What Urbanation does

Urbanation is a Toronto-based real estate market intelligence firm founded in 1981 by Eve Lewis, providing proprietary data, research, and strategic consulting to the Canadian condominium, purpose-built rental, and land development industries. The company operates a modular subscription platform consisting of four core products — the Condominium Market Survey (its flagship product since 1981), UrbanRental, the Canadian Multi-Family Rental Database (powered by real-time data from Rentals.ca via the Rentsync partnership), and Land Sales — covering 22 surveyed regions, 94 municipalities, 215 submarkets, 500+ active condo projects, 3,500+ registered condo buildings, 800+ new rental projects, 4,000+ proposed projects, and 15,000+ land sales across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Montreal markets. The underlying technology stack combines proprietary databases, direct cooperation with rental operators, field research, MLS data integration, and official application submissions to produce quarterly market surveys and ongoing market intelligence.

The company monetizes through two primary streams: recurring annual subscriptions sold individually by region or as bundled packages (with a 'Schedule a Demo' direct-sales motion), and custom project-specific strategic consulting engagements with quote-based, multi-year contracts targeting enterprise developers, investors, government agencies, and rental operators. Go-to-market relies on thought leadership and earned media, with President Shaun Hildebrand serving as a prominent industry spokesperson cited by Financial Post, BNN Bloomberg, Global News, The Star, and BBC. In January 2026, Urbanation was acquired by Rentsync (backed by Silversmith Capital Partners) to form one of Canada's largest market intelligence platforms for real estate and rental housing; Urbanation continues to operate under its brand with Hildebrand leading data and analytics operations. Recent product expansion includes the June 2026 Ontario Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) Report, marking entry into the student housing vertical.

Name

Urbanation

Legal name

Urbanation Inc.

Website

https://urbanation.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urbanation is a Toronto-based real estate market intelligence firm providing proprietary subscription databases and strategic consulting for Canadian condominium, rental, and land development markets across Ontario and Quebec, founded in 1981.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Market Research

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)

Keywords

• Real estate market research
• Condominium market data
• Rental market intelligence
• Property consulting services
• Land sales analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Urbanation offers four subscription modules (Condominium Market Survey, UrbanRental, Canadian Multi-Family Rental Database, and Land Sales) that can be purchased individually by region or as a bundled package. Subscriptions provide online access to proprietary databases and market intelligence reports, with custom request support included.
2. Strategic Consulting Services: Custom market studies and advisory services for new condominium and purpose-built rental development projects. Services include location analysis, local demographics, market forecasting, competitive market analysis, and future supply competition. Pricing is quote-based.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urbanation provides subscription-based access to proprietary real estate market intelligence databases covering condominiums, purpose-built rentals, and land sales across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Montreal regions of Canada. The company complements its four subscription modules with strategic consulting engagements delivering site-specific market studies, demand forecasting, and competitive analysis for new development projects.

Product overview

Urbanation offers a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of four core subscription products: the Condominium Market Survey (flagship since 1981), UrbanRental, the Canadian Multi-Family Rental Database, and Land Sales subscription. These are complemented by custom Strategic Consulting services and specialized research reports including the Ontario PBSA Report and regional rental market reports. The products are available individually by region or as bundled packages, providing market intelligence for condominiums, purpose-built rentals, and land development across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Montreal regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Condominium Market Survey
• UrbanRental
• Canadian Multi-Family Rental Database
• Land Sales
• Strategic Consulting
• Rental Expansion Database Database tracking market rents in real-time across the entire stock of purpose-built rentals, launched in partnership with Rentsync in 2023 using data from Canada's largest online rental marketplaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracked 22 surveyed regions across Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa, and Montreal
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RentsynccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2026Rentsync, a software and data company serving the rental housing sector, acquired Urbanation in January 2026 to form one of Canada's largest market intelligence platforms for real estate and rental housing. Urbanation had collaborated with Rentsync for three years on the monthly Rentals.ca National Rent Report and a rental market database for the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, Ottawa, and Montreal. Shaun Hildebrand, Urbanation's president, continues leading data and analytics operations post-acquisition.
• SpacelistminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Rentsync acquired commercial real estate marketplace Spacelist in December 2024 as its first acquisition, prior to acquiring Urbanation in January 2026. This acquisition expanded Rentsync's data and marketplace capabilities.
• Rentals.cacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Urbanation partnered with Rentsync (parent company of Rentals.ca) in 2023 to launch the Rental Expansion database, which tracks market rents in real-time across the entire stock of purpose-built rentals using data from Canada's largest online rental marketplaces.
• The Marsh ReportminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Urbanation acquired The Marsh Report in 2016, expanding the company's research into the commercial real estate sector and providing a launch pad for the land sale subscription service.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Altus Group: Altus Group is the most direct Canadian peer, providing commercial real estate data, analytics, and advisory services across Canada. Comparable in customer base (developers, investors, lenders) and analytical depth, though it is more commercial-focused and broader in scope than Urbanation's residential condo/rental specialization.

Broad incumbents

• CoStar Group: CoStar is the dominant North American commercial real estate data and analytics platform, operating Loopnet, Apartments.com, and Homes.com. While primarily US-focused, CoStar's acquisition of Altus-exposed Canadian data assets makes it a broad incumbent competing for the same institutional customers that Urbanation serves.
• RealPage: RealPage is a major US multifamily and rental housing data and software platform serving property owners, operators, and investors. Comparable in serving rental market intelligence customers, though with broader property management software scope and a US-centric footprint.
• Yardi: Yardi is a large incumbent real estate software and data platform with broad property management, analytics, and market intelligence offerings for residential and commercial real estate operators. Comparable in providing rental market data and serving rental operators, though with a much broader product portfolio.
• CBRE Econometric Advisors: CBRE's Econometric Advisors provides commercial real estate forecasting, market analytics, and research for institutional investors. Comparable in serving institutional real estate decision-making with proprietary market data and forecasts, though with a commercial/global focus rather than Urbanation's Canadian residential specialty.
• Reis (now part of MSCI): Reis was a CRE data and analytics firm serving institutional investors, now integrated into MSCI Real Assets. Comparable in providing project-level and market-level real estate intelligence to investors and lenders, though now part of a much broader financial data platform.

Emerging players

• Trepp: Trepp is a CRE data, analytics, and research firm specializing in CMBS, debt, and structured finance intelligence. Comparable as a subscription-based CRE research and data provider serving institutional investors, though focused on debt rather than residential condo development.
• Conference Board of Canada: The Conference Board of Canada produces Canadian economic and industry research including housing market reports and forecasts. Comparable in providing subscription-based Canadian real estate research to institutional and government clients, though it is a broader economic research organization rather than residential-specialized.

Regional players

• REIN (Real Estate Investment Network): REIN is a Canadian real estate investor education and data platform providing market analysis, regional housing reports, and investor tools. Comparable as a Canadian residential real estate market intelligence provider, though more retail-investor focused than Urbanation's institutional developer base.
• JLR Land Solutions: JLR is a Canadian real estate advisory firm providing land economics, feasibility, and market intelligence to developers and government. Comparable in serving Canadian residential developers and government agencies with site-specific market studies, overlapping significantly with Urbanation's strategic consulting practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbanation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urbanation