A small measure of relief is on the way for Calgary renters.

While the city's vacancy rate isn't about to see a dramatic increase in the near future, construction in the long dormant rental sector is on the upswing.

With just 418 purpose-built apartment rental units built in the city between 2006 and 2011, it appears Calgary developers are recognizing the need for more rental properties.

Calgary continues to be a city on the rise.

Driven by impressive net-migration numbers and record employment growth, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is forecasting increases for nearly every category of Calgary's housing market.

Calgary is in a "rental crisis," Mayor Naheed Nenshi confirms, as he called on the provincial and federal governments "to use the levers they have available to them to encourage more construction of rental projects."

With a vacancy rate that Nenshi said is "likely close to zero," securing a place to live is proving to be a difficult task for many renters in the city.