About 40 per cent of Ontarians would consider living in a multi-generational home, according to a new survey analyzing how Canadians are changing their approach to home ownership. That trend, according to a new poll released by RBC on Wednesday, can be seen in provinces around the country. Nationally, about 44 per cent of respondents said they would consider living in a multi-generational home. The poll surveyed 1,810 Canadians aged 18 to 64 through Leger’s online panel between Aug. 5 and 24, 2026. Of the Ontario residents polled, three quarters said buying a home is “more complicated” now than it was for previous generations and about 42 per cent said multigenerational living is “becoming more common” due to a lack of affordability. “Canadians are finding new ways to make one of life’s biggest purchases possible,” Janet Boyle, senior vice-president of Home Equity Finance for RBC, said in a written statement. “For many families it means doing it together by pooling funds to buy a home sooner and sharing costs.” According to the survey, 55 per cent of Ontario homeowners surveyed say moving up has been “harder than expected.” A little more than 50 per cent said they want a larger or different home but note that it isn’t “financially realistic.” Ontario buyers see risks in both waiting to enter the market and buying now. “Forty-one per cent are more worried about buying now and seeing prices fall… Conversely, 59 per cent are more worried about waiting and being priced out,” the survey results read. Across Canada, the poll found that people are “buying later and thinking longer term.” “While current owners say they bought their first home at age 29 on average, non-homeowners believe they will be 41 years old (on average) before they can get into the market,” the poll results read. “For 50 per cent of non-owners, they simply don’t know when they will buy.” Nearly three-quarters of respondents who said they are preparing to buy in the next two years want a home they can stay in for a longer period of time. “The starter home is dead,” the survey results read. “Buyers want a home they can stay in.” The survey notes that 65 per cent of those all Canadians polled think past generations “don’t understand the challenges” of buying in today’s market and 52 per cent said they feel that home-buying advice from older generations is “no longer true.”
