About RBC > Media Newsroom > News Releases > Home is where the help is: Despite financial concerns, more than half of Canadians polled would financially support loved ones when purchasing homes or renting during the pandemic
Canadians willing to provide assistance would provide an average of just over $60,000, with fewer than half expecting to be paid back
TORONTO, December 3, 2020 - COVID-19 may be keeping families distanced, but many are close financially, with a large proportion of Canadians stating they are willing to help out their adult children or relatives fulfill their dreams of homeownership. This is despite current financial realities brought on by the pandemic, according to the RBC Home Buying Sentiment Poll.
The poll, which provides updates on current perceptions and sentiments related to the Canadian housing market, found that 47% of Canadians surveyed are worried their financial position may deteriorate over the next year. Even though over three-quarters of respondents are concerned about the financial impacts of COVID-19 (76%) and are trying to limit their spending (76%), roughly one-third are willing to help their child or an immediate family member pay for a new home (31%). Almost one-half are also willing to help their child or family member with rent if asked (46%).
In fact, a quarter of Canadians polled stated they were having to provide more financial support to their family as a result of the pandemic (25%). When called upon, Canadians that were willing to provide financial assistance were willing to give their child or an immediate family member an average of $60,513 to support their home purchase, with only nearly half expecting to be paid back (49%).
“As more of us continue to work and spend time at home, many Canadians want to continue on their path to homeownership,” said Amit Sahasrabudhe, Vice-President, Home Equity Finance, Products and Acquisitions, RBC. “Over the last few years, and throughout the pandemic, it has become harder to enter the market in many cities nationwide, especially when trying to do it alone. Even during these uncertain times, what we are seeing is that families are continuing to rally around each other and financially support their loved ones as they work towards buying a home.”
Overall, when trying to purchase a home, only 24% of respondents said they would do so by themselves. Instead, the majority stated it was almost impossible to buy a home on their own (58%) or afford rent (60%) in their area, with 60% calling house prices unaffordable in their region.
The research also found that two-thirds of Canadians polled expressed concerns about how the next generation, and their children, would be able to afford a home (66%), with over half thinking that affordability will only worsen in the near future (53%). Despite this, the vast majority of respondents still believe that homeownership is a good investment (81%), with only 29% agreeing it makes more sense to rent than buy right now.
“Canadians have a lot more to consider when buying a home than they did a year ago, but they don’t have to do it alone,” concluded Sahasrabudhe. “Whether you are just starting on your home buying journey or are trying to navigate the current environment, there are digital resources, tools and expert support to help you find a plan that works for you.”
According to Sahasrabudhe, there are a number of things that Canadians can do to help themselves get started on their path to homeownership:
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National and Regional Data Tables
About the RBC Home Buying Sentiment Poll
The RBC Home Buying Sentiment Poll was completed between November 6-11, 2020, polling 1,070 respondents using Leger’s online panel. The margin of error for each of these samples was ±3.0%, 19 times out of 20.
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For more information, please contact:
Michael Jesus, Paradigm Public Relations, mjesus@paradigmpr.ca, 647-783-1807
Arjun Lombardi-Singh, RBC Communications, arjun.lombardi-singh@rbc.com, 647-531-4045