National Household Survey (NHS)

Tenure of private household, category

Tenure refers to whether the household owns or rents their private dwelling. The private dwelling may be situated on rented or leased land or be part of a condominium. A household is considered to own their dwelling if some member of the household owns the dwelling even if it is not fully paid for, for example if there is a mortgage or some other claim on it. A household is considered to rent their dwelling if no member of the household owns the dwelling. A household is considered to rent that dwelling even if the dwelling is provided without cash rent or at a reduced rent, or if the dwelling is part of a cooperative.

Private household refers to a person or group of persons who occupy the same dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada or abroad. The household universe is divided into two sub-universes on the basis of whether the household is occupying a collective dwelling or a private dwelling. The latter is a private household.

For historical and statutory reasons, shelter occupancy on reserves (or settlements) does not lend itself to the usual classification by standard tenure categories. Therefore, a special category, band housing, has been created and is used in the 2011 National Household Survey.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classifications and/or lists:

  • Status of tenure of household

    In the National Household Survey 2011, presence of mortgage refers to whether the owner households reported mortgage or loan payments for their dwelling.

  • Variant of status of tenure of household

    For historical and statutory reasons, shelter occupancy on reserves (or settlements) does not lend itself to the usual classification by standard tenure categories. Therefore, a special category, band housing, has been created and is used in the 2011 National Household Survey.

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