National Household Survey (NHS)

Housing suitability of private household, category

Housing suitability refers to whether a private household is living in suitable accommodations according to the National Occupancy Standard (NOS); that is, whether the dwelling has enough bedrooms for the size and composition of the household. A household is deemed to be living in suitable accommodations if its dwelling has enough bedrooms, as calculated using the NOS.

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.

The National Occupancy Standard (NOS) was developed by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) through consultations with provincial housing agencies in the 1980s.

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

• Housing suitability