Renting in Vancouver, BC
February 1, 2019 7:28 PM Subscribe
How do I Vancouver? I am Canadian, moving from a mid sized Canadian city, about to begin negotiating a job offer with an American firm who is looking to expand their business in Canada. All I hear are horror stories about the rental market and low vacancy rates.
I have no hope of breaking into the Vancouver real estate market as a buyer. I have a condo and a mortgage in my mid-sized city that I will need to get rid of. I’ll be working in downtown Vancouver and I cannot drive. I am single and have no pets.
- is it common for American companies to offer relocation packages? (I have received them for my past two jobs in Canada) If so, what is a reasonable amount to ask for?
- how do people find rental properties available in a Vancouver? I am a minimalist and am happy to live small. I would like to be as close to work as possible.
- what is typically required for renting a place? References? Credit check? First & last?
- how far in advance are vacant apartments advertised? One month? Two? For example, if I’m looking to move by April, should I start looking in February? Or, should I wait until March?
- should I make arrangements for short term rental while I try and look for a place?
I feel like I’m forgetting a lot. But if you have any tips, I’d be most grateful.
I have no hope of breaking into the Vancouver real estate market as a buyer. I have a condo and a mortgage in my mid-sized city that I will need to get rid of. I’ll be working in downtown Vancouver and I cannot drive. I am single and have no pets.
- is it common for American companies to offer relocation packages? (I have received them for my past two jobs in Canada) If so, what is a reasonable amount to ask for?
- how do people find rental properties available in a Vancouver? I am a minimalist and am happy to live small. I would like to be as close to work as possible.
- what is typically required for renting a place? References? Credit check? First & last?
- how far in advance are vacant apartments advertised? One month? Two? For example, if I’m looking to move by April, should I start looking in February? Or, should I wait until March?
- should I make arrangements for short term rental while I try and look for a place?
I feel like I’m forgetting a lot. But if you have any tips, I’d be most grateful.
Ive been out of the rental game for a few years now and its gotten worse since then, but its a constant topic of conversation at my workplace so i feel vaguely qualified to comment..
Craigslist and padmapper are the tools most recommended for apartment hunting. Beware the usual craigslist scam artists.
You will have to pay a security deposit equal to half a months rent (or a full month if you have pets. Which, by the way, makes the hunt exponentially harder). An application with possibly a credit check may be required. Info about your employer, references may be asked for.
Tenants only have to give landlords 30 days notice to vacate, so that’s when a lot of places open up.
Its generally recommended to avoid the area around Main & Hastings. If you’re working downtown and taking transit, it can be worthwhile to try and be close by to a skytrain station, even if it means going a bit further east. But if you already know where you will be working, start there first and keep going east (or south) until you find rents you are willing to pay.
posted by cgg at 8:42 PM on February 1, 2019
Craigslist and padmapper are the tools most recommended for apartment hunting. Beware the usual craigslist scam artists.
You will have to pay a security deposit equal to half a months rent (or a full month if you have pets. Which, by the way, makes the hunt exponentially harder). An application with possibly a credit check may be required. Info about your employer, references may be asked for.
Tenants only have to give landlords 30 days notice to vacate, so that’s when a lot of places open up.
Its generally recommended to avoid the area around Main & Hastings. If you’re working downtown and taking transit, it can be worthwhile to try and be close by to a skytrain station, even if it means going a bit further east. But if you already know where you will be working, start there first and keep going east (or south) until you find rents you are willing to pay.
posted by cgg at 8:42 PM on February 1, 2019
I think you should make arrangements for a short term rental while looking, at the beginning of the prior month, and be prepared to spend 1-2 weeks walking around. From what I've heard, it's quite difficult to look from elsewhere. Appearing in person is crucial. This is unless you're willing to put up with a much more expensive 'boutique' type rental situation (see for example: https://www.dukeliving.ca/)
No first and last that I've heard of, just a security deposit of half of the rent. References from past landlords yes, employment reference usually, sometimes a credit check (though they're not supposed to ask unless there is a good reason, I put up with it). Appear at the place ready to put in a rental application ASAP if its decent (like on the spot or that day), and security deposit ASAP after that if they accept you. If you hem and haw they will find someone else.
Some places hold open houses, I've never gone to one but I've heard a lot of people show up so it may not be worth it. However, you're probably a very attractive tenant (i.e. solidly employed and have resources) so you never know. This page from the Tenant's Resource and Advocacy Centre has some resources on looking. Their website has a lot of other information on what is and is not allowed at all stages of the process.
In my experience, places are only advertised in the month prior.
Many places, especially in older rental buildings, are only advertised with a sign. This is particularly true in the West End/Davie Village which is where the more affordable downtown rentals are. You need to walk around and write down phone numbers, essentially, but its an effective way of looking.
There's also a large stock of rentals of condos in Yaletown, a bit on the pricier end. I don't love the neighbourhood but YMMV. These are more likely to be listed online. There are also a lot of tiny studios around there that might be more affordable.
Don't be afraid to consider living anywhere along the Skytrain lines (Cambie and Millennium). That's what I do, and I have a 15 minute or less commute to downtown. You could look at houses divided into apartments, and basement suites that way. You can use Google maps to suss out the commute from various areas. If you want to stay closer to work though, the West End is nice.
Watch out for sketchy landlords. I'd prefer a company but if not that, try to suss out the person a bit if you can. If it's too good (cheap) to be true, it definitely is. There are lots of scams on online sites listing cheaper than market rentals.
For some reason people here still mostly use Craigslist - that's how I found my awesome place. I was willing to look at a place with no photos, that wanted a tenant to start on the 15th of the month, and where the building was for sale, and therefore got a great deal. There's a fair number of listings on Facebook as well, but mostly for roommate type situations. Check Padmapper for non-Craigslist listings. I'd try the walking around strategy first though for any purpose-built rental buildings.
I don't know much about relocation packages, but I'd imagine an American company would provide one. This article claims that the average for a one-bedroom is $2100 if that helps. I think you can get somewhere for significantly less than that, but you may have to get lucky or walk around a fair bit. Last time I looked at one bedrooms, last summer, my budget was $1400 to $1800 and I did okay. My read was that West End rents for a one bedroom were approximately $1600-1900. Studios are a bit less and might be good for you if you're fine with small. However, there are definitely a lot of places listed in the over-2000 range. If you can't find anything at all, see if you can find other short-term accommodations and try the next month. If you can find anything that you can afford and is not terrible after looking a while though, I'd probably take it. You can look again later if you're not happy.
I know that was a lot but don't despair! I think its entirely doable to find somewhere you will like, it's just that you'll have to pay up a bit more than you're used to.
posted by lookoutbelow at 8:42 PM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
No first and last that I've heard of, just a security deposit of half of the rent. References from past landlords yes, employment reference usually, sometimes a credit check (though they're not supposed to ask unless there is a good reason, I put up with it). Appear at the place ready to put in a rental application ASAP if its decent (like on the spot or that day), and security deposit ASAP after that if they accept you. If you hem and haw they will find someone else.
Some places hold open houses, I've never gone to one but I've heard a lot of people show up so it may not be worth it. However, you're probably a very attractive tenant (i.e. solidly employed and have resources) so you never know. This page from the Tenant's Resource and Advocacy Centre has some resources on looking. Their website has a lot of other information on what is and is not allowed at all stages of the process.
In my experience, places are only advertised in the month prior.
Many places, especially in older rental buildings, are only advertised with a sign. This is particularly true in the West End/Davie Village which is where the more affordable downtown rentals are. You need to walk around and write down phone numbers, essentially, but its an effective way of looking.
There's also a large stock of rentals of condos in Yaletown, a bit on the pricier end. I don't love the neighbourhood but YMMV. These are more likely to be listed online. There are also a lot of tiny studios around there that might be more affordable.
Don't be afraid to consider living anywhere along the Skytrain lines (Cambie and Millennium). That's what I do, and I have a 15 minute or less commute to downtown. You could look at houses divided into apartments, and basement suites that way. You can use Google maps to suss out the commute from various areas. If you want to stay closer to work though, the West End is nice.
Watch out for sketchy landlords. I'd prefer a company but if not that, try to suss out the person a bit if you can. If it's too good (cheap) to be true, it definitely is. There are lots of scams on online sites listing cheaper than market rentals.
For some reason people here still mostly use Craigslist - that's how I found my awesome place. I was willing to look at a place with no photos, that wanted a tenant to start on the 15th of the month, and where the building was for sale, and therefore got a great deal. There's a fair number of listings on Facebook as well, but mostly for roommate type situations. Check Padmapper for non-Craigslist listings. I'd try the walking around strategy first though for any purpose-built rental buildings.
I don't know much about relocation packages, but I'd imagine an American company would provide one. This article claims that the average for a one-bedroom is $2100 if that helps. I think you can get somewhere for significantly less than that, but you may have to get lucky or walk around a fair bit. Last time I looked at one bedrooms, last summer, my budget was $1400 to $1800 and I did okay. My read was that West End rents for a one bedroom were approximately $1600-1900. Studios are a bit less and might be good for you if you're fine with small. However, there are definitely a lot of places listed in the over-2000 range. If you can't find anything at all, see if you can find other short-term accommodations and try the next month. If you can find anything that you can afford and is not terrible after looking a while though, I'd probably take it. You can look again later if you're not happy.
I know that was a lot but don't despair! I think its entirely doable to find somewhere you will like, it's just that you'll have to pay up a bit more than you're used to.
posted by lookoutbelow at 8:42 PM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you're looking downtown there will be a few big management companies that run a lot of the rental apartment buildings, and some individuals renting out units in condo buildings. Everyone starts advertising vacancies one month in advance - so if you want to move in by April 1st, best to look in early March.
A lot of the rental-only buildings will skip posting online and just have vacancy signs out front, so if possible, I would suggest coming down early and taking a walk around in person. Downtown Vancouver is geographically tiny, so it's possible to cover a lot in just a couple days. Online, Craigslist is king for rentals, unless you're looking for roommate-type arrangements in which case Facebook groups might be useful.
Security deposits are half a month's rent - that's the maximum by law! In fact all of the Tenants BC website is super helpful and informative resource for how the rental process goes down in BC.
(Neighbourhood-wise, I would suggest taking a good look at the "west end" i.e. west of Thurlow, north of Davie - a bit removed from the bustle of Yaletown/the Granville strip, and more personality than soulless Coal Harbour luxury condos. I moved away six months ago and I want to go baaack)
posted by btfreek at 8:44 PM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
A lot of the rental-only buildings will skip posting online and just have vacancy signs out front, so if possible, I would suggest coming down early and taking a walk around in person. Downtown Vancouver is geographically tiny, so it's possible to cover a lot in just a couple days. Online, Craigslist is king for rentals, unless you're looking for roommate-type arrangements in which case Facebook groups might be useful.
Security deposits are half a month's rent - that's the maximum by law! In fact all of the Tenants BC website is super helpful and informative resource for how the rental process goes down in BC.
(Neighbourhood-wise, I would suggest taking a good look at the "west end" i.e. west of Thurlow, north of Davie - a bit removed from the bustle of Yaletown/the Granville strip, and more personality than soulless Coal Harbour luxury condos. I moved away six months ago and I want to go baaack)
posted by btfreek at 8:44 PM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
A relocation package should cover 1 month in temporary housing while you look in Vancouver, full service packing and moving costs, travel and expense to get from point A to point B, and assistance selling your condo and ideally defraying a portion of your transaction cost. Your actual costs here depend on your starting point in Canada, so you’ll have to work it out. I think an ask of $10-20k is not unreasonable, depends on the price of your condo and the distance you’re moving.
posted by crazycanuck at 11:28 PM on February 1, 2019
posted by crazycanuck at 11:28 PM on February 1, 2019
Definitely walk around starting on the 1st of the month before you plan to take occupancy and call from right out from of the building. That's the main way to play the game given the low vacancy rate, otherwise you're competing with all of the lower effort people or having to show up to a group showing at which you will probably not get the place.
I lived in the West End for a long time and it's fantastic. There is a large supply of rental housing in that neighbourhood in high rise type buildings.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:40 AM on February 2, 2019
I lived in the West End for a long time and it's fantastic. There is a large supply of rental housing in that neighbourhood in high rise type buildings.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:40 AM on February 2, 2019
Don't bother with padmapper - Craigslist (and walking neighbourhoods looking for Vacancy signs) is the only game.
Just about anywhere along a Skytrain station will be fine for commuting to downtown, even from Richmond or New West.
To start, I'd recommend looking for something in Fairview near the Broadway/City Hall station, but anywhere along Cambie down to SW Marine Drive is fine if its close to a Skytrain.
For a 1bd condo/ apartment, "reasonable" is around $1600-2000, over $2000 and it'll be nice enough and there's much less competition for those. The further out from downtown you are, the nicer those prices will get you. I'd recommend a Rental Management Company rather than private landlords - there are a lot of bad/ clueless ones out here.
If you're ok with private landlords, and ok with basement suites/ a floor of a house, you can knock off $100-200 from those figures.
posted by porpoise at 4:31 PM on February 2, 2019
Just about anywhere along a Skytrain station will be fine for commuting to downtown, even from Richmond or New West.
To start, I'd recommend looking for something in Fairview near the Broadway/City Hall station, but anywhere along Cambie down to SW Marine Drive is fine if its close to a Skytrain.
For a 1bd condo/ apartment, "reasonable" is around $1600-2000, over $2000 and it'll be nice enough and there's much less competition for those. The further out from downtown you are, the nicer those prices will get you. I'd recommend a Rental Management Company rather than private landlords - there are a lot of bad/ clueless ones out here.
If you're ok with private landlords, and ok with basement suites/ a floor of a house, you can knock off $100-200 from those figures.
posted by porpoise at 4:31 PM on February 2, 2019
Consider living by one of the many skytrain stations in New Westminster. The train commute downtown is reasonable (I did it for about 10 years and managed it fine), rents are a bit cheaper, and New West has a lot of apartments and condos so you might have a bit better luck finding something. The downtown area of New West is quite walkable itself for day-to-day living, and the city has a bit of historical charm, as BC's original capital city.
If you have any New West questions, let me know :)
posted by just_ducky at 7:59 AM on February 4, 2019
If you have any New West questions, let me know :)
posted by just_ducky at 7:59 AM on February 4, 2019
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