Case Study: From 11% to 2% Vacancy in 8 Months at a Mid-Size Apartment Community

This case study is anonymized. No property, owner, or company names are used, and details are simplified for readability. It describes the kind of work we do every day for owners of larger rental properties.

The short version.

• A 90-unit Eastern Ontario apartment community had 10 empty units, an 11% vacancy rate in a market where well-run buildings were effectively full.
• The causes were small and fixable: dated listings, rents not reviewed by unit type, three to four week turnovers and slow application processing.
• KEILTY refreshed the marketing, repriced every unit type against comparables, set a five-day turnover standard and sped up applications and renewals.
• Eight months later the community sat at 2% vacancy, with two units in normal turnover instead of ten sitting idle.

The property

A 90-unit apartment community in Eastern Ontario, a solid building in a good location that had drifted. When we took over management, 10 units sat empty, an 11% vacancy rate in a market where well-run buildings were effectively full. Every empty month on those units was income the owner would never get back.

The problem

Nothing dramatic was wrong, which is exactly why it had gone unaddressed. The listings used dated photos and flat descriptions. Rents had not been reviewed by unit type in years, so some units were priced above what the market would bear while others were leaving money on the table. Turnovers between residents were slow: a unit could sit for three or four weeks waiting on cleaning, paint, and small repairs before it could even be shown. Applications took days to process, and good applicants moved on to faster landlords.

What we did

• Repositioned the marketing. Professional photos, rewritten listings for each unit type, and syndication across the major rental platforms, so the community showed up where renters were actually looking.
• Reviewed pricing unit by unit. We compared every unit type against current market comparables and adjusted, down where units had been sitting, up where demand supported it.
• Set a five-day turnover standard. Cleaning, paint, and repairs were scheduled before move-out dates, not after, so most units were show-ready within five business days of keys coming back.
• Sped up applications. Credit, reference, and income verification turned around quickly, with digital leasing, so qualified applicants could sign before they lost interest.
• Worked on retention. Faster maintenance response and proactive renewal conversations meant fewer move-outs to backfill in the first place.

The result

Eight months later the community sat at 2% vacancy, two units in normal turnover rather than ten sitting idle. Collected rent rose accordingly, and the owner now reads a clear monthly statement in a couple of minutes instead of wondering what is happening on site.

What this means if you own a similar property

Chronic vacancy is rarely one big problem. It is usually several small, fixable ones: tired marketing, unexamined pricing, slow turnovers, and slow paperwork. A manager who fixes all of them at once changes the trajectory of the building quickly.

Own a similar property?

KEILTY manages multi-family communities across Ontario, with pricing and clear monthly reporting. See our property management services, or if you own 10 or more units, request a portfolio consultation on any of our city pages and a senior manager will contact you directly. Prefer to talk? Call 613-545-3322.

Fighting vacancy at your building? Get a free rental evaluation: keilty.com/free-rental-evaluation.

Questions owners ask about turning around vacancy at an apartment building

What was the problem at this 90-unit apartment community?

Nothing dramatic was wrong, which is why it had gone unaddressed. Listings used dated photos and flat descriptions, rents had not been reviewed by unit type in years, and turnovers were slow, with units sitting three or four weeks waiting on cleaning, paint and small repairs. Applications took days to process, so good applicants moved on to faster landlords.

What did KEILTY do to reduce vacancy at the property?

KEILTY repositioned the marketing with professional photos, rewritten listings for each unit type and syndication across the major rental platforms, and reviewed pricing unit by unit against current market comparables. The team set a five-day turnover standard by scheduling cleaning, paint and repairs before move-out dates, sped up credit, reference and income verification with digital leasing, and worked on retention through faster maintenance response and proactive renewal conversations.

What was the result of the vacancy turnaround?

Eight months later the community sat at 2% vacancy, two units in normal turnover rather than ten sitting idle. Collected rent rose accordingly, and the owner now reads a clear monthly statement in a couple of minutes instead of wondering what is happening on site.

What does this mean if you own a similar property?

Chronic vacancy is rarely one big problem. It is usually several small, fixable ones: tired marketing, unexamined pricing, slow turnovers and slow paperwork. A manager who fixes all of them at once changes the trajectory of the building quickly.

This post is general information about Ontario residential tenancy and human rights law as of 2026-07-17, not legal advice. Legislation, regulations and tribunal practice change. For advice on a specific applicant, property or situation, speak with a lawyer or licensed paralegal.