Vancouver’s rental market is highly competitive and borderline unaffordable, so it can be a real challenge to find a rental in this growing city. Since moving abroad to Vancouver from Sydney Australia, finding a place to live was definitely the one thing we needed to be most prepared for, so we’ve put together our own how-to-guide for how to find a rental in Vancouver with general advice but also aimed at those on a working holiday visa (based on our own experience).
Be Prepared With Documents
Finding a rental in Vancouver is extremely competitive, so it’s important to be prepared with relevant documents so you can quickly submit rental applications, as often times listings will be gone before you know it. Some of these important documents include:
- Proof Of Income/Employment
- References
- Proof Of Tenant Insurance
- Credit Report
- Work Permit (relevant for those on a Working Holiday visa)
Since we were coming from abroad without proof of income or references from previous landlords, we were able to use an employment contract or current bank statements showing proof of funds. For the reference, our Airbnb host in Vancouver was kind enough to provide one upon asking. We also had to share our work permits as were on a working holiday visa so it’s good to have a digital copy or photos of it. As we were new to the country, we had no credit but we found that proof of income or funds was the most important thing landlords cared about – basically as long as you can pay rent.
If you’re keen on a listing you can pre-submit your rental application before seeing it in-person, which puts you ahead of others and shows that you’re keen. It speeds up the process for getting accepted and also doesn’t hurt to as you choose not to go ahead with the application later down the track.
Research The Neighbourhoods
Our next tip for how to find a rental in Vancouver is to research online the different neighbourhoods before arriving so you have an idea of where to look. Especially if you’re coming from abroad for a working holiday in Vancouver, you may not have spent much time in the city’s range of unique neighbourhoods. We researched online and liked the sound of West End, Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant so focused on finding rentals in those areas. It can be tricky however as some areas may be out of budget so be open and flexible to exploring elsewhere too.
Walk Around Your Chosen Neighbourhoods
We’ll cover rental sites and online channels below, but what we found worked best for us in finding a rental in Vancouver was walking around the neighbourhood. This killed two birds with one stone – you get to experience what the area is like and whether you see yourself living there, and just as important you can find buildings with signs in front listing potential vacancies and contact information via a phone number. We found this most effective for finding out about upcoming availabilities in apartments as well as organising in-person viewings. Often times we found that the rental company’s websites had information that was not up to date and contacting them via the website did not guarantee a reply.
One thing to also keep in mind is that rentals in Vancouver often start and end at the beginning or midway through the month, so the 1st or the 15th so closer to those dates is when you’ll start to find more availabilities in listings and opportunities for in-person viewings.
Rental Sites
There are many rental sites for finding a rental in Vancouver which lets you quickly view hundreds of listings across the whole city. Some of the ones we used were Rentals.ca, liv.rent and PadMapper. These were good for research prior to landing in Vancouver, and quickly comparing listings, prices and areas while getting an idea of apartments types and layouts through the photos. While certainly a convenient way to find rental listings in Vancouver, we found that despite contacting many listings, we would not always get a reply and often times the info on display is not up to date or accurate. Despite that it’s still a good way to do research on rentals and find them in bulk.
Facebook Marketplace & Craigslist
One thing that differentiates the Vancouver rental market to the Sydney one is the use of Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for landlords and regular people create rental and sublet listings. Facebook in particular was quite popular for finding rental listings in Vancouver especially for furnished apartments and short terms stays or sublets. Contacting listings was quick via Facebook Messenger and would usually result in a response, so it made arranging in-person viewings easy. We also found that both Facebook Marketplace and Craiglists often had rentals that were more affordable than the other methods above and would be more suitable if you’re looking for a single room and sharing a space with roommates.
Be wary that on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist you’re more likely to find rental scams with people posing as landlords and taking payments. Do not make any payments without seeing or inspecting a place first and they cannot charge for in-person viewings. Other red flags include no photos or contact information, rental prices that are ‘too good to be true’ and requests for cash payments or through third party payment providers.
Always Inspect The Property In-Person
We recommend to always inspect a place in-person and never settle for just photos or videos when you’re looking for a rental in Vancouver (or anywhere in the world). There is so much that you don’t get to see or experience until you attend the in-person viewing like trying the light switches, testing the plumbing and feeling out the ambience of a place. As mentioned above, landlords who try to avoid this could be scams so watch out.
Submit Your Rental Application
Once you’ve completed the steps above and found a place you like, submit your rental application ASAP. The Vancouver rental market is so highly competitive that it can feel like rentals are first-come-first-served so treat it as such. If you followed the first step and have your documents ready, you should be able to submit your application as soon as you’re done viewing (unless you already pre-submitted).
That sums up our tips and recommendations on how to find a rental in Vancouver, BC. This advice applies to anyone but particularly for those on a working holiday visa as we know from personal experience it can be tricky not having a history or experience in Canada already. We hope this advice has been helpful and if you have any further questions on renting in Vancouver or want to know more about our experience, don’t hesitate to reach out.