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On Campus Housing

There are several residences available on SFU's Burnaby campus. Some have restrictions on age or are graduate/undergraduate-specific, and some give priority to students in certain years. You may check your eligibility for the different residences and their amenities here.

Single graduate students usually live in Hamilton Hall in fully-furnished studio-style apartments. When Hamilton Hall is full, graduate students will be offered space in Louis Riel House, which is typically family housing. These are unfurnished one and two bedroom apartments; however they can be furnished for a monthly fee, based on availability.

You can apply for housing here.

Off Campus Housing

Finding housing off-campus can be difficult and stressful, as the market is often expensive and overwhelmed with renters. There are a number of different ways you can go about looking for housing.

My Ideal Home Rental Network

SFU is part of the My Ideal Home Rental Network, which is a North American university-based network consisting of rental portals such as OffCampusHousing101.com and RentBC.com. You can search listings by university, and find apartments, houses, rooms, or use the roommate finder.   

Craigslist.com & Kijiji

One of the most popular independent resources for renting properties in Vancouver is the website craigslist.com. It can also be the busiest and most prone to scams, so be cautious.  The same applies to the less-sketchy Kijiji, which is a Canadian version of the online classified site. Apartments and houses, or single rooms are advertised on this site at the beginning of the month for which they will be rented, and are usually taken within the first couple of weeks. The turnover is rapid, but there are new postings throughout the month. 

Price Range

Vancouver is an expensive place to live, but some savvy house-hunting can result in affordable rent without necessarily having to sacrifice location. Unless you have a car, transit is key in choosing your area as geographical proximity does not necessarily guarantee ease of movement, and some areas are more transit-friendly than others. The most affordable rent per person is in a shared house, and the most expensive is likely to be a single apartment. Legally rent cannot be raised more than 3% per year, so if you are looking for one room in an already leased property with roommates, the rent is likely to have been kept lower. However landlords can set rent at whatever price they wish when beginning a lease with a new set of tenants.

For a one bedroom apartment Downtown, it would not be unusual to pay upwards of $1000-1500 a month. A similar apartment in East Vancouver might be more like $750-800. Similarly, East of Main Street a room in a shared house will range from around $400-800, whereas in Kitsilano a room is more likely to be around the $800 mark.

Popular Areas to Live

Maps from: City of Vancouver and City of Burnaby

Point Grey

This is mostly a quiet suburban family neighborhood close to UBC, Pacific Spirit Park, and Jericho and Sunset Beach. It is one of the more expensive areas in which to rent, but there are still some good deals. You are likely to find basement suites available in this area. Unfortunately, Point Grey is perhaps the farthest point from SFU Burnaby. You can still reach campus via public transit, but the commute could be a long one. One option, the #99 B Line running along Broadway to Commercial Drive Station, takes about 45 minutes. From there, you'd need to spend 20 minutes on the skytrain until you reach Production Way Station and then another 15 minutes on the bus up to the campus. Alternatively, for Harbour Centre campus, you could switch from the #99 at Granville and take the #98 downtown, which would take about an hour.

Kitsilano

This is a young, vibrant, and fairly wealthy part of town, close to several beaches and with shopping and bars close by on Broadway and 4^th Avenue. Similar to its neighbor Point Grey, it tends to be a little higher in rent, but there are still some affordable places. It is also very transit-friendly, as it sits on the #99 B Line route and is also close to the #22 bus downtown.

Granville Street

Granville and its surrounding area are at a major transfer point from Broadway and the suburbs east and west to the downtown core. The #98 and #17 buses cross Granville bridge and head downtown, while the 98 southbound will take you to the airport bus loop. Nearby is Granville Island, a popular area for tourists which also hosts a marketplace and the Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Main Street

Towards the North end is Main Street, which is a very young and trendy area with many restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. It is a typically affordable but highly sought-after area. Further South around 40th Avenue is an area known as Little India, which hosts a large Indian community with many Indian restaurants and clothing stores. The #3 bus runs the length of Main Street and connects with Terminal Station before continuing downtown.

Fraser Street/Kingsway

Although not as highly developed as rental markets in other Vancouver areas, housing here is not too difficult to find and is usually affordable. Located between Main Street and Commercial Drive, these two social hubs are easily accessible by transit; the #19 bus runs from downtown into Burnaby while the #99 and #9 run along Broadway. Commercial Drive Station is also about 10 minutes away by bus.

Commercial Drive/East Vancouver

This is a popular area for a wide range of people, and boasts a strong family and community atmosphere. Commercial Drive offers many different restaurants and cafes, as well as a number of parks. The area has been increasing in popularity in recent years, so you may find the rent a bit higher here, though for the most part prices are still fairly affordable. Broadway Station is nearby and can serve as the transfer point for heading to South Burnaby, the SFU Burnaby campus, and to downtown. The #99 B Line also stops here as well as the #20 bus which runs from further South on the Drive to downtown; on Clark Street, you'll find the #22 bus, which will take you through downtown and back into Kitsilano.

 Downtown

Prices downtown are varied, but generally speaking this is one of the more expensive places to live in Vancouver, and more than likely you would be living in an apartment building. Yaletown is at the higher end of the price range; the West End area may be a little more affordable and is right on the water looking across to Kitsilano. Gastown, the oldest and most eastern part of the city, can be cheaper but is also becoming a very popular area. It is aesthetically very appealing and has a lot of history, and while older buildings come with their problems the area is being developed rapidly. With four skytrain stops across the downtown area (east to west: Stadium, Granville, Burrard, and Waterfront), transit is not far away. Many buses also traverse the downtown area, and Harbour Centre campus is right in the centre of downtown Vancouver, next to Waterfront skytrain station. The downtown eastside is probably one of the cheapest areas of the city but there is also a large homeless population in this area, so this should be kept in mind the further east you look. 

Burnaby

SFU is on the North side of Burnaby Lake. The skytrain allows easy access to both North and South Burnaby, however bear in mind that these areas are on different lines, so transferring is necessary. Also because of the easy skytrain access, it can be faster to commute to the Burnaby campus  from Vancouver than from within Burnaby. Generally rental prices in Burnaby are cheaper than in Vancouver, however in South Burnaby closer to White Rock rent can become more expensive. It is also greener, more suburban, and generally quieter than the city. 

Coquitlam

While geographically closer to Burnaby campus, transit can be slower than coming from Vancouver, and driving can be an issue in the winter when there is snow. However it is more affordable than Vancouver

Viewing

It is a good idea to bring a resume with you when viewing a house to establish your credentials as a responsible tenant! This is especially the case for international students, who are unlikely to have references from previous landlords in the city/country. Landlords like to know that you are able to pay rent, hold down a job, and won't engage in objectionable behavior, so a character reference (preferably from a superior, i.e. an employer) is a bonus.

For very popular locations or when an entire house/apartment is being rented, the landlord may allow one or two days for viewing at a specific time, and have all the potential tenants show up at once or be given ten minute slots to view the property. It can be difficult to make a good and lasting impression in such a short amount of time and ask relevant questions, so be prepared! Some important questions to ask are:

• How much does hydro (water and electricity) cost?
  
• Is the cost of hydro and/or Internet included in the price of rent?
  
• Does the landlord live locally and easily be on-hand if something should go wrong in the house/apartment?
  
• Who is responsible for maintaining the garden (if there is a garden)?
• Are pets allowed?
  

Landlords will often expect a security deposit very quickly to secure a room, and there can also be a pet deposit if you are bringing an animal with you. A lot of places will allow cats and small dogs, but be sure to check beforehand. You should also expect to sign a lease for typically one year, with the contract switching to a month-to-month basis after the first year. Make sure you read your contract thoroughly, and know how much notice you are expected to give, if it is required in writing, and what other clauses are written in with regards to your damage deposit and the maintenance of the house.

See the Rental Tenancy Branch of BC to find out more about your rights as a tenant.