Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations

What Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations does

The Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA) is a national, non-profit trade association founded in 1995 to represent residential rental housing providers across Canada. CFAA operates as an umbrella federation of 11 partner provincial and regional apartment associations, collectively representing approximately one million residential rental suites nationwide. Its mission centers on federal advocacy, education, and member services for rental housing providers of all sizes, from individual small-portfolio landlords to large institutional operators, alongside the industry suppliers that serve them.

CFAA's product set is service-based rather than technology-based. It generates revenue through four primary streams: direct membership dues from individual landlords and rental housing providers priced at $100 plus $0.50 per unit; affiliate dues from the 11 provincial and regional member associations; Suppliers Council membership at Platinum, Gold, and Silver tiers paid by vendors serving the rental housing industry; and event-driven revenue from its annual conference, webinars, awards gala, and the industry Compensation Survey produced in partnership with 3rd Quartile Consulting. The Suppliers Council includes enterprise technology vendors such as Entrata, Yardi, and Wyse Meter Solutions, alongside major retailers including Home Depot Canada.

The federation's business model is relationship-driven and advocacy-anchored. Member benefits include federal lobbying on rental housing legislation, regulatory engagement around the National Housing Strategy and short-term rental regulations, access to compensation benchmarking, and preferential pricing through supplier partnerships. CFAA serves three primary customer segments: rental housing providers (the principal constituency), industry suppliers (the Suppliers Council), and partner apartment associations (the affiliate network). Day-to-day leadership is provided by President John Dickie.

Name

Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations

Legal name

Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations

Website

https://cfaa-fcapi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CFAA is a Canadian non-profit trade association founded in 1995 that federates 11 provincial apartment associations representing roughly one million rental suites, delivering federal advocacy, industry benchmarking, supplier partnerships, and member events to rental housing providers and industry vendors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Rental housing advocacy
• Industry association services
• Federal government relations
• Membership association
• Landlord representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues based on the number of rental units owned or managed. For direct landlord membership, dues are $100 base plus $0.50 per rental unit. Association membership dues depend on association size.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from the annual Rental Housing Conference, including all-inclusive passes ($910-$965 for providers/sponsors, $1,200 for suppliers), education passes ($765-$1,050), and awards dinner tickets ($160 per person, $1,200 per table of 8).
3. Webinar and Education Programs: Revenue from educational webinars and programs, with pricing from $18.75 for direct members to $50 for non-members. Discounts available for direct and affiliate members.
4. Compensation Survey Sales: Sale of the CFAA Rental Housing Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey, with discounted pricing for participants and non-participants, and separate pricing by region.
5. Suppliers Council Membership: Suppliers can join the CFAA Suppliers Council with membership providing website exposure, advertising in National Outlook, event partnerships, and enhanced RHB Magazine directory listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA) is a national trade association that provides federal advocacy, communications, education, and industry resources to owners and managers of residential rental housing in Canada. CFAA sells membership subscriptions (Direct Landlord, Affiliate, and Suppliers Council tiers), hosts an annual Rental Housing Conference, publishes the Rental Housing Business (RHB) Magazine and National Outlook newsletter, and produces the annual Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey.

Product overview

CFAA offers a suite of membership-based services for the Canadian rental housing industry. The core offering centers on federal advocacy and representation to government, complemented by communications products including the National Outlook newsletter and Rental Housing Business (RHB) Magazine. Professional development is delivered through the annual Rental Housing Conference and the CFAA Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey. The organization also runs the annual CFAA Rental Housing Awards Program recognizing industry excellence. Membership tiers include Direct Landlord, Affiliate Landlord (association), and Suppliers Council, each providing access to advocacy services, communications, education, and networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rental Housing Business (RHB) Magazine CFAA's official member publication containing articles from industry leaders and experts, CFAA's National Outlook newsletter content, and Rental Association Voice with updates from member associations across Canada.
• Federal Advocacy Services CFAA's core advocacy service representing rental housing owners and managers to the Federal Government of Canada, including strategic policy shaping, government relations, media relations, and assistance with local advocacy to reduce the spread of municipal and provincial measures contrary to rental housing interests.
• Direct Landlord Membership Membership program for individual rental housing providers with annual dues of $100 plus 50 cents per rental unit, offering voting rights, committee participation, direct access to CFAA services, and discounts on conferences and education programs.
• Affiliate Landlord Membership Membership program for provincial and city-level apartment associations across Canada, providing representation and access to CFAA's national lobbying efforts, communications, and industry resources.
• Suppliers Council Membership Membership program for industry suppliers providing website exposure, advertising in National Outlook and RHB Magazine, partnership opportunities at the annual conference, and enhanced RHB Magazine directory listings.
• CFAA Rental Housing Conference CFAA's annual three-day conference featuring education sessions, building tours, networking events, awards presentations, and tradeshows for Canada's rental housing industry, with all-inclusive passes, education passes, and awards dinner tickets.
• CFAA Rental Housing Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing excellence and notable achievements of Rental Housing Providers, Rental Housing Suppliers, and Apartment Associations across Canada.
• CFAA Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey Annual survey conducted in partnership with 3rd Quartile providing Canada-wide compensation and benefits data for rental housing industry employees, covering close to 5,000 employees across 9 building-based positions and 21 head office positions.
• Educational Webinars Educational webinars on topics including economic updates, technology, operations, and federal policy issues affecting the rental housing industry, available at discounted rates for members.

Quantifiable outcome

• $32B in National Housing Strategy funding accessible to for-profit rental providers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Home Depot CanadacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 August 2019Home Depot Canada is a leading supplier of tools, construction products, paint, and building repair and maintenance services across Canada. CFAA and Home Depot have entered into a partnership to provide CFAA members with access to Home Depot's products and services for rental housing maintenance and operations.
• NAA (National Apartment Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFAA partners with NAA for educational programs, offering CFAA members access to programs and education offered by NAA, as well as updates on educational opportunities across the country through CFAA's e-Newsletter.
• RHB MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRHB Magazine is the official publication of CFAA and a Platinum member of the Suppliers Council, providing industry news and information to rental housing professionals.
• 3rd QuartilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3rd Quartile conducts the CFAA Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey. Led by Steven Osiel, 3rd Quartile is an independent compensation and benefits consulting firm that helps organizations maximize the value of human capital. The survey covers 9 building-based positions and 21 head office positions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Apartment Association: US national trade association for the rental housing industry with ~95,000 members. Directly comparable to CFAA as a national apartment association federation providing advocacy, education, and supplier programs; CFAA already partners with NAA for educational programs.
• Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia's rental housing association and one of CFAA's partner associations. Provides provincial-level advocacy and member services to rental property owners on the East Coast, complementing CFAA's national scope.
• Calgary Residential Rental Association: Alberta-based rental housing association and CFAA partner. Provides region-specific advocacy and education for residential landlords, operating with a similar member-driven model to CFAA.
• Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario: Ontario's provincial rental housing industry association and one of CFAA's 11 longstanding partner associations. Represents the same membership constituency at the provincial level with overlapping advocacy, education, and member service functions.
• BC Apartment Association: British Columbia's rental housing industry association and CFAA partner association. Operates as a provincial counterpart with comparable advocacy, education, and supplier engagement programs for rental housing providers.

Broad incumbents

• Mortgage Professionals Canada: National trade association for the Canadian mortgage industry. Operates a comparable membership, advocacy, and education model for industry professionals, but in an adjacent sector tied to housing finance rather than rental operations.
• Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA): National trade association for Canadian real estate (broader than rental housing, focused on Realtors). Comparable as a national advocacy body for a real estate industry segment, but covers sales rather than rentals and operates at much larger scale.
• Canadian Home Builders' Association: National trade association representing the residential construction industry in Canada. Comparable as a national federation with provincial partner associations, federal advocacy, and member services, but focused on new construction rather than rental operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cfaa_fcapi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-federation-of-apartment-associations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations