Moving to Canada in August and worried about housing

[marxistfeministdialectic]

So I'm moving to Canada to begin my PhD but I'm stressing about housing.  This topic has come up a few times on the forum and I've read through those posts but I'm still struggling.  For example, some posters have suggested sharing a house/apartment, at least for the first few months.  This sounds great because it solves the problem of needing to furnish an apartment right away and gives you time to get settled.  I'll be moving to Canada with my husband though, and many of the house//apartment shares call for single occupancy or only want female roommates.  University accommodation is the other common suggestion but in my case, the couples/family accommodation is more expensive and unfurnished.

 

I'm also trying to figure out when to arrive.  If I arrive a week before term starts will that give me time to secure housing?  I'm on a limited budget.

 

Thanks very much in advance!

[respectyourheart]

Hi there. I am Canadian, and have attended post-secondary Canadian institutions. Where in Canada will you be moving? Cost of living varies from place to place, so if I had a better idea of where you were going, I could probably give you a more helpful response. 

[marxistfeministdialectic]

Hey.  I'll be moving to London, Ontario.

[phalanges]

You should look to see if anyone is looking to sublet their entire apartment for a couple of months. That would give you time to look for places, without locking you into a whole year lease. Given that there are a lot of students in London, ON most places will probably be up for rent on Sept 1 or Jan 1.

[Troppman]

Pm sent!

[sdt13]

So it looks like I will also be heading to Canada, but I'm torn between two completely different locations.

 

I was just accepted to the University of Victoria and am waiting to hear back from McGill. Does anyone have any information in terms of housing for Victoria? Being in upstate NY I am much closer to Montreal (~5 hours), but there is almost no way I can get to Victoria before the fall, which is a bit worrisome.

 

[phalanges]

So it looks like I will also be heading to Canada, but I'm torn between two completely different locations.

 

I was just accepted to the University of Victoria and am waiting to hear back from McGill. Does anyone have any information in terms of housing for Victoria? Being in upstate NY I am much closer to Montreal (~5 hours), but there is almost no way I can get to Victoria before the fall, which is a bit worrisome.

 

One of my friends is at UVic right now, she said to use: craigslist, or usedvictoria.com to find an apartment, and that Cook Street Village area is nice (super close to downtown, and a few buses will take you to the university - bus passes are built into the fees at school, so you will have a bus pass).

 

When she moved out there she decided to live with another incoming student who was moving up from the Portland area, and he checked out places for them.

[TakeruK]

Hey.  I'll be moving to London, Ontario.

 

Ontario has a 60 days notice to vacate law -- that is, tenants must tell their landlords at least 60 days in advance of ending a lease. So, if you want to move in on, say, Sept 1, you should look for apartments around July 1 to get the best selection. It's still possible to get a place within a week though, but most apartment buildings and listings will be posted and filled about 6-8 weeks before move in date. My wife and I visited 2 months ahead of time to sign a lease and got a place we were really happy with and for a great price. We know other people who got a place a week before but their choices were very limited -- they either had to go very crappy or very expensive! If possible, it's well worth the investment of ~1 months rent to visit ahead of time and get something you'll enjoy living in. Paying extra for rent and/or moving after the first 1-year lease is up could cost you just as much.

[marxistfeministdialectic]

Ontario has a 60 days notice to vacate law -- that is, tenants must tell their landlords at least 60 days in advance of ending a lease. So, if you want to move in on, say, Sept 1, you should look for apartments around July 1 to get the best selection. It's still possible to get a place within a week though, but most apartment buildings and listings will be posted and filled about 6-8 weeks before move in date. My wife and I visited 2 months ahead of time to sign a lease and got a place we were really happy with and for a great price. We know other people who got a place a week before but their choices were very limited -- they either had to go very crappy or very expensive! If possible, it's well worth the investment of ~1 months rent to visit ahead of time and get something you'll enjoy living in. Paying extra for rent and/or moving after the first 1-year lease is up could cost you just as much.

 

I wish we could!  We're moving from South Africa and work commitments mean we can't move any earlier than mid-August.  I suppose our only options are either to get a crappy/expensive place within a week or to rent a place unseen.  Sigh!  Thanks for the insight

[TakeruK]

I wish we could!  We're moving from South Africa and work commitments mean we can't move any earlier than mid-August.  I suppose our only options are either to get a crappy/expensive place within a week or to rent a place unseen.  Sigh!  Thanks for the insight

 

Wow that is really far away! Maybe you will be lucky to find a great place in the week, or at least a place where you aren't locked in for 1 year. The 1 year lease is the standard though. Maybe you can ask someone already at your school to look at a few places for you? Renting sight unseen in a town with lots of university students could be dangerous since some landlords take advantage of students who have to make quick housing decisions. Fortunately London, Ontario is not as much of a university town as Kingston, Ontario was though, so you might have better luck with last minute rentals than my friends and I!

[sdt13]

Thanks for the tip, Phalanges! I'm 99% sure I am going to accept my UVic offer and so that will be really helpful when apartment hunting in the coming weeks.

 

To marx - Would it be possible to find a temporary sublet (maybe for the first semester) until you find a more suitable place to your liking? I dont know how common that is or if a sublet would be easy to find during the academic year, but it may be worth a look.

 

[respectyourheart]

Thanks for the tip, Phalanges! I'm 99% sure I am going to accept my UVic offer and so that will be really helpful when apartment hunting in the coming weeks.

 

To marx - Would it be possible to find a temporary sublet (maybe for the first semester) until you find a more suitable place to your liking? I dont know how common that is or if a sublet would be easy to find during the academic year, but it may be worth a look.

 

Yeah, I agree that finding a sublet for a short period of time while you are settling in would be ideal if it is possible. That way, you can take your time to find a place you can be happy living in.

 

Also, have you checked Western's site to see if they have off-campus housing listings? I am attending Trent, and have found their off-campus listings to be really valuable in helping me figure out my living situation for the fall from 2,000 miles away; for example, there are a few sublet listings on there, as well as listings for September, and I have been able to Skype interview and Skype tour some of the houses I am interested in.The people that post housing offers on there seem to be quite accommodating: they are interested in offering their place to students and, therefore, understand that many students will be coming from all over and have a tight schedule. 

[marxistfeministdialectic]

Thanks everyone, those are all good suggestions.  I'll try to find some sublets.

 

respectyourheart, I have been visiting Western's off-campus listings.  I think it's early days because most of the listings are for summer sublets or year-long leases that begin in May or June.  I'll keep checking though!

[wtncffts]

Another good listing site is http://london.kijiji.ca

 

I'm away from London June and some of July, but will be back by August. I can't make any promises now, but if you need someone to look at places for you, I'm pretty sure I can find the time. Although you'll have to tell me what kinds of features you're looking for...

[marxistfeministdialectic]

Thanks very much!  I'll get back to you if I need to take you up on that