourhood House's Community Resource Guide
- Find inclusionary below-market units being developed in Burnaby. Reach out directly to the developer for more information on the availability of these units.
If you are at risk of homelessness?
- If you are unable to find housing we may be able to help. Connect with our Intervention Support Workers for help.
What is non-market housing?
Most rental homes in Burnaby are priced at market rates. There are, however, approximately 6,500 units in the city that are currently offered at below-market rents. These “non-market” units include affordable rental and non-profit co-operative housing created through federal and provincial funding programs, as well as through Burnaby’s inclusionary housing policies, such as the Rental Use Zoning Policy. Non-market housing serves households with low to moderate incomes, with rents typically set by the funders providing the operating subsidies.
How does the City support the development of non-market housing?
The City of Burnaby actively supports the development of non-market housing. We partner with non-profit housing providers and offer grants from the Community Benefit Bonus Affordable Housing Reserve to support non-market housing projects. The Fast-Track Approvals Policy prioritizes processing applications for non-market housing during the development application review process. Council also adopted parking reductions for purpose-built rental housing, and development of new non-market housing may be exempt from Amenity Cost Charges and eligible for a Development Cost Charges waiver.
In 2024, Burnaby established the Burnaby Housing Authority to lead the development of new rental housing at a range of rent levels on City-owned lands.
Housing developments on City land
This map shows housing developments that are either completed, planned or being built on City land. Other levels of government fund construction and provide operating subsidies, while non-profit societies or government agencies operate the buildings. To apply to live in one of these buildings, contact the operator listed (click on the project to find this information). Please note: The City is not involved in the selection of tenants for these buildings.
Other City policies supporting renters
Tenant Assistance
Tenants who are displaced from their rental homes due to redevelopment that requires rezoning, are protected by the City’s Tenant Assistance Policy.
Rental Conversion Control Policy
This policy prohibits strata conversion of purpose-built multiple-family rental housing. Active since 1974, this policy has helped to preserve much of the purpose-built rental housing stock that was built with federal subsidies between the 1950s and 1980s.
Affordable Units Policy for publicly owned lands
This policy applies to newly developing communities on publicly-owned land, and seeks to secure 20% of the new units for non-market rental housing. To date, the program has resulted in the development of 390 non-market housing units at Oaklands, George Derby, Cariboo Heights, and the former Burnaby South Secondary School site in the Edmonds Town Centre.