FILE PHOTO: A "For sale" sign is seen outside a house in the tourist destination of Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada May 8, 2021.REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) -Canadian housing starts rose 14% in September compared with the previous month, a sharper increase than expected, data from the national housing agency showed on Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts was 279,234 units, up from a revised 244,543 units in August, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said. Economists had expected starts to rise to 255,000 units.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Toby Chopra)