It’s getting easier to find a place to rent in Alberta, but it’s not getting easier on tenant chequebooks.

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the apartment vacancy rate in Alberta jumped in April to 3.4 per cent, compared to 1.8 per cent the year before.

In Calgary, the rate jumped to 3.2 per cent in April 2015, compared to 1.4 per cent for April 2014.

However, the average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the city rose 5.9 per cent in the past year, with tenants paying an average of $1,319 a month.

Gerry Baxter, Director of the Calgary Residential Rental Association says he’s heard stories for months about renters not getting as many calls.

“So, people were being more discriminate, there was more choice for them,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who’ve been working here, who have come from other provinces, and have now left.”

Baxter says this vacancy rate may have more of a dramatic effect on high end rentals, as many owners have agreements with big companies.

Richard Cho, with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says the low price of oil has been impacting the economy, affecting employment growth and slowing down migration.

“Those are two key factors when it comes to demand for rental units. On top of that we’ve seen nearly 900 new apartment rental units also added,” he said. “With that, it’s important to keep in mind that most of those gains occurred in 2014 when the economy was stronger, when we were seeing more demand, and when the vacancy rate was also lower.”

So, why is that monthly cheque increasing for tenants?

Cho says the units added to the market are naturally going to skew the numbers, as newer places usually mean higher rents.