Ottawa’s new home sales market heated up in September. The Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association says 521 new homes were sold in Ottawa last month, up from 287 in September 2025. A total of 464 new homes were sold in Ottawa in August. “September’s sales are encouraging, but CMHC’s latest report shows Ottawa still faces a widening housing supply gap, with much of its construction activity concentrated in rentals,” Jason Burggraaf, executive director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, said in a statement. “Improving affordability means supporting more ownership housing too.” The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said housing starts are up 14 per cent in Ottawa this year. Construction has begun on 8,169 homes and condominiums in Ottawa this year, up from 7,168 homes last year. Forty-four per cent of the new homes sold in Ottawa last month were townhomes, and 35 per cent were single-family homes. In September, 43 per cent of the new homes sold were located in Ottawa’s west end, while 40 per cent were in the south end. Burggraaf is calling on the City of Ottawa to move ahead with plans to cut development charges. “Finalizing the development charge reduction agreement is an immediate opportunity to lower building costs, and we’re pushing for a timely resolution so some 2026 construction can benefit,” he said. In July, council approved a plan to cut development charges by 54 per cent over the next three years to take advantage of federal-Ontario infrastructure funding. Under the plan, development charges would drop to $25,752 for single-family homes and semi-detached homes inside the Greenbelt, and $28,781 for homes in the suburbs Development charges are one-time fees levied by municipalities on new residential and non-residential properties to help pay for a portion of the growth-related capital infrastructure requirements. The association says 4,078 new homes have been sold in Ottawa so far this year, up from 2,652 new homes in 2025.’
