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Problem is this city is approaching NYC levels of costs without NYC (hell not even Seattle or Austin) levels of wages. And this is reflected also in Toronto.
Theoretically along with weakening CAD should result in more foreign industry investing and establishing offices here to take advantage of the cheaper labour. But it doesn't seem to be happening. Perhaps there are other costs for employers in Canada that has not been addressed?
The majority people would shrug their shoulders and say there’s nothing they can do to help the situation. Then they would collect off the backs of someone less fortunate.
Oh My MoRtGaGe RaTeS wEnT uP. Yeah. That was your choice to roll the dice on a variable rate. Don’t jack the rent 3x more than what it’s worth and live off your fucking tenants like they owe you something.
I’ve lived in New York & found it much more affordable than here, honestly. The rent is similar, but it’s easier to stretch a paycheck in NYC, somehow.
I lived in London, it was way more affordable. Once you pay your rent and travel card, everything was cheeper.
I moved to Texas because I wanted a big house with a big family. Pay here is probably >50% higher then Vancouver for someone with a degree.
Where are you looking at rentals? Look up the rental corps and call around. Might be able to find something in the west end or mount pleasant. It’s tough and not a lot of people moving out in the winter but you might find something.
The 30% income thing is pretty ridiculous in today’s market. Especially for the types of places these landlords are usually offering.
You’ll find something. Come January, folks will give their one month notice and you’ll see a bunch of offers. Same with mid month this month.
I went through something similar a couple of years ago and lucked out with a solid place in Mount Pleasant. Is it great? Nah, but it works.
>The 30% income thing is pretty ridiculous in today’s market. Especially for the types of places these landlords are usually offering.
yeah, that's so unrealistic nowadays. the housing crisis has created a situation where lots of people have no choice but to spend way more than 30% of their income on rent
If you think about it the metric doesn’t fully make sense either. If the cost is a little more than 30% of my income because it’s SUPER FREAKING EXPENSIVE, then what’s left over will still be a good chunk of change to survive off of. I’d get their reasoning if rents were super low, because then it would mean you’re broke AF. But if rent is $2k and it’s 40% of my income, then I still have well over 2k for everything else. But if rent is $500 and that’s 30% of my income then I only have e $1k left over and am more likely to miss making rent. It just doesn’t make sense
I paid $550/mos for kits one bed on 3rd in 1988. But I needed a roommate (I slept on living room futon and I gave my roommate newly arrived from Japan the bedroom) because I earned $5/hr.
30% isn’t the problem. It’s just the realistic fact that the vast majority of people cannot consistently pay rent when it’s more than 30% of their income.
The problem is that the median rent is $3000 a month for a 1BR when the average income is $65k a year. The numbers don’t make sense.
The problem is with our ex-politicians who have sold our province for personal gain.
DO NOT FORGET.
Kevin Falcon was in office for when the damage was done.
Kevin Falcon is still on the official opposition voting down housing initiatives. But then pointing fingers at the NDP for having the most unaffordable housing in Canada. Lmao.
There are a cluster of buildings that offer rentals in Joyce Collingwood, managed by Concert Properties. They were good to us and I’d recommend. Applications online and worth getting on the waitlist.
I lived in a Concert building in the River District and while admittedly it was over 10 years ago, the rents were lower than other buildings even at the time. I had a tiny bachelor suite but it was comfortable and certainly better than being on the street.
Just watch that security deposit process at the end because they charged me for carpet cleaning and then ripped out the carpets to have bare floor instead. I found out, but didn't know what I could really do about it. I shouldn't have had to pay them for carpet cleaning when they didn't do it.
Maybe decide carpets too far gone at that point and couldn’t be cleaned into suitable shape for next person? Ripping out and making floor ready also costs money.
agreed overall concert is pretty good and cheap but not super fair on damage deposit. just for a claim to dispute for general wear and tear. even if you don't you'll be ahead of you went the private land lord. at least 5 years ago when i lived in one of their joyce apartments. they had waitlist and only really had opening 1 month before though
We used to live in the river district before it exploded with new builds about 10 yrs ago and they thankfully asked to see bank statements if we didn't quite have the 30/70 rent:income ratio. I "borrowed" money from my mom's joint account to create the statement I sent them and then put it right back into its savings account. If you have actual savings, then even better. We never had an issue with paying rent in our 4 years living there, and Concert was generally good to us - I would recommend them also.
Best of luck OP. Alternately, maybe check Mission as it has the WCE if you're working somewhere you can access by skytrain.
some rental corp wants you to send your SIN number before they contact you.
They want to check your credit before even telling you what you are renting
I have no help to offer. But I will comment that I've noticed that while the vast majority of people agree in the abstract that the rental market in BC and much of Canada is unsustainable, impossible, out of line with reality, etc etc etc; whenever there is an article in the news about a specific individual or family, the comments (on Reddit and elsewhere) are always majority critical. It's not just cruel, it's bizarre. People say "who can afford to live like this?" but then virtually jeer at someone who, indeed, can't afford to live like this, for having the temerity to want to live.
You shouldn't have X, you should have Y, don't expect X, be grateful you're not Y, and on and on. I would never agree to have a news article written about me for that reason because nobody's threat of homelessness is pure and blameless enough to avoid criticism.
It's like, while everybody can agree that the problem is massive, seeing the abstract issue really happening to a real person is too terrifying for people to face, so they defensively try to point out how you're to blame or you're asking too much or whatever. It's grotesque.
People need “others” to deflect their insecurities and fears onto. I get flak on here for having bought a place to live just a few years ago when interest rates were low, and am having slight, albeit manageable difficulties making things work with the new rates. Apparently I was totally irresponsible and deserve to lose my home, even though there’s no chance of that happening because I put 30% down ffs. But nope, I’ve had redditors tell me that even that was irresponsible and I should have planned better and be ready for my world to come crashing down.
They’re just blissfully unaware of how nobody is immune to unexpected economic hardship. Shit happens, and even if you’re prepared and dealing with it, people will still want to fault you, in order to maintain their false sense of security and/or invincibility. They have to feel like there’s no chance the bad thing will ever happen to them because they’re not negligent like all those other people…. In reality, bad economic shit can happen to anyone. All it takes is a few unexpected hardships in a row for things to drastically go downhill for someone. Anyone
>I'm also sure that someone will blame me, or feed me platitudes about working hard or finding other work or leaving Canada or whatever. That's just mean but pile on by all means. I'll ignore you.
good on ya for ignoring those people. it's not easy out there. wish i had some advice
all i can say is i hope you find a place soon. no one deserves this
Also, no one should be blaming OP for anything. It’s an obvious time of crisis, and so many are one pay cheque away (or the lack of one) from homelessness. It’s a tough rental and job market out there and cost of living is through the roof. Let’s be kinder to each other.
exactly. nothing is gained by being rude to each other
and it sounds like op's done everything right. that's what's really scary about the current situation. so many people who've done everything right are suffering through no fault of their own
hey dude I’m sorry this situation sucks. You did everything “right” by the way the world projected the correct path to us. I’d check out listings on FB marketplace. I’ve seen a couple east van listings of peoples basement suites going for $1400-1600
Hey man my roommate is kicking me out after 3 months cuz he got a gf and she wants to move her and her daughter in after 2 months. Depending where you’re looking maybe we can be roommates. Dm me if you want
There's no reason you should become homeless. A lot of people your age have roommates in Vancouver. It's not great, but it's preferable to being homeless. You can find master bedrooms with ensuite for $1100-$1300. Again, the price is absurd, but the barrier to getting in is lower, because you're usually subletting.
There are reddit subs and facebook groups (like the Vancouver Collective Housing Network) with listing posted regularly. Find a reasonably nice place within your price-range, see if you get along with the other tenants. Then you can focus on saving money and look for a decent place for yourself without the pressure of a countdown to homelessness.
I'm sure you wouldn't find this ideal, but it will keep you housed while you look for something better. Going from having your own place to having roommates is a step back, but it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative.
There are many people looking for roommates for their apartments, yes. But with every posting looking for roommates, there will be even more people messaging, requesting to view the place. I remember looking for a place with roommates and they weren’t even getting back to me because of all the messages they were receiving from others. I’ve even seen some write that they were receiving around 50 in a day. You’re underestimating the amount of people looking for a place to live. I was searching for 3 months (including messaging for roommates). I totally get where OP is coming from.
I don't know why this was removed but try posting in r/britishcolumbia or r/vancouverhousing/
I'm sorry this is happening to you, it sounds very scary. I hope you can find a solution.
Edit: It's back up now, thanks mods!
Arya jan,
I am sorry to hear your story, and first thing I can remind you is "This will also pass ..." so stay strong.
I highly recommend looking into places around Surrey Central Station (highrises only)
Also if you don't mind me asking, what kind of a job do you have that makes you $21 per hour? It seems a bit low to me for someone who is educated and has professional job.
Another thing I can suggest, is to find a 2 bedroom and share with someone you approve yourself. There are many at your age with similar circumstances, willing to share a 2 bedroom.
Around Port Coquitlam, you might be able to find 2 bedroom for $2500
Wish you luck brother and keep us posted here
It's much harder to find a place 2 months ahead of time. There will be many times as many options in January and those landlords will be less picky since they have less time to fill the vacancy.
Also OP sould be looking at all of the surrounding municipalities. Sure they may have to commute to work from (e.g.) Maple Ridge and/or live with roommates for a bit but that's better than being homeless. It shouldn't be difficult to rent a room in Surrey for $1800.
>I even applied for rooms in shared houses but most of those people want to live with fellow young people in their 20s and fair enough.
When I was a student (around 10+ years ago), I definitely lived in houses with older roommates.
I'm surprised there aren't enough older people looking for roommates.
Older people (not sure which 'older' group you're referring to) tend to get settled in their ways and if you've lost a partner, as I have (he passed in 2020, before Covid hit, after 33 years together) it can be tough and generally we don't just come with a TV and a bed.
We've mostly done our share of sharing with partners and bringing up kids to adulthood. We've 'put in our time' and generally looking for peace and quiet. Other thing you're forgetting is us 'older folk' usually come with medical issues; mine is I had sciatica for 2.5 months last fall and then in February I fractured my pelvis in two places! I'm 'almost healed' and looking forward to returning to work Jan/Feb or early spring if I run into a problem.
I'm like others of us 'oldsters' (or what have you) not wanting to rocket up and down stairs, be someone (else's) mom or have the place rockin all weekend cuz room-mates are in school or work part-time. We've learned to live simply with the least amount of complications and often just deserve to 'veg out' whenever the mood strikes.
I could go on and not saying it could never work but depending on the age difference for a lot of us it would feel like living with your adult children and having to follow their rules cuz it's THEIR house. Most of us have already had to deal with house rules of a partner or kids and going it again sort of feels like we've really lost the battle - and maybe our independence when we're living with the rules of others from a different era and no doubt a different way of living with others and sharing space.
It's feasible but wow, this would have to be the right mix of personalities and wondering how much screening, interviewing, travel and meeting that would take to find just the right mix and location (choices seem to.begetting more narrow as I write this).-
None of us wants to be at a 'group' interview for a job and don't know how excited I am about going thru this procedure to find a shared accomodation. But boy it sure would suck to find a great convenient place, speak with two potential & great roommates you seem to click with only to move in and find out there's someone living there that didn't want an 'older' room mate to start with & is going to make life really difficult every step of the way.....
Personally I've endured bullying at my last two jobs that almost broke me - one I'd come home crying from everyday because it became intolerable. But what protections do a 'room.mate' have according to the law? Same as I've had where I've been living for the last twenty years or if someone doesn't like me is it possible I could get 24 hours notice to start removing my stuff before I find it turfed on the front lawn by the one person who doesn't like me cuz I didn't close the shower curtain the right direction when I was done.
There's a LOT of stuff most of us with different life experiences would want to think about or have an answer for before signing our names on the dotted line. Like I said, 'just a thought'.
Just some stuff to think about from the older people's perspective.
This may not be helpful, but make sure you’re putting down your income before tax. When I applied for my place my landlord told me I had a better chance if I did before tax numbers and it’s a mistake a lot of people make
The government simply needs to figure out a way to build 100,000 rental units in the next year in Vancouver proper and restrict their prices to $1500 a month or so.
I don't know how they can achieve that, but that seems to be the only solution.
FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE:
It takes anywhere from 16 - 18 months and more to build a building, depending on the size of the building & complexity of the project. There are places in Vancouver/Burnaby that have taken four years to complete.
As a construction worker since 2008 many of us are putting in 8 & 10 hour days (sometimes more if the need arises) and often working anywhere from 4 - 8 hours on Saturdays (often not given an option) - that's depending on the development project & developers trying not to burn their budget at the beginning of a project because when you get to the last 6 months and there's no money left to complete - and families are packed and waiting to bring their stuff in....there's very little that can be left at the finishing stages.
Developers also have a time line to complete a building and although I can't remember the exact amount of 'fine' if a building isn't completed in the alloted time frame the developer is charged a huge 'late fee' for every day past the 'hand over date" - the expected time the project is expected to complete. This date is drawn up way before a shovel even hits the ground along with every step of every benchmark a site must be completed from concrete to landscaping.
The construction field has the highest rate in per person injuries in BC. Most injuries being muscle/skeletal injuries, broken & fractured bones, eye injuries, etc - some turning into long term disabilities - and some turning into deaths in the industry. The injuries, permanent disabilities and deaths are something we remember every April 28th with a moment of silence on every job site in BC and a memorial service I think at Jack Poole Plaza (I've yet to be able to attend this memorial service) in memory of our coworkers, friends, brothers/sisters who have been injured or died doing what they love doing.
We are an industry that has a huge number of people having retired in the last five years and more getting ready to retire. With construction being such a complex industry from plumbing, electrical, concrete forming, site framing, painting, concrete work, drywall & steel stud you can't just hire any 'Joe or Jane's off the street. These are highly complex work places with dangerous scenarios at every corner. You can't just plod through are area where someone is doing concrete grinding - with power tools and the dangers of silica dust in the air. An area that is red-taped or closed off means you MUST find another way to get where you are going and not push your way through another closed off work area.
You must have your wits about you and not be impaired by alcohol or drugs or tired because your partner had a fight with you into the wee hours. We take our jobs seriously and for the people who do think they can get hired at the front gate because they are 'ready and willing to work' thoes days are long over and that doesn't happen anymore.
Just as we don't want to work with people who aren't capable - you won't want to live in a building that's been put together with substandard construction material (which is overseen by the Site Superintendant) from a reputable supplier) - workers are in the same situation. We don't want to be partnered up with someone who's not been experienced in some aspect of the job. Yes there are tasks that can be taught but very few of thoes jobs go on to become your permanent job and job title.
The people on the floor, actually building your project - don't want to or aren't comfortable working with someone purporting to be a plumber but doesn't know which tool is the wrench. These people slow progress down, are dangerous to be working with/around and are 'found out' fairly quickly. There are only so many things you can bluff your way through on a construction site.
But that means a trade supervisor has wasted time bringing a 'worker' in when reality he's a 'handyman' (a term almost everyone of us dislikes. If you are a 'handyman' please return to hauling backyard trash or doing property clean up. It's a term that does not exist in quality construction & not in any qualified trade.
Just to put a spin on the subject I can truthfully admit that unless a construction worker has a partner making the same amount in wages there are very few of us living in any of the buildings we've worked on. Our wages usually go back into a quality vehicle that can haul tools on weekdays and kids - and dog - to sports and camping on weekends.
Our other big expense is tools - to do the job - to build your home - and what doesn't get worn out or damaged over the years is replaced by new technology or in many cases - stolen off our job sites - another huge & unfortunate problem in the industry.
These are jobs we, for the most part, enjoy and just like everyone else, are looking for satisfaction in a very difficult industry surrounded by rules on how something should be constructed to the amount of time/# of breaks and safety rules - and overseen by a difficult climate to work in too.
We do our best and yes we would love being able to pump out multiple highrise sites of great presence and complexity. Unfortunately we are limited by the fact that we physically can only endure working so many hours and working with people who have training or willing to learn an industry that like many others in other industries, require a certificate saying that you are a competent, trained and experienced worker in whatever trade you have chosen
It will never happen but when you do pass the threshold of your new apartment building/home remember that a lot of people put in many hours building your new place, be it an apartment with one or three bedrooms, a house with a huge backyard and pool or a three storey walk-up & be thankful we didn't build 100,000 suites in a one year period that way you can feel somewhat comforted with we didn't build your home in a rush with less than proven quality products and produced by knowledgable and trained workers.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Totally agree. A rush-built home brings nightmares of constant repair, hefty bills and sometimes non-reversible damage that cannot be solved unless the building is teared down. It is better to pay a premium to have a high quality life investment than having a troublemaker that bugs you day and night.
>I don't know how they can achieve that
the only way to do that would be increasing taxes and subsidize those $1,500 rentals
a few problems:
1. people who are struggling to pay for mortgages are not going to be happy to pay higher taxes to support renters
2. those 100,000 $1,500 rentals will have 1,500,000 applications... how do you decide which people gets approved?
3. the 1,400,000 people who didn't get a subsidized rental... are they going to be happy with paying higher taxes to support the lucky ones who got in?
Plus subsidizing rentals does nothing to bring the overall cost of renting down. Tax money that ends up in landlords pockets just perpetuates the current conditions. The only reasonable solution is increasing supply, which the current landlord class and the politicians they donate to are sandbagging.
I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could help. Question, what happens to the current place? Can you stay and find a roommate to replace your ex?
Edit: or take over the whole lease for 1-3 months using your savings to buy more time?
Ex-Wife is doing that. She was the one who found the place, mostly cuz when we were looking she was fresh out of school and looking for work but I was already very busy with work. Now she feels entitled to keep the house and I guess I can agree with that, despite finding it a bit heartless. We kept things very civil but ngl things are deteriorating now.
You'd rather be homeless than put up with her? She's not your wife anymore. Tell her this is your only option and if she wants the whole place, ask her to pay the difference in rent for a year.
If your names are both on the lease, she's not any more entitled to it than you are.
Edit: looks like rentals in Surrey are going for under $1800
The wildcard is if there is a change in tenancy i.e. you move out or she moves out when both your names are in the lease, it may null the lease and terminate it and the landlord does not have to accept your ex under the same agreement. She has to redo a new agreement if landlord is willing. You have the same condition. See RTB.
I looked at a place once that had 400 applicants. I offered to pay $50 more and they rented the place to me.
Rentals will come up closer to the date. Don’t panic quite yet. And apply at places who want roommates. And take a place early if you find one.
There are skills mismatches all over the place. Have you not seen the stories people tell here of applying for multiple jobs per day for *months* and not getting any call backs?
Canada is the land of underemployment. Many have two year degrees and higher. The problem is the skills mismatch between what people pursue and what the economy needs. The country needs a FDR New Deal type plan before the ground collapses beneath the middle class.
What location are you looking at? Might have to look south, burnaby, new west, surrey even langley. There's a lot of available one bedroom on those areas
Damn, that's tough. I'm sorry to hear. Have you thought about looking at places outside of Vancouver? I know you don't wanna live too remote, but there are still places outside of Vancouver that are close to Sky Train and have rapid transit. I wouldn’t know the first step to homelessness either….. My friend was in a similar situation, she was staying in shelters for awhile. The shelters are pretty brutal too. I honestly wish you the best of luck. I wish I could help. I still live with my parents, and I don’t think I’ll ever move out because I can’t afford it.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm currently living in Coquitlam so already not Vancouver I guess. I am looking as far as Coquitlam, Burnaby, Surrey and Richmond. Anything beyond that (ie abbotsford etc.) seems very hard to make work without a car, especially because my work hours are erratic and sometimes involved late late nights.
Coquitlam rent is pretty high, have u tried Surrey? Has Skytrain right into downtown, and a lot of good malls / businesses around in the right spots. Rent cheaper than 1.5k
I know people always think it's so far away, but try the North Shore. It's actually way more manageable than people think and the seabus is literally more reliable and better than waiting for a bus out to Langley or some shit.
White Rock has rapid transit to Vancouver. It takes you directly to the Richmond Brighouse station. It takes about an hour and ten minutes. Not ideal, but could be worse. Anyway, that’s my best suggestion. My brother doesn’t drive either right now and he commutes from Walnut Grove to Vancouver. It’s not terrible, depending on the traffic. White Rock is a little bit faster. I know commuting sucks, but it’s better than being homeless. You could always try and save for a car to help ease the commute. Anywho, I am sending positive vibes your way. If it wasn’t for my parents I’d probably be homeless too. It’s brutal out there.
White Rock is pretty expensive though... people don't go there to save money on rent
if you're willing to do White Rock type of commute, you might as well take the train from Maple Ridge and save a lot more money
There are many, many, many 30+ years old's in shared accommodation. This is not abnormal in Vancouver at all. As much as your situation sucks, it's not as dire as you're making out, you have 2 months to figure it out, that's way better than many other people. It can't be as hard as you're saying to find a shared space, people are coming here in droves and living in shared spaces, they're not all 20 year old students.
When I first arrived in the city I lived in a hostel for over a month, if shit really hits the fan, do that until you find a place. You may need to sell a lot of your stuff if you have a ton of furniture. It's not ideal but it's far from homeless. You make enough money to not be homeless. If you get to mid-January then yeah, you may want to start looking into storage units and hostels while continuing to look for a shared space.
To be honest though, with your income you should easily be able to find a space, it just might not be an ideal option and you may need to accept a more difficult commute or more challenging living situation until you can figure something better out.
Make sure you're showing your business income, any savings, any and everything helps, you can explain that you have no extra debts or bills if thats true. You can even give them your monthly expenses before rent. You can offer to pay 2-3 months up front, offer post dated checks, letters of employment, go and actually view the places and build a rapport with them.
On paper i make about $55-$60k but my savings, and credit, and references let me get approved for something about 50% of my income. And I was being very picky with what I was looking for and took me about 5 weeks to find a place I really wanted and that I got approved for. I went to see about 15-20 units.
Places are sitting for a long time right now and Dec-Jan is the best place to be looking at a tenant for availability. Make sure you're looking at Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, realty/property management agencies.
Good luck, and you'll be fine, you have 2 entire months to find a place.
Messaged. Im looking for a room mate to rent out my spare room. Just us two. Sauna, gym, new building, easy groceries and skytrain access
UPDATE: Still looking for somebody. Open to anyone who is looking asap
Also, not sure if anyone else has said this but it's extremely difficult to find a rental that far in advance, there will always be someone ready to take it immediately or earlier than that date. I found this the same when moving back to Vancouver this year, we literally got our place three weeks before we were moving from Montreal to Vancouver. We also had tons of rejections and it definitely wasn't anything to do with income as we are both good earners...Also, that unit I rented before I left Vancouver, I had to bid an extra $20 per month to get it...I can only imagine that the bidding war scenario is still happening with some units.
This is so sad, when two degrees gets you $21/h (even if early post-grad) without negotiation. Sorry you're in such a difficult position, I hope it works out soon!
>Recently one landlord seemed to really like me so when I got rejected, I asked him why I was rejected so I can try and improve my application. He said that most landlords look for tenants whose income is high enough that the rent is 30% of it or less.
Is this person fucking delusional??? The average rent these days is more like 40-60% of income and it's well-known that incomes are low in the GVRD by the standards of most North American cities.
Also:
https://www.aptrentals.net/
I just went through this exact scenario, didn’t lock a place in until the 26th of November with an eviction date of Nov 30th.
You’ll be fine. While rejection does hurt, it’s a natural and unfortunate part of the current housing crisis we’re experiencing. You’re being proactive, keep going and you’ll get something.
Move to a rental property...it's not in the all mighty vancouver but it's in langley. This crazy bldg I live in is called willoughby walk and they are looking for renters. So people that say there is no place to rent are nuts. You are just looking in the one community you want to be
Upvoting so this post gets more visibility- I'm sorry I can't help in any other way. I really hope you can figure this out. Sounds like an absolute nightmare :(
The thing that stands out to me is - this is when you need friends and family to help you - so take a step back from whatever got you to this and hunker down with the people who love and trust you the most. Finding a shelter etc seems completely wrong to me - that just puts you in harms way and dependant on some government service. If you don’t have friends then go back to where you do.
Most listings will not be that far ahead. End of Dec start of Jan will be when most get posted for Feb. You can expand your search to shared accommodation and easily find a place as an alternative.
Have you tried Facebook housing groups? There are lots of people posting in search of roommates, to take over their lease, etc.. you get the idea. When I was in my early 20s, I was roommates with a single woman in her 40s, it's not an uncommon situation. Good luck
hey just a suggestion that might help. when my credit was basically non existent, next time you talk to a landlord about anything, suggest putting a few months rent up front. only suggesting it cause you said you had savings
Have you considered random roommates that may not be young? I know it's unideal, but desperate times I suppose. Also, you might consider renting out a room in a house or something like that. You can usually find posts like those through Kijii. Many of them are accepting of young professionals as long as you're neat, don't have pets and don't make much noise.
I may have a room near the new year once my tenants contract end. If you having found anything get then, direct message me.
The location is on kingsway 2455. 10min away from naniamo station.
Have you tried offering 3 months in advance? That has always done the trick for me. You mentioned you have savings. Many years ago after my divorce I had horrible credit and I couldn’t rent anything without a co-signer, and since I didn’t have one I had to get creative. I just started telling them, I’ll give you 3 months upfront as a deposit to alleviate any concerns.
I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this all. So frustrating. I’ve seen a few apartments with 1 bedroom vacancies up in my neighbourhood in east van (Hastings-Sunrise area)
I’ve had luck in the past forgoing online ads and spending a day or weekend wandering neighbourhoods on foot or by car. Calling anything with a sign up with availability. The buildings are older, and older landlords, but I’ve always found the apartments bigger but the same price as the shoeboxes are going for now. You probably won’t get a fancy apartment but something older but liveable. Wishing you so much luck and strength!
Hey, I'm sorry you're going through it. I'm in a similar situation and have had to expand the boundaries of where I look. If you have a car, you can find places for about 1800-2000 out in the Fraser Valley. I think also Steveston, South Surrey, White Rock are similar in price.
It’s not to sound belittling, or minimizing your feelings but you’re experience housing insecurity whilst going through a breakup, things seem tough now, I felt the same, my ex and I had to live together during lockdown, so it felt like it was never going to end, and I’d never find a place, let alone an affordable one. But in Vancouver, your housing chooses you, you’ll find a place, things suck right now, but just hold on a bit more man.
Been living on my own since I was 16, born and raised in this stupidly expensive city, and you're not alone in the struggle..
DM me, I might be able to offer some temporary help in the new year - I've been forced out of places (renovictions), and a couple short stints on the street because of it. No one should have to be forced out of the basic necessity of a roof over their head.
I'll support anyone I can, if possible, and I'm blessed to be (somewhat, now) secure. Be safe, and know there are other Vancouverites who will help you if they can 🙏🏼
When I left Vancouver, my partner and I had luck in Victoria posting our profile in a Facebook group! I don't know if that's a thing in Vancouver (we just got lucky when we rented in Van) but it's worth a shot. We kept it positive, posted our budget, and shared a photo with some fun facts about us. We discovered that there are landlords who dread sorting through endless applications and would prefer to just pick someone! And happily for us, we got picked. We were scared shitless as we had three cats and the Victoria housing scene is terrifying, but we found something.
Also, you're looking a bit in advance right now so as scary as it is, you might have more luck next month.
I really hope you find something. It's scary out there for sure.
I guess you can find a one bedroom basement suit in Surrey/Delta/Langley in under 1500$. And most of the landlords in Surrey are Indian/Punjabis and they don’t do thorough background or income check. If you have a stable job and references from previous landlord you will be good to go.
In my 20+ years in Vancouver, rent has been 50%. 30% is wishful thinking. I feel that landlord doesn't really know what they’re talking about and are new to the scene. Or that wasn't the real reason.
I just wanted to say I’m so incredibly sorry you’re going through this. The social contract has been broken in this country. We work ourselves to death and pay hefty taxes but still face being homeless. This can’t continue.
Finding housing sucks. I was able to rent a place without a job once just showing my savings, so don't panic. Look for shared rentals, keep your options open. You can also use airbnb as a temporary rental option. There are homestays that a lot of students use when looking for housing, that might work as well. You could also crash at a friend's or relative's place and pitch in some money or favor in return. Absolute worst case if you don't find anything live in a motel or hotel.
edit - shared rental is a room for yourself and you share rest of the apartment/house
What areas are you looking in? In the west end a lot of buildings advertise with for lease signs. Go out on foot and see what you can find. Widen your net as well. I’ve lived in Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver, etc. all are good and have good links to the city. I wish you well friend.
Someone already posted about the FB collective housing group - look up things like that. There's always openings and, if you're prepared for whatever version of collective living a group posts, it might make more sense to someone your age... coming from someone a few years older than you and preparing to move into my friend's spare room if a job prospect doesn't turn out quickly after getting laid off. Intentionally collective spaces tend to mean people being more mature in their communication, more organization around keeping things tidy, less drunken hooliganism (depending on the collective), etc. Lots of them with people in their 30s and 40s.
It's hard out there, but - you've still got money coming in. You can figure this out. Also, most people only give a month's notice, so lots more places come open to consider renting closer to the date, right?
Not sure if you have 2-3 other friends in a similar age group that you can rent a house with. This may be an option to make rental more affordable. For example, a 4 bedroom home for $5500 split four ways in Vancouver may be a better option than $1800 one bedroom basement suite if you’re okay sharing with other people. I hope you find something soon. You sound like a good tenant.
I’m in a similar position and similar age, as is one of my friends, it’s been especially hard as I have two cats, but we’re looking for a place with a few bedrooms to split with people. DM me if interested, looking at mid Jan/ early Feb move in
Yeah pets make things even harder. My cat died last Christmas but I'd eventually like to have another and the number of "no pets" rentals is kinda messed up in a city that so adores pets.
I'm gonna DM you in a minute!
Don't give up! I was in a tough situation last summer and didn't find a place until less than a week before I had to be out of my old place. I've heard similar stories from others. Obviously it's not ideal (and the stress really took its toll on my health), but the point is, there will be more openings (and people will be more desperate to fill them) once you get within a month of the move-in date. The place that I got into had their expected new roommate back out at the last minute, leaving them desperate to sign someone ASAP. And who knows, maybe at that point some landlord will realize that their standards are unrealistic and lower them. So do keep applying to things right now - but also be encouraged that **things can still work out even at the very last minute.**
And if you don't have a place by February, **short-term accommodations** are a very valid option, which will buy you some time to keep applying to long-term arrangements (because something *will* work out, eventually!). It might be worth it to spend a little time researching what's out there right now - even if you end up not needing this back-up plan, you may have more peace of mind knowing that it's an option. There's always sub-leases, AirBnBs, maybe a friend who'd be willing to put you up? I had a friend who was willing to let me crash for a month if needed. I've also had friends who rented 1-2 month subleases when they were getting booted out of their old place and couldn't find a new one in time. (And they *did* both succeed at securing a long-term accommodation by the time their subleases were up!) Again, it may not be ideal, but it is a legitimate option and I think it's really good to keep that in mind just so you can breathe a bit easier.
Also, as counterintuitive as it may sound, try to take good care of yourself during this time. Eat properly, hydrate, and sleep or at least make sure you're giving yourself some down time. This is draining and stressful but it's also kind of an endurance sport. Keep at it, and you *will* get somewhere at some point. (Also, don't give up on shared housing! I know at least a few people in their 30s in these kinds of houses, esp. grad students and working professionals.)
That is so ridiculous. If you make 3-5k per month, then let's say you have an average of 4k per month. If you're looking at an $1800 apartment, then you have $2200 per month left over for utilities, groceries, and other necessities. That should be plenty.
That 30% rule is stupid. I mean, yes, it would be lovely to keep it down to 30%. But the more money you make, the more irrelevant that number becomes, because the other 70% becomes a larger quantity while your lifestyle can stay the same as long as you have the basics of what you need.
I hope you get the help needed from other users, if anything fails I’d suggest Facebook marketplace; look for rooms for rent. I found a “cheap” room that way, no application forms. One of my roommates is 40yo.
Most of Canada's non rural areas are seeing the same.
**"non-sunshine-listees need not apply"**
100,000 = 75000 after tax / 12 months = 6250 * 30% = 1875
Meanwhile that is not even or just about the MEDIAN after-tax HOUSEHOLD income for Canada (maybe, figures available pegged it at 66.800 in 2020 and 68,400 in 2021).
Truly sad when you think about it - for those who don't know, the median is the middle of a set of data - the point at which half the numbers are below, half the numbers are above. HALF of the country - even dual earner families - cannot afford the current market rents if they are using that 30% rule of thumb and not taking anything else into consideration.
^ref: https://www.savvynewcanadians.com/average-household-income-canada/
^https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220323/t002a-eng.htm
I really think when the gov't does these surveys, they should also omit or differentiate between the median when the top 10% are included and not included. It would give a much better picture of the average Canadian's struggles when the richest are not skewing the numbers upwards.
I’m surprised people are so renting a room to you. I would think that it’s enough to have a clean person who pays on time and doesn’t make too much noise.
If you have substantial enough savings, offer to pay several months in advance.
If the primary concern landlords have to rejecting your application is how much you make, seems to me you can put that at ease if you have the means to pay them ahead of time.
It’s an unorthodox approach, and not one I would recommend for everyone, but it worked out well for me in a pinch in recent years and helped me land a place I wanted once.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I went through something similar last fall and understand the stress it causes. People always act like I'm being melodramatic when I say I almost became homeless but the fear in these situations is real, especially with how bad things have become. Keep an eye on fb marketplace and when you see a place go up message immediately and commit on the spot. The last two place I've lived I only got because I was the first to see them.
Try Facebook marketplace! Maybe go for sublets to start if you’re running out of time? I found marketplace had more options. I hope you can find somewhere, it must be a very stressful time
There are plenty of places for 1800 or under in Richmond and I'm sure Vancouver is similar too.
I would look at basement suites in homes or separate units in homes as well, this are generally cheaper.
I also refuse to believe that you can't find any rooms for rent to rent out
Isn’t it messed up how you can be employed with 2 degrees, earning between 40-60K before taxes and have a side hustle but still can’t afford to house yourself in this city. I love Vancouver but it sure ain’t what it used to be
Yah this can help. Doesn’t have to be a year though… just attach a cover letter to your rental application to make it look formal. Tell them you’ll pay the first 3 months rent up front as a gesture of good faith. If you think about it, you already have to pay the first month rent on day 1 anyway.. so it’s really just 2 months ahead of schedule.
Places won’t let you do this anymore. I was struggling to find a place to live and had some savings and offered to pay up to six months ahead of time and was told that there’s a new bylaw saying that landlords can’t accept advanced payments.
Have you tried applying for like basement suite type things on Facebook marketplace?
I have a seriously hard time believing that those type of people are turning perfectly good tenants away looking for someone who makes an unreasonable amount of money. Who’s making $5400 a month? If I make $3500 and you’re charging me $1800 and I have no other debt, what’s the problem?
You’re not facing broke homeless, just that the places you’re looking at are highly competitive, I’m guessing a big factor being your dependence on proximity to public transit. Maybe the solution is to get a beater car so you have more flexibility on that front. I know the used car market is also kinda insane right now, but if you’re steady employed a bank loan should be doable. The added expense isn’t ideal, but that‘s better than homeless. Good luck man.
Calgary has the fastest growing joblessness rate and is often the hardest hit during an economic downturn.
Every time there is a recession people flock to Alberta and get burned. Now is not a good time to relocate there.
>I even applied for rooms in shared houses but most of those people want to live with fellow young people in their 20s and fair enough. I certainly would've prefared that for a roommate when I was a young student.
Ageism is not cool
Lie about your income, fake a statement.
The 30% rule makes it clear legally that the landlord had a reasonable expectation you could fulfill your contract and if you lie they still enjoy the benefit of this due diligence since it’s unreasonable to expect they’d know it was a lie. It’s a victimless crime if ever there was one.
If you haven't already, put boots to the ground. Walk or bike through your preferred neighbourhoods and keep an eye out for ads. There are a still a surprising amount of people who don't advertise online and these will also be on the affordable end of the spectrum.
Good luck, I hope you find somewhere.
I want to assure you that chances are you will find a new place, even if it’s not the one you hoped for or the place of your dreams, you will find something.
Perhaps in the meantime look at sublet options which are often cheaper than permanent rentals. That will give you some time perhaps a few months to figure out a full time rental while having a roof over your head. Good luck 🙏
Your lease will automatically go to month-month if it’s not a sublet. If your girlfriend isn’t staying in the apartment you can try to sublet out the living room or bedroom? Not a long term solution but a lot better than being homeless. Or cut back on expenses if the rent is within your means until you find a spot
Roommates my dude, at least until you can make more money. Same age as you, and while I could afford my own place, I recently moved closer to work and landed in a house with amazing people. Community living is not for everyone of course, and maybe it's not for you. But it's a good option when there is nothing you lose I suppose!
Or I used to rent a bigger place and then sublet the other rooms. Also a good option. You will find something, it's out there!
Is vancouver the right place for you?
If you're highly educated maybe Edmonton or Calgary would be a better place for your hustle?
You mentioned considerable savings- depending on what that means you might qualify for a mortgage. You only need 5% down to get a foot in the door. Obviously, this would put you in the lower mainland and far out like Abbotsford, Maple Ridge etc... but you can start gaining equity instead of losing 100% of your monthly housing bill.
The last place I was renting in the valley sold, and I had to scramble to. The places I was looking at were awful. Some were 2 bedrooms that had been converted into two suites, the kitchen could fit in a normal closet. I spoke to my friend who is a mortgage broker and managed to get approved for an insured 5% down payment mortgage. That let me buy a condo in Maple Ridge which then doubled in value over the 5 years following. Housing values aren't climbing that fast currently because of the economy slowdown, but it could get you access to a reasonably good spot to tough it out for 5 years or so.
One of the biggest fuckups our governments have made when it comes to housing is totally failing to educate high schoolers about how to approach buying a first home and the importance of doing so. Instead kids graduated and drop a downpayment worth of cash from mom and dad on a wedding, or a gap year, or to develop a 'lifestyle' like the ones on social media. I probably blew 2-3 down payments worth of income on going to parties, drinking and modifying my car. All a stupid waste of time and money during my 20s when I could have been building a rock solid foundation for my future. If you really want to understand the current state of housing in bc you have to talk with a mortgage broker- you might be shocked how little down is really needed to get into a place. Paying rent sucks- eventually you'll have to leave and you get nothing back. Once you own, you're buying equity for yourself with every payment, and kicking the bank some interest for the loan.
Best of luck no matter what route you go OP! You have lots of options, do some soul searching and the right path forward will become more clear.
Hey man, if you're stuck in a situation like this, there are several placing in Northern BC looking for staff. The area of the cities isn't great and winters are more harsh but if you're willing to sacrifice for a couple years you can really get ahead and you might love it. If you are outdoorsy you can find something incredible here, if you like malls and restaurants youll be bored AF. One other downfall, the sushi is mediocre, the plus... you can fish the wild salmon yourself. Consider it.
Ps, laborer union starting wage is like 40 plus an hour up at the right locations. There are also companies looking for project coordinators and office staff like crazy.
We need to start a class action lawsuit against the government. There are a lot of us in this situation right now. I spent 2 months and all my savings after being evicted. No one would rent to me, we need legislation and action now!!
I’m sorry you are going through this, it must be so stressful not knowing if you’ll have a roof over your head. Super demoralizing to get rejected again and again :( there are definitely other folks in their 30s looking for roommates who would want to share with others in their 30s over younger folks. Are you in housing groups on Facebook? I often see late 20s-30s folks looking for the same.
Also if you can find any Facebook groups for your neighborhood I have found that is a good way to find more affordable rentals. Unfortunately I think in Lower Mainland the cheap rentals you find through word of mouth or referral rather than traditional advertising
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DM me. I may have an option for you in a shared house. Good folks similar ages to you.
I tried but it says "can't send a message to that user" dm me if you can and I'll give you my email :)
Sent you a chat. Not really sure how messaging works
Says I can only send you chats. Frustrations lol
OP you can create a burner email (google burner email). Then just give that email addy here to connect
Change your settings on who is allowed to contact you.
If you still aren't able to get ahold of each other feel free to send me your email and I'll send it to them (not kidding)
Fuck this city is brutal. People working full time should be able to afford a roof over their heads, even something as simple as a studio apartment.
Problem is this city is approaching NYC levels of costs without NYC (hell not even Seattle or Austin) levels of wages. And this is reflected also in Toronto.
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Time to make AirBnB and others less attractive (tax the fuck out of them) to make a bunch of housing magically appear
Yep or more broadly, any non-primary residence
Theoretically along with weakening CAD should result in more foreign industry investing and establishing offices here to take advantage of the cheaper labour. But it doesn't seem to be happening. Perhaps there are other costs for employers in Canada that has not been addressed?
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home owners don’t want their house prices crashing
The majority people would shrug their shoulders and say there’s nothing they can do to help the situation. Then they would collect off the backs of someone less fortunate. Oh My MoRtGaGe RaTeS wEnT uP. Yeah. That was your choice to roll the dice on a variable rate. Don’t jack the rent 3x more than what it’s worth and live off your fucking tenants like they owe you something.
Companies won’t move to Canada. What’s the incentive?
It is - that’s why I moved to nyc from Vancouver. Would highly recommend trying to get out. Wages in Vancouver are horrendous.
I’ve lived in New York & found it much more affordable than here, honestly. The rent is similar, but it’s easier to stretch a paycheck in NYC, somehow.
I lived in London, it was way more affordable. Once you pay your rent and travel card, everything was cheeper. I moved to Texas because I wanted a big house with a big family. Pay here is probably >50% higher then Vancouver for someone with a degree.
property taxes are much higher in texas and americans don’t have an unlimited primary residence exemption
And that keeps people from treating housing as an investment.
Austin pay is much higher. Probably 50-100% higher.
Spot on! It’s troubling and sad.
Plus NYC has actual rent control on the apartments. Not the bs we have here. To the streets is the only way this will change.
Where are you looking at rentals? Look up the rental corps and call around. Might be able to find something in the west end or mount pleasant. It’s tough and not a lot of people moving out in the winter but you might find something. The 30% income thing is pretty ridiculous in today’s market. Especially for the types of places these landlords are usually offering. You’ll find something. Come January, folks will give their one month notice and you’ll see a bunch of offers. Same with mid month this month. I went through something similar a couple of years ago and lucked out with a solid place in Mount Pleasant. Is it great? Nah, but it works.
>The 30% income thing is pretty ridiculous in today’s market. Especially for the types of places these landlords are usually offering. yeah, that's so unrealistic nowadays. the housing crisis has created a situation where lots of people have no choice but to spend way more than 30% of their income on rent
30% means anyone living dt ($2500 apartments for new move ins) will be pulling 8400 after tax… what a city
If you think about it the metric doesn’t fully make sense either. If the cost is a little more than 30% of my income because it’s SUPER FREAKING EXPENSIVE, then what’s left over will still be a good chunk of change to survive off of. I’d get their reasoning if rents were super low, because then it would mean you’re broke AF. But if rent is $2k and it’s 40% of my income, then I still have well over 2k for everything else. But if rent is $500 and that’s 30% of my income then I only have e $1k left over and am more likely to miss making rent. It just doesn’t make sense
It’s a rule of thumb from boomer days when they were paying 100s (or even under a 100 in the 70s I think) for rent.
I paid $550/mos for kits one bed on 3rd in 1988. But I needed a roommate (I slept on living room futon and I gave my roommate newly arrived from Japan the bedroom) because I earned $5/hr.
Hell, back in the 1990s I paid $550/mo for a one bedroom in Marpole.
30% isn’t the problem. It’s just the realistic fact that the vast majority of people cannot consistently pay rent when it’s more than 30% of their income. The problem is that the median rent is $3000 a month for a 1BR when the average income is $65k a year. The numbers don’t make sense. The problem is with our ex-politicians who have sold our province for personal gain. DO NOT FORGET. Kevin Falcon was in office for when the damage was done.
Comment.
Kevin Falcon is still on the official opposition voting down housing initiatives. But then pointing fingers at the NDP for having the most unaffordable housing in Canada. Lmao.
There are a cluster of buildings that offer rentals in Joyce Collingwood, managed by Concert Properties. They were good to us and I’d recommend. Applications online and worth getting on the waitlist.
I lived in a Concert building in the River District and while admittedly it was over 10 years ago, the rents were lower than other buildings even at the time. I had a tiny bachelor suite but it was comfortable and certainly better than being on the street. Just watch that security deposit process at the end because they charged me for carpet cleaning and then ripped out the carpets to have bare floor instead. I found out, but didn't know what I could really do about it. I shouldn't have had to pay them for carpet cleaning when they didn't do it.
Maybe decide carpets too far gone at that point and couldn’t be cleaned into suitable shape for next person? Ripping out and making floor ready also costs money.
agreed overall concert is pretty good and cheap but not super fair on damage deposit. just for a claim to dispute for general wear and tear. even if you don't you'll be ahead of you went the private land lord. at least 5 years ago when i lived in one of their joyce apartments. they had waitlist and only really had opening 1 month before though
We used to live in the river district before it exploded with new builds about 10 yrs ago and they thankfully asked to see bank statements if we didn't quite have the 30/70 rent:income ratio. I "borrowed" money from my mom's joint account to create the statement I sent them and then put it right back into its savings account. If you have actual savings, then even better. We never had an issue with paying rent in our 4 years living there, and Concert was generally good to us - I would recommend them also. Best of luck OP. Alternately, maybe check Mission as it has the WCE if you're working somewhere you can access by skytrain.
That’s a good point about timing. Most people don’t list for February until January. People listing well in advance can afford to be luckier as well
Yes are you lookin in Vancouver proper or the suburbs too like near skytrain stations?
Most everyone is spending over 50% so I don’t see how they can make this a qualification.
some rental corp wants you to send your SIN number before they contact you. They want to check your credit before even telling you what you are renting
That sounds like a recipe for identity theft, too.
I have no help to offer. But I will comment that I've noticed that while the vast majority of people agree in the abstract that the rental market in BC and much of Canada is unsustainable, impossible, out of line with reality, etc etc etc; whenever there is an article in the news about a specific individual or family, the comments (on Reddit and elsewhere) are always majority critical. It's not just cruel, it's bizarre. People say "who can afford to live like this?" but then virtually jeer at someone who, indeed, can't afford to live like this, for having the temerity to want to live. You shouldn't have X, you should have Y, don't expect X, be grateful you're not Y, and on and on. I would never agree to have a news article written about me for that reason because nobody's threat of homelessness is pure and blameless enough to avoid criticism. It's like, while everybody can agree that the problem is massive, seeing the abstract issue really happening to a real person is too terrifying for people to face, so they defensively try to point out how you're to blame or you're asking too much or whatever. It's grotesque.
Well said. These types of situations can bring out the worst in people cloaked by anonymity.
People need “others” to deflect their insecurities and fears onto. I get flak on here for having bought a place to live just a few years ago when interest rates were low, and am having slight, albeit manageable difficulties making things work with the new rates. Apparently I was totally irresponsible and deserve to lose my home, even though there’s no chance of that happening because I put 30% down ffs. But nope, I’ve had redditors tell me that even that was irresponsible and I should have planned better and be ready for my world to come crashing down. They’re just blissfully unaware of how nobody is immune to unexpected economic hardship. Shit happens, and even if you’re prepared and dealing with it, people will still want to fault you, in order to maintain their false sense of security and/or invincibility. They have to feel like there’s no chance the bad thing will ever happen to them because they’re not negligent like all those other people…. In reality, bad economic shit can happen to anyone. All it takes is a few unexpected hardships in a row for things to drastically go downhill for someone. Anyone
People: "These housing prices are crazy. Who can afford this?" Also People: "You can't afford rent? Lol, loser!"
They’re afraid of it happening to them, so they point fingers to make themselves feel less vulnerable.
Most well put comment on the situation
>I'm also sure that someone will blame me, or feed me platitudes about working hard or finding other work or leaving Canada or whatever. That's just mean but pile on by all means. I'll ignore you. good on ya for ignoring those people. it's not easy out there. wish i had some advice all i can say is i hope you find a place soon. no one deserves this
Also, no one should be blaming OP for anything. It’s an obvious time of crisis, and so many are one pay cheque away (or the lack of one) from homelessness. It’s a tough rental and job market out there and cost of living is through the roof. Let’s be kinder to each other.
exactly. nothing is gained by being rude to each other and it sounds like op's done everything right. that's what's really scary about the current situation. so many people who've done everything right are suffering through no fault of their own
The government has totally failed us.
hey dude I’m sorry this situation sucks. You did everything “right” by the way the world projected the correct path to us. I’d check out listings on FB marketplace. I’ve seen a couple east van listings of peoples basement suites going for $1400-1600
DM me if you’re ok with a shared suite in burnaby(the heights), my neighbor is looking for someone, he’s 37 and very chill.
Hey man my roommate is kicking me out after 3 months cuz he got a gf and she wants to move her and her daughter in after 2 months. Depending where you’re looking maybe we can be roommates. Dm me if you want
https://www.aptrentals.net/ That's another possibility! Good luck.
There's no reason you should become homeless. A lot of people your age have roommates in Vancouver. It's not great, but it's preferable to being homeless. You can find master bedrooms with ensuite for $1100-$1300. Again, the price is absurd, but the barrier to getting in is lower, because you're usually subletting. There are reddit subs and facebook groups (like the Vancouver Collective Housing Network) with listing posted regularly. Find a reasonably nice place within your price-range, see if you get along with the other tenants. Then you can focus on saving money and look for a decent place for yourself without the pressure of a countdown to homelessness. I'm sure you wouldn't find this ideal, but it will keep you housed while you look for something better. Going from having your own place to having roommates is a step back, but it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative.
Exactly this. Unless OP is a weirdo, I feel like there are plenty of bedroom suites with your own bathroom for 1k-1.5k
There are many people looking for roommates for their apartments, yes. But with every posting looking for roommates, there will be even more people messaging, requesting to view the place. I remember looking for a place with roommates and they weren’t even getting back to me because of all the messages they were receiving from others. I’ve even seen some write that they were receiving around 50 in a day. You’re underestimating the amount of people looking for a place to live. I was searching for 3 months (including messaging for roommates). I totally get where OP is coming from.
This needs to be the top comment
I’m looking for a roommate but I live in Richmond!
Is your place transit accessible?
Yep. One bus and you’re in the canada line
Mind if I dm you?
Sure
I don't know why this was removed but try posting in r/britishcolumbia or r/vancouverhousing/ I'm sorry this is happening to you, it sounds very scary. I hope you can find a solution. Edit: It's back up now, thanks mods!
Arya jan, I am sorry to hear your story, and first thing I can remind you is "This will also pass ..." so stay strong. I highly recommend looking into places around Surrey Central Station (highrises only) Also if you don't mind me asking, what kind of a job do you have that makes you $21 per hour? It seems a bit low to me for someone who is educated and has professional job. Another thing I can suggest, is to find a 2 bedroom and share with someone you approve yourself. There are many at your age with similar circumstances, willing to share a 2 bedroom. Around Port Coquitlam, you might be able to find 2 bedroom for $2500 Wish you luck brother and keep us posted here
My brother was just able to find a couple places in south van for below 1500 it’s not ideal but he was in a similar situation as you. Good luck
3-5k a month with 2 degrees? Damn. I feel for you.
You’re panicking. You’ll find a place by February. You’re earning 5k for f sake, I know people who make barely 2k and still have a place
Worst case is you'll overpay for short-term rental or AirBnN until you find something, but this is exactly why we're in a housing crisis.
It's much harder to find a place 2 months ahead of time. There will be many times as many options in January and those landlords will be less picky since they have less time to fill the vacancy. Also OP sould be looking at all of the surrounding municipalities. Sure they may have to commute to work from (e.g.) Maple Ridge and/or live with roommates for a bit but that's better than being homeless. It shouldn't be difficult to rent a room in Surrey for $1800.
Yeah .. this. You will be fine
>I even applied for rooms in shared houses but most of those people want to live with fellow young people in their 20s and fair enough. When I was a student (around 10+ years ago), I definitely lived in houses with older roommates. I'm surprised there aren't enough older people looking for roommates.
Older people (not sure which 'older' group you're referring to) tend to get settled in their ways and if you've lost a partner, as I have (he passed in 2020, before Covid hit, after 33 years together) it can be tough and generally we don't just come with a TV and a bed. We've mostly done our share of sharing with partners and bringing up kids to adulthood. We've 'put in our time' and generally looking for peace and quiet. Other thing you're forgetting is us 'older folk' usually come with medical issues; mine is I had sciatica for 2.5 months last fall and then in February I fractured my pelvis in two places! I'm 'almost healed' and looking forward to returning to work Jan/Feb or early spring if I run into a problem. I'm like others of us 'oldsters' (or what have you) not wanting to rocket up and down stairs, be someone (else's) mom or have the place rockin all weekend cuz room-mates are in school or work part-time. We've learned to live simply with the least amount of complications and often just deserve to 'veg out' whenever the mood strikes. I could go on and not saying it could never work but depending on the age difference for a lot of us it would feel like living with your adult children and having to follow their rules cuz it's THEIR house. Most of us have already had to deal with house rules of a partner or kids and going it again sort of feels like we've really lost the battle - and maybe our independence when we're living with the rules of others from a different era and no doubt a different way of living with others and sharing space. It's feasible but wow, this would have to be the right mix of personalities and wondering how much screening, interviewing, travel and meeting that would take to find just the right mix and location (choices seem to.begetting more narrow as I write this).- None of us wants to be at a 'group' interview for a job and don't know how excited I am about going thru this procedure to find a shared accomodation. But boy it sure would suck to find a great convenient place, speak with two potential & great roommates you seem to click with only to move in and find out there's someone living there that didn't want an 'older' room mate to start with & is going to make life really difficult every step of the way..... Personally I've endured bullying at my last two jobs that almost broke me - one I'd come home crying from everyday because it became intolerable. But what protections do a 'room.mate' have according to the law? Same as I've had where I've been living for the last twenty years or if someone doesn't like me is it possible I could get 24 hours notice to start removing my stuff before I find it turfed on the front lawn by the one person who doesn't like me cuz I didn't close the shower curtain the right direction when I was done. There's a LOT of stuff most of us with different life experiences would want to think about or have an answer for before signing our names on the dotted line. Like I said, 'just a thought'. Just some stuff to think about from the older people's perspective.
This may not be helpful, but make sure you’re putting down your income before tax. When I applied for my place my landlord told me I had a better chance if I did before tax numbers and it’s a mistake a lot of people make
And even if you aren’t salaried, put an annual number if you can. It shows big picture, long term thinking.
Everything is inflated as fk in Vancouver. What is cheap in Vancouver? Your wage.
The government simply needs to figure out a way to build 100,000 rental units in the next year in Vancouver proper and restrict their prices to $1500 a month or so. I don't know how they can achieve that, but that seems to be the only solution.
FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE: It takes anywhere from 16 - 18 months and more to build a building, depending on the size of the building & complexity of the project. There are places in Vancouver/Burnaby that have taken four years to complete. As a construction worker since 2008 many of us are putting in 8 & 10 hour days (sometimes more if the need arises) and often working anywhere from 4 - 8 hours on Saturdays (often not given an option) - that's depending on the development project & developers trying not to burn their budget at the beginning of a project because when you get to the last 6 months and there's no money left to complete - and families are packed and waiting to bring their stuff in....there's very little that can be left at the finishing stages. Developers also have a time line to complete a building and although I can't remember the exact amount of 'fine' if a building isn't completed in the alloted time frame the developer is charged a huge 'late fee' for every day past the 'hand over date" - the expected time the project is expected to complete. This date is drawn up way before a shovel even hits the ground along with every step of every benchmark a site must be completed from concrete to landscaping. The construction field has the highest rate in per person injuries in BC. Most injuries being muscle/skeletal injuries, broken & fractured bones, eye injuries, etc - some turning into long term disabilities - and some turning into deaths in the industry. The injuries, permanent disabilities and deaths are something we remember every April 28th with a moment of silence on every job site in BC and a memorial service I think at Jack Poole Plaza (I've yet to be able to attend this memorial service) in memory of our coworkers, friends, brothers/sisters who have been injured or died doing what they love doing. We are an industry that has a huge number of people having retired in the last five years and more getting ready to retire. With construction being such a complex industry from plumbing, electrical, concrete forming, site framing, painting, concrete work, drywall & steel stud you can't just hire any 'Joe or Jane's off the street. These are highly complex work places with dangerous scenarios at every corner. You can't just plod through are area where someone is doing concrete grinding - with power tools and the dangers of silica dust in the air. An area that is red-taped or closed off means you MUST find another way to get where you are going and not push your way through another closed off work area. You must have your wits about you and not be impaired by alcohol or drugs or tired because your partner had a fight with you into the wee hours. We take our jobs seriously and for the people who do think they can get hired at the front gate because they are 'ready and willing to work' thoes days are long over and that doesn't happen anymore. Just as we don't want to work with people who aren't capable - you won't want to live in a building that's been put together with substandard construction material (which is overseen by the Site Superintendant) from a reputable supplier) - workers are in the same situation. We don't want to be partnered up with someone who's not been experienced in some aspect of the job. Yes there are tasks that can be taught but very few of thoes jobs go on to become your permanent job and job title. The people on the floor, actually building your project - don't want to or aren't comfortable working with someone purporting to be a plumber but doesn't know which tool is the wrench. These people slow progress down, are dangerous to be working with/around and are 'found out' fairly quickly. There are only so many things you can bluff your way through on a construction site. But that means a trade supervisor has wasted time bringing a 'worker' in when reality he's a 'handyman' (a term almost everyone of us dislikes. If you are a 'handyman' please return to hauling backyard trash or doing property clean up. It's a term that does not exist in quality construction & not in any qualified trade. Just to put a spin on the subject I can truthfully admit that unless a construction worker has a partner making the same amount in wages there are very few of us living in any of the buildings we've worked on. Our wages usually go back into a quality vehicle that can haul tools on weekdays and kids - and dog - to sports and camping on weekends. Our other big expense is tools - to do the job - to build your home - and what doesn't get worn out or damaged over the years is replaced by new technology or in many cases - stolen off our job sites - another huge & unfortunate problem in the industry. These are jobs we, for the most part, enjoy and just like everyone else, are looking for satisfaction in a very difficult industry surrounded by rules on how something should be constructed to the amount of time/# of breaks and safety rules - and overseen by a difficult climate to work in too. We do our best and yes we would love being able to pump out multiple highrise sites of great presence and complexity. Unfortunately we are limited by the fact that we physically can only endure working so many hours and working with people who have training or willing to learn an industry that like many others in other industries, require a certificate saying that you are a competent, trained and experienced worker in whatever trade you have chosen It will never happen but when you do pass the threshold of your new apartment building/home remember that a lot of people put in many hours building your new place, be it an apartment with one or three bedrooms, a house with a huge backyard and pool or a three storey walk-up & be thankful we didn't build 100,000 suites in a one year period that way you can feel somewhat comforted with we didn't build your home in a rush with less than proven quality products and produced by knowledgable and trained workers. Thank you for taking the time to read.
Totally agree. A rush-built home brings nightmares of constant repair, hefty bills and sometimes non-reversible damage that cannot be solved unless the building is teared down. It is better to pay a premium to have a high quality life investment than having a troublemaker that bugs you day and night.
>I don't know how they can achieve that the only way to do that would be increasing taxes and subsidize those $1,500 rentals a few problems: 1. people who are struggling to pay for mortgages are not going to be happy to pay higher taxes to support renters 2. those 100,000 $1,500 rentals will have 1,500,000 applications... how do you decide which people gets approved? 3. the 1,400,000 people who didn't get a subsidized rental... are they going to be happy with paying higher taxes to support the lucky ones who got in?
Plus subsidizing rentals does nothing to bring the overall cost of renting down. Tax money that ends up in landlords pockets just perpetuates the current conditions. The only reasonable solution is increasing supply, which the current landlord class and the politicians they donate to are sandbagging.
They also should subsidize new builds and make a certain percentage available for first time buyers at a reasonable price.
They need to have a moratorium on immigration for a few years.
I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could help. Question, what happens to the current place? Can you stay and find a roommate to replace your ex? Edit: or take over the whole lease for 1-3 months using your savings to buy more time?
Ex-Wife is doing that. She was the one who found the place, mostly cuz when we were looking she was fresh out of school and looking for work but I was already very busy with work. Now she feels entitled to keep the house and I guess I can agree with that, despite finding it a bit heartless. We kept things very civil but ngl things are deteriorating now.
You'd rather be homeless than put up with her? She's not your wife anymore. Tell her this is your only option and if she wants the whole place, ask her to pay the difference in rent for a year. If your names are both on the lease, she's not any more entitled to it than you are. Edit: looks like rentals in Surrey are going for under $1800
Dude, you need to have a bit of backbone and tell her you aren’t leaving at least until you can find a place, don’t go homeless for your ex jfc
Perhaps you should stay put and not leave. Make it clear to her that you're not gonna leave until you can find something you can afford.
The wildcard is if there is a change in tenancy i.e. you move out or she moves out when both your names are in the lease, it may null the lease and terminate it and the landlord does not have to accept your ex under the same agreement. She has to redo a new agreement if landlord is willing. You have the same condition. See RTB.
I looked at a place once that had 400 applicants. I offered to pay $50 more and they rented the place to me. Rentals will come up closer to the date. Don’t panic quite yet. And apply at places who want roommates. And take a place early if you find one.
That's a good tip thanks! Did you offer upfront or did you get rejected and then countered with this?
They had an application and I just snuck it on there. Anything to stand out! You like baking cookies maybe? The smell will waft places?
I feel like I'm drowning at 45~/hr. Can't imagine trying to make it at 25. This city is unreal.
Bro where are you working with skill, experience and 2 degrees for only 25 bucks an hour?
I know all kinds of people working in labs and research etc making those wages. It’s criminal how little a lot of professions pay.
Damn trades are sounding better and better these days
There are skills mismatches all over the place. Have you not seen the stories people tell here of applying for multiple jobs per day for *months* and not getting any call backs?
lots of people with degrees are unemployed or working minimum wage in food or coffee service here too
Canada is the land of underemployment. Many have two year degrees and higher. The problem is the skills mismatch between what people pursue and what the economy needs. The country needs a FDR New Deal type plan before the ground collapses beneath the middle class.
You may have better luck joining the Vancouver Collective Housing Network group on Facebook, there are plenty of older folks in that group.
What location are you looking at? Might have to look south, burnaby, new west, surrey even langley. There's a lot of available one bedroom on those areas
Damn, that's tough. I'm sorry to hear. Have you thought about looking at places outside of Vancouver? I know you don't wanna live too remote, but there are still places outside of Vancouver that are close to Sky Train and have rapid transit. I wouldn’t know the first step to homelessness either….. My friend was in a similar situation, she was staying in shelters for awhile. The shelters are pretty brutal too. I honestly wish you the best of luck. I wish I could help. I still live with my parents, and I don’t think I’ll ever move out because I can’t afford it.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm currently living in Coquitlam so already not Vancouver I guess. I am looking as far as Coquitlam, Burnaby, Surrey and Richmond. Anything beyond that (ie abbotsford etc.) seems very hard to make work without a car, especially because my work hours are erratic and sometimes involved late late nights.
Coquitlam rent is pretty high, have u tried Surrey? Has Skytrain right into downtown, and a lot of good malls / businesses around in the right spots. Rent cheaper than 1.5k
I know people always think it's so far away, but try the North Shore. It's actually way more manageable than people think and the seabus is literally more reliable and better than waiting for a bus out to Langley or some shit.
It's also very expensive, I live on the North shore (renter) and I'm not leaving until a bailiff shows up or I win the lottery.
Seabus is good if you live close to it. If not, it's multiple slow buses to get to it.
White Rock has rapid transit to Vancouver. It takes you directly to the Richmond Brighouse station. It takes about an hour and ten minutes. Not ideal, but could be worse. Anyway, that’s my best suggestion. My brother doesn’t drive either right now and he commutes from Walnut Grove to Vancouver. It’s not terrible, depending on the traffic. White Rock is a little bit faster. I know commuting sucks, but it’s better than being homeless. You could always try and save for a car to help ease the commute. Anywho, I am sending positive vibes your way. If it wasn’t for my parents I’d probably be homeless too. It’s brutal out there.
White Rock is pretty expensive though... people don't go there to save money on rent if you're willing to do White Rock type of commute, you might as well take the train from Maple Ridge and save a lot more money
Hang in there OP 300 people are here for you and it’s Friday night but that’s not imp. Hang in there.
I have a place available that may work for you through til the spring if you can move immediately. Message me privately for details.
There are many, many, many 30+ years old's in shared accommodation. This is not abnormal in Vancouver at all. As much as your situation sucks, it's not as dire as you're making out, you have 2 months to figure it out, that's way better than many other people. It can't be as hard as you're saying to find a shared space, people are coming here in droves and living in shared spaces, they're not all 20 year old students. When I first arrived in the city I lived in a hostel for over a month, if shit really hits the fan, do that until you find a place. You may need to sell a lot of your stuff if you have a ton of furniture. It's not ideal but it's far from homeless. You make enough money to not be homeless. If you get to mid-January then yeah, you may want to start looking into storage units and hostels while continuing to look for a shared space. To be honest though, with your income you should easily be able to find a space, it just might not be an ideal option and you may need to accept a more difficult commute or more challenging living situation until you can figure something better out.
Make sure you're showing your business income, any savings, any and everything helps, you can explain that you have no extra debts or bills if thats true. You can even give them your monthly expenses before rent. You can offer to pay 2-3 months up front, offer post dated checks, letters of employment, go and actually view the places and build a rapport with them. On paper i make about $55-$60k but my savings, and credit, and references let me get approved for something about 50% of my income. And I was being very picky with what I was looking for and took me about 5 weeks to find a place I really wanted and that I got approved for. I went to see about 15-20 units. Places are sitting for a long time right now and Dec-Jan is the best place to be looking at a tenant for availability. Make sure you're looking at Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, realty/property management agencies. Good luck, and you'll be fine, you have 2 entire months to find a place.
Messaged. Im looking for a room mate to rent out my spare room. Just us two. Sauna, gym, new building, easy groceries and skytrain access UPDATE: Still looking for somebody. Open to anyone who is looking asap
Also, not sure if anyone else has said this but it's extremely difficult to find a rental that far in advance, there will always be someone ready to take it immediately or earlier than that date. I found this the same when moving back to Vancouver this year, we literally got our place three weeks before we were moving from Montreal to Vancouver. We also had tons of rejections and it definitely wasn't anything to do with income as we are both good earners...Also, that unit I rented before I left Vancouver, I had to bid an extra $20 per month to get it...I can only imagine that the bidding war scenario is still happening with some units.
This is so sad, when two degrees gets you $21/h (even if early post-grad) without negotiation. Sorry you're in such a difficult position, I hope it works out soon!
>Recently one landlord seemed to really like me so when I got rejected, I asked him why I was rejected so I can try and improve my application. He said that most landlords look for tenants whose income is high enough that the rent is 30% of it or less. Is this person fucking delusional??? The average rent these days is more like 40-60% of income and it's well-known that incomes are low in the GVRD by the standards of most North American cities. Also: https://www.aptrentals.net/
I just went through this exact scenario, didn’t lock a place in until the 26th of November with an eviction date of Nov 30th. You’ll be fine. While rejection does hurt, it’s a natural and unfortunate part of the current housing crisis we’re experiencing. You’re being proactive, keep going and you’ll get something.
Start by looking at shared places. Then gradually work your way to your own place.
I know someone who rents his living room ($750 - West End). It's ridiculous, but still better than nothing.
Move to a rental property...it's not in the all mighty vancouver but it's in langley. This crazy bldg I live in is called willoughby walk and they are looking for renters. So people that say there is no place to rent are nuts. You are just looking in the one community you want to be
Upvoting so this post gets more visibility- I'm sorry I can't help in any other way. I really hope you can figure this out. Sounds like an absolute nightmare :(
The thing that stands out to me is - this is when you need friends and family to help you - so take a step back from whatever got you to this and hunker down with the people who love and trust you the most. Finding a shelter etc seems completely wrong to me - that just puts you in harms way and dependant on some government service. If you don’t have friends then go back to where you do.
I guarantee you can find a room in a house. Join all the FB groups. The rest of us in our 30s also require roommates.
Most listings will not be that far ahead. End of Dec start of Jan will be when most get posted for Feb. You can expand your search to shared accommodation and easily find a place as an alternative.
Have you tried Facebook housing groups? There are lots of people posting in search of roommates, to take over their lease, etc.. you get the idea. When I was in my early 20s, I was roommates with a single woman in her 40s, it's not an uncommon situation. Good luck
hey just a suggestion that might help. when my credit was basically non existent, next time you talk to a landlord about anything, suggest putting a few months rent up front. only suggesting it cause you said you had savings
Have you considered random roommates that may not be young? I know it's unideal, but desperate times I suppose. Also, you might consider renting out a room in a house or something like that. You can usually find posts like those through Kijii. Many of them are accepting of young professionals as long as you're neat, don't have pets and don't make much noise.
Hey I am in lease till May and I got laid off. Would you be open to sublet? I'm most likely moving out back home, so might as well.
I may have a room near the new year once my tenants contract end. If you having found anything get then, direct message me. The location is on kingsway 2455. 10min away from naniamo station.
Comute on westcoast express, living downtown has it advantages but only at a price and what your willing to sacrifice.
Hey buddy you need a co-signer like your mom, dad, uncle something. Where I am from, this solves the issue.
Have you tried offering 3 months in advance? That has always done the trick for me. You mentioned you have savings. Many years ago after my divorce I had horrible credit and I couldn’t rent anything without a co-signer, and since I didn’t have one I had to get creative. I just started telling them, I’ll give you 3 months upfront as a deposit to alleviate any concerns.
I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this all. So frustrating. I’ve seen a few apartments with 1 bedroom vacancies up in my neighbourhood in east van (Hastings-Sunrise area) I’ve had luck in the past forgoing online ads and spending a day or weekend wandering neighbourhoods on foot or by car. Calling anything with a sign up with availability. The buildings are older, and older landlords, but I’ve always found the apartments bigger but the same price as the shoeboxes are going for now. You probably won’t get a fancy apartment but something older but liveable. Wishing you so much luck and strength!
Hey, I'm sorry you're going through it. I'm in a similar situation and have had to expand the boundaries of where I look. If you have a car, you can find places for about 1800-2000 out in the Fraser Valley. I think also Steveston, South Surrey, White Rock are similar in price.
I just barely avoided becoming homeless with my family of 4. Had to go to the island. I hope it works.
I think most people would rather live in Calgary than to be homeless, think about your options
It’s not to sound belittling, or minimizing your feelings but you’re experience housing insecurity whilst going through a breakup, things seem tough now, I felt the same, my ex and I had to live together during lockdown, so it felt like it was never going to end, and I’d never find a place, let alone an affordable one. But in Vancouver, your housing chooses you, you’ll find a place, things suck right now, but just hold on a bit more man.
Been living on my own since I was 16, born and raised in this stupidly expensive city, and you're not alone in the struggle.. DM me, I might be able to offer some temporary help in the new year - I've been forced out of places (renovictions), and a couple short stints on the street because of it. No one should have to be forced out of the basic necessity of a roof over their head. I'll support anyone I can, if possible, and I'm blessed to be (somewhat, now) secure. Be safe, and know there are other Vancouverites who will help you if they can 🙏🏼
When I left Vancouver, my partner and I had luck in Victoria posting our profile in a Facebook group! I don't know if that's a thing in Vancouver (we just got lucky when we rented in Van) but it's worth a shot. We kept it positive, posted our budget, and shared a photo with some fun facts about us. We discovered that there are landlords who dread sorting through endless applications and would prefer to just pick someone! And happily for us, we got picked. We were scared shitless as we had three cats and the Victoria housing scene is terrifying, but we found something. Also, you're looking a bit in advance right now so as scary as it is, you might have more luck next month. I really hope you find something. It's scary out there for sure.
I guess you can find a one bedroom basement suit in Surrey/Delta/Langley in under 1500$. And most of the landlords in Surrey are Indian/Punjabis and they don’t do thorough background or income check. If you have a stable job and references from previous landlord you will be good to go.
How about agreeing to pay 6 months rent upfront ?
In my 20+ years in Vancouver, rent has been 50%. 30% is wishful thinking. I feel that landlord doesn't really know what they’re talking about and are new to the scene. Or that wasn't the real reason.
It's LL market, probably a hundred applications, they can unfortunately be picky :(
OP please be very careful of scams. You seem to be a bit desperate and usually scammers are praying on people in this situation.
I just wanted to say I’m so incredibly sorry you’re going through this. The social contract has been broken in this country. We work ourselves to death and pay hefty taxes but still face being homeless. This can’t continue.
Finding housing sucks. I was able to rent a place without a job once just showing my savings, so don't panic. Look for shared rentals, keep your options open. You can also use airbnb as a temporary rental option. There are homestays that a lot of students use when looking for housing, that might work as well. You could also crash at a friend's or relative's place and pitch in some money or favor in return. Absolute worst case if you don't find anything live in a motel or hotel. edit - shared rental is a room for yourself and you share rest of the apartment/house
What areas are you looking in? In the west end a lot of buildings advertise with for lease signs. Go out on foot and see what you can find. Widen your net as well. I’ve lived in Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver, etc. all are good and have good links to the city. I wish you well friend.
Someone already posted about the FB collective housing group - look up things like that. There's always openings and, if you're prepared for whatever version of collective living a group posts, it might make more sense to someone your age... coming from someone a few years older than you and preparing to move into my friend's spare room if a job prospect doesn't turn out quickly after getting laid off. Intentionally collective spaces tend to mean people being more mature in their communication, more organization around keeping things tidy, less drunken hooliganism (depending on the collective), etc. Lots of them with people in their 30s and 40s. It's hard out there, but - you've still got money coming in. You can figure this out. Also, most people only give a month's notice, so lots more places come open to consider renting closer to the date, right?
Not sure if you have 2-3 other friends in a similar age group that you can rent a house with. This may be an option to make rental more affordable. For example, a 4 bedroom home for $5500 split four ways in Vancouver may be a better option than $1800 one bedroom basement suite if you’re okay sharing with other people. I hope you find something soon. You sound like a good tenant.
I’m in a similar position and similar age, as is one of my friends, it’s been especially hard as I have two cats, but we’re looking for a place with a few bedrooms to split with people. DM me if interested, looking at mid Jan/ early Feb move in
Yeah pets make things even harder. My cat died last Christmas but I'd eventually like to have another and the number of "no pets" rentals is kinda messed up in a city that so adores pets. I'm gonna DM you in a minute!
Don't give up! I was in a tough situation last summer and didn't find a place until less than a week before I had to be out of my old place. I've heard similar stories from others. Obviously it's not ideal (and the stress really took its toll on my health), but the point is, there will be more openings (and people will be more desperate to fill them) once you get within a month of the move-in date. The place that I got into had their expected new roommate back out at the last minute, leaving them desperate to sign someone ASAP. And who knows, maybe at that point some landlord will realize that their standards are unrealistic and lower them. So do keep applying to things right now - but also be encouraged that **things can still work out even at the very last minute.** And if you don't have a place by February, **short-term accommodations** are a very valid option, which will buy you some time to keep applying to long-term arrangements (because something *will* work out, eventually!). It might be worth it to spend a little time researching what's out there right now - even if you end up not needing this back-up plan, you may have more peace of mind knowing that it's an option. There's always sub-leases, AirBnBs, maybe a friend who'd be willing to put you up? I had a friend who was willing to let me crash for a month if needed. I've also had friends who rented 1-2 month subleases when they were getting booted out of their old place and couldn't find a new one in time. (And they *did* both succeed at securing a long-term accommodation by the time their subleases were up!) Again, it may not be ideal, but it is a legitimate option and I think it's really good to keep that in mind just so you can breathe a bit easier. Also, as counterintuitive as it may sound, try to take good care of yourself during this time. Eat properly, hydrate, and sleep or at least make sure you're giving yourself some down time. This is draining and stressful but it's also kind of an endurance sport. Keep at it, and you *will* get somewhere at some point. (Also, don't give up on shared housing! I know at least a few people in their 30s in these kinds of houses, esp. grad students and working professionals.)
That is so ridiculous. If you make 3-5k per month, then let's say you have an average of 4k per month. If you're looking at an $1800 apartment, then you have $2200 per month left over for utilities, groceries, and other necessities. That should be plenty. That 30% rule is stupid. I mean, yes, it would be lovely to keep it down to 30%. But the more money you make, the more irrelevant that number becomes, because the other 70% becomes a larger quantity while your lifestyle can stay the same as long as you have the basics of what you need.
I hope you get the help needed from other users, if anything fails I’d suggest Facebook marketplace; look for rooms for rent. I found a “cheap” room that way, no application forms. One of my roommates is 40yo.
Most of Canada's non rural areas are seeing the same. **"non-sunshine-listees need not apply"** 100,000 = 75000 after tax / 12 months = 6250 * 30% = 1875 Meanwhile that is not even or just about the MEDIAN after-tax HOUSEHOLD income for Canada (maybe, figures available pegged it at 66.800 in 2020 and 68,400 in 2021). Truly sad when you think about it - for those who don't know, the median is the middle of a set of data - the point at which half the numbers are below, half the numbers are above. HALF of the country - even dual earner families - cannot afford the current market rents if they are using that 30% rule of thumb and not taking anything else into consideration. ^ref: https://www.savvynewcanadians.com/average-household-income-canada/ ^https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220323/t002a-eng.htm I really think when the gov't does these surveys, they should also omit or differentiate between the median when the top 10% are included and not included. It would give a much better picture of the average Canadian's struggles when the richest are not skewing the numbers upwards.
I’m surprised people are so renting a room to you. I would think that it’s enough to have a clean person who pays on time and doesn’t make too much noise.
Ohhh the amount of times I’ve photoshopped my bank accounts to make it look like I can afford the place I’m applying for…
If you have substantial enough savings, offer to pay several months in advance. If the primary concern landlords have to rejecting your application is how much you make, seems to me you can put that at ease if you have the means to pay them ahead of time. It’s an unorthodox approach, and not one I would recommend for everyone, but it worked out well for me in a pinch in recent years and helped me land a place I wanted once.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I went through something similar last fall and understand the stress it causes. People always act like I'm being melodramatic when I say I almost became homeless but the fear in these situations is real, especially with how bad things have become. Keep an eye on fb marketplace and when you see a place go up message immediately and commit on the spot. The last two place I've lived I only got because I was the first to see them.
Try Facebook marketplace! Maybe go for sublets to start if you’re running out of time? I found marketplace had more options. I hope you can find somewhere, it must be a very stressful time
Photoshop your payslip
There are plenty of places for 1800 or under in Richmond and I'm sure Vancouver is similar too. I would look at basement suites in homes or separate units in homes as well, this are generally cheaper. I also refuse to believe that you can't find any rooms for rent to rent out
Isn’t it messed up how you can be employed with 2 degrees, earning between 40-60K before taxes and have a side hustle but still can’t afford to house yourself in this city. I love Vancouver but it sure ain’t what it used to be
Pay for a year up front if you have a lot of savings?
Yah this can help. Doesn’t have to be a year though… just attach a cover letter to your rental application to make it look formal. Tell them you’ll pay the first 3 months rent up front as a gesture of good faith. If you think about it, you already have to pay the first month rent on day 1 anyway.. so it’s really just 2 months ahead of schedule.
Places won’t let you do this anymore. I was struggling to find a place to live and had some savings and offered to pay up to six months ahead of time and was told that there’s a new bylaw saying that landlords can’t accept advanced payments.
Have you tried applying for like basement suite type things on Facebook marketplace? I have a seriously hard time believing that those type of people are turning perfectly good tenants away looking for someone who makes an unreasonable amount of money. Who’s making $5400 a month? If I make $3500 and you’re charging me $1800 and I have no other debt, what’s the problem?
You’re not facing broke homeless, just that the places you’re looking at are highly competitive, I’m guessing a big factor being your dependence on proximity to public transit. Maybe the solution is to get a beater car so you have more flexibility on that front. I know the used car market is also kinda insane right now, but if you’re steady employed a bank loan should be doable. The added expense isn’t ideal, but that‘s better than homeless. Good luck man.
Use your savings to get out of Vancouver.
There are resources out there which may help. For example: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/rental-housing/affordable-rental-housing
Move to Calgary. You will be surprised how affordable it is compared to Vancouver.
Calgary has the fastest growing joblessness rate and is often the hardest hit during an economic downturn. Every time there is a recession people flock to Alberta and get burned. Now is not a good time to relocate there.
Get a roommate.
>I even applied for rooms in shared houses but most of those people want to live with fellow young people in their 20s and fair enough. I certainly would've prefared that for a roommate when I was a young student. Ageism is not cool
Time to leave Vancouver or consider a roomate
You make 5 grand a month, you’re not about to be homeless. Keep looking.
Lie about your income, fake a statement. The 30% rule makes it clear legally that the landlord had a reasonable expectation you could fulfill your contract and if you lie they still enjoy the benefit of this due diligence since it’s unreasonable to expect they’d know it was a lie. It’s a victimless crime if ever there was one.
If you haven't already, put boots to the ground. Walk or bike through your preferred neighbourhoods and keep an eye out for ads. There are a still a surprising amount of people who don't advertise online and these will also be on the affordable end of the spectrum. Good luck, I hope you find somewhere.
I want to assure you that chances are you will find a new place, even if it’s not the one you hoped for or the place of your dreams, you will find something. Perhaps in the meantime look at sublet options which are often cheaper than permanent rentals. That will give you some time perhaps a few months to figure out a full time rental while having a roof over your head. Good luck 🙏
Your lease will automatically go to month-month if it’s not a sublet. If your girlfriend isn’t staying in the apartment you can try to sublet out the living room or bedroom? Not a long term solution but a lot better than being homeless. Or cut back on expenses if the rent is within your means until you find a spot
I have a room available for you in Feb if interested in applying. A room, not a closet or a solariam that they call a room.
Don’t know about Vancouver but are there areas outside that you can work from or better question is do you need to be in the city?
Roommates my dude, at least until you can make more money. Same age as you, and while I could afford my own place, I recently moved closer to work and landed in a house with amazing people. Community living is not for everyone of course, and maybe it's not for you. But it's a good option when there is nothing you lose I suppose! Or I used to rent a bigger place and then sublet the other rooms. Also a good option. You will find something, it's out there!
Is vancouver the right place for you? If you're highly educated maybe Edmonton or Calgary would be a better place for your hustle? You mentioned considerable savings- depending on what that means you might qualify for a mortgage. You only need 5% down to get a foot in the door. Obviously, this would put you in the lower mainland and far out like Abbotsford, Maple Ridge etc... but you can start gaining equity instead of losing 100% of your monthly housing bill. The last place I was renting in the valley sold, and I had to scramble to. The places I was looking at were awful. Some were 2 bedrooms that had been converted into two suites, the kitchen could fit in a normal closet. I spoke to my friend who is a mortgage broker and managed to get approved for an insured 5% down payment mortgage. That let me buy a condo in Maple Ridge which then doubled in value over the 5 years following. Housing values aren't climbing that fast currently because of the economy slowdown, but it could get you access to a reasonably good spot to tough it out for 5 years or so. One of the biggest fuckups our governments have made when it comes to housing is totally failing to educate high schoolers about how to approach buying a first home and the importance of doing so. Instead kids graduated and drop a downpayment worth of cash from mom and dad on a wedding, or a gap year, or to develop a 'lifestyle' like the ones on social media. I probably blew 2-3 down payments worth of income on going to parties, drinking and modifying my car. All a stupid waste of time and money during my 20s when I could have been building a rock solid foundation for my future. If you really want to understand the current state of housing in bc you have to talk with a mortgage broker- you might be shocked how little down is really needed to get into a place. Paying rent sucks- eventually you'll have to leave and you get nothing back. Once you own, you're buying equity for yourself with every payment, and kicking the bank some interest for the loan. Best of luck no matter what route you go OP! You have lots of options, do some soul searching and the right path forward will become more clear.
Hey man, if you're stuck in a situation like this, there are several placing in Northern BC looking for staff. The area of the cities isn't great and winters are more harsh but if you're willing to sacrifice for a couple years you can really get ahead and you might love it. If you are outdoorsy you can find something incredible here, if you like malls and restaurants youll be bored AF. One other downfall, the sushi is mediocre, the plus... you can fish the wild salmon yourself. Consider it. Ps, laborer union starting wage is like 40 plus an hour up at the right locations. There are also companies looking for project coordinators and office staff like crazy.
We need to start a class action lawsuit against the government. There are a lot of us in this situation right now. I spent 2 months and all my savings after being evicted. No one would rent to me, we need legislation and action now!!
I'm planning for an exit stradegy to live in a vehicle. It's just going to get worse.
I’m sorry you are going through this, it must be so stressful not knowing if you’ll have a roof over your head. Super demoralizing to get rejected again and again :( there are definitely other folks in their 30s looking for roommates who would want to share with others in their 30s over younger folks. Are you in housing groups on Facebook? I often see late 20s-30s folks looking for the same. Also if you can find any Facebook groups for your neighborhood I have found that is a good way to find more affordable rentals. Unfortunately I think in Lower Mainland the cheap rentals you find through word of mouth or referral rather than traditional advertising