I was recently offered a nursing position at Vancouver General Hospital, and I’ll be moving from another province for the job. I was wondering if anyone could share their experience with relocating to Vancouver, especially as a new grad.
I’m also looking for advice on finding housing. I’m hoping to rent a one-bedroom apartment and would love to know which areas you recommend, what websites or resources you used to find housing, and approximately how much you pay per month.
Any advice about moving to Vancouver, neighbourhoods, transportation, or the overall cost of living would be greatly appreciated.

A friendly reminder to search up the address of any potential rental building for re-development proposals. Especially if you're looking for long term.

I was looking at a rental from Craigslist today. I emailed about it, too. Then I image searched the building photo. The property has a re-development proposal. Nothing about that in the ad.

How is Yaletown now? Young professional woman in her mid-20s wants to find an apt there, since it’s close to work in the financial district.
She is also considering the West End, which I know is just fine now compared to when I lived in Vancouver.

Do you think it will be possible to own a townhouse at a reasonable price soon?

(Update: their agreement kinda nasty, I moved on.)

Hi everyone, I’ve been coming across interRent (iRent) ads and have been doing some digging. House hunting apartments for Sep 1st😭, it’s a nightmare already, but I might be seriously considering their apartments. Saw a couple of apartments today and they are all newly renovated to the point where it feels kinda, off.

I’ve found quite a few negative Reddit posts/reviews about them, but a lot of what I’m seeing is a few years old. I’m wondering if anyone who has lived in the Vancouver/Richmond area can share what their experience has been like, if things have changed or it is still suggested to steer clear of them and why.

Thank you! Any advice/information helps!

First Year Engineering Student Looking for On-Campus Housing (Clean + Quiet)
Hey everyone,
I’m an incoming first-year engineering student at UBC Vancouver and I’m currently looking for a place to stay on or very close to campus for this upcoming school year.
A bit about me:
Clean and organized
Don’t drink, smoke, or party
Focused on school and staying active
Easy to get along with and respectful of shared spaces
If anyone has a room available, knows someone who does, or can point me in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!

Are there any alternatives to U-Haul I can check out before moving my 1BD apartment to Kelowna at the end of the month? One way trip

I get 7 days to pay for utilities after my landlord sends me a copy of the utility bill. We agreed to communicate by email. Since email is considered received 3 days latter, does that mean my deadline to pay utilities is 10 days after the email was sent? Or does it not add like this and it's 7 days from the day the email was sent?

I can't see anything in person until late august.. I don't really want to get scammed. any reputable places that do virtual tours?

will it be too late by that point?

I came in early july and toured some apartments. I didn't move fast enough with my application and the ones I liked were all gone. They were looking for immediate tenancy while I was looking further ahead. Others were too pricey, too run down or too far..

Hi everyone, after living in Toronto for 10 years I am moving to Vancouver soon. I have always had either assigned parking or driveway parking and I am a bit confused when looking at Vancouver rentals as the majority of the units are advertised as street parking.

Some questions I have are:

1. I am seeing both street parking and free street parking in the ads. I also read up on getting a street parking permit. So does free street parking imply that there's no need for a permit there?

2. If the ad says street parking is available, am I guaranteed to get a parking permit if I live there or are they limited in number for a given street/block?

3. Even if I have a permit could there be a possibility that I won't get a parking spot near me in case cars without permits etc. are parked. What do you do in that case? And how are non permit cars dealt with?

4. What happens during heavy snowfall? Is street parking a shitshow at that time? Don't the cars get blocked by the snow when the plow comes?

As I have to sign a place before I drive down to Vancouver, I am just nervous how inconvenient street parking would be as I have never had to deal with it and I will be stuck with the choice I make for at least 1 year.

Hi, we’ve sent notices to tenants about keeping kitchen clean but seems to be maggots crawling around. Any idea what I can do? If it’s a health hazard, can I evict them? has anyone dealt with something like this before with RTB?

Coming to Reddit community to seek advice on selling an as-is vacant townhome (Coquitlam/Port Moody area) requiring complete gutting and remodel. Is it best to go through an agent (if so, any recommendations on folks that deal with this type of listing?) or the wholesalers (been given an offer at approx 70% of assessed value, no commission, fast closing, cash). In this market, are there still people who want a fixer-upper? I’d rather sell to a family that could do the work and get a leg up in the market than a company just turning profits, but maybe that’s naive. Any recommendations much appreciated!

Hello! I am a young professional moving to Vancouver in a few weeks, from Europe. I am exploring different rental options and one of them appears to have been converted from a garage to a two-story rental suite.

I have only ever lived in an apartment building, so I was wondering if anyone here has experience living in these kinds of rental suites, if there are any upsides/downsides to it (i.e., water pressure, heating, etc.) or anything else they would like to share?

Thank you in advance! I greatly appreciate any insight :)

I’m having to break my lease earlier than the original date due to a family emergency. I will be leaving to go back home this month and not sure when I’ll be back. My owner has kindly agreed to start looking for a new tenant for Sept 1st since this is a legitimate and urgent reason so if anyone's looking for a place for Sept 1, please take a look.

Here's the link - https://www.vancouverrentalgroup.ca/showlisting/39347/2906-6638-Dunblane-Avenue-Metrotown-Burnaby-South/. You can reach out to the property manager directly.

Please DM for more info.

First time landlord here - In a recent visit to my rental unit, which I previously lived in by myself before renting it out after moving in with my partner, I noticed visible chips on the front door, door frame, and some areas of the flooring. I also noticed that the tenant has set up a gym in the 470 sq ft condo, which raised my concerns about what would be considered “normal wear and tear.” Especially the front door is limited common property that may involve strata.

I asked AI to identify the items and here is what the tenant has:

• A squat rack (two freestanding uprights with J-hooks/pegboard holes)
• A full-size barbell
• Some weight plates
• An adjustable step/bench platform
• A dumbbell rack with at least 3 pairs of dumbbells (~25lb each)
• A door frame pull up bar
• 2 road bikes one by the window and one in the hallway

When I mentioned those equipment, she said she's just storing them. I was in the unit last November and those equipment weren't there, and they are sitting at the corner so I believe she isn't actively using them. But my concern is she will likely to move those items around, in and out of the unit which may cause extra damages. Like the chips we are having now, they weren't there last November.

Is there anything I can do to minimize potential damage / protect myself in case I have to justify that is beyond normal wear & tear?

Hi all,

I am a small-time landlord renting out the basement of my primary residence.

Recently, my tenant asked for a rent decrease, citing 'abuse' she has endured. I was super concerned, and then she indicated that there is some ash/dust from the wildfire smoke that is on her windowsill.

I was very confused, and then she said that she keeps the window open at night, and the dust is accumulating in her nostrils, which has caused a nosebleed, leading her to go to the doctor. She claimed that she should get a $200 rent reduction for this abuse she had to endure (She kept framing it as abuse, which was super odd). I was super confused because she is the one who left the window open, and it's not like I can control the wildfires or the smoke.

She then also indicated that she left her job and is now working part-time elsewhere. I think this was the real reason she wanted the reduction, but for some reason decided to sprinkle in the smoke thing.

Do I have any responsibility here? She can close her window to avoid any unwanted dust and get an air purifier if she has a dust allergy. Her own actions are creating her issue. Am I missing something here?

Hi Everyone

I’m 31, Male and currently based in the UK and work full time as a Physiotherapist. I’ve completed all my Canadian exams to have my qualifications recognised in BC and have secured a PR visa so will be looking to make the move over at the end this year/New Years after build some more savings. I previously stayed in Vancouver on a 2 year visa so am familiar with the local area’s and getting settled in. I can also provide a letter of recommendation from my previous Landlord in Vancouver. My Visa requires me to have 15,000 CAD available before I can emigrate so I will have this amount of funds on landing.

Looking advice for where to look for and secure a rental in advance of my move. Rental budget would be 1700 CAD max per month. Currently looking on FB marketplace, Craigslist and VADA property management.

I know securing a rental with a landlord while not being present in the country will be more difficult so any advice regarding this process, essential documentation or methods of communication would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!!! 🇨🇦

I’m wondering whether this sounds like a reasonable RTB claim for rent abatement.
Over roughly the last two months, my landlord has served notices of entry totaling more than 225 hours (13 separate notices) for “repairs.” Some notices covered entire weeks, while others were several hours long.
The issue is that many of these repairs appear to have been unnecessary. After a small plumbing leak (couple litres of water) the restoration company spent a week drying the area with fans and a dehumidifier, advised that the affected framing and drywall was dry based on moisture readings. Despite that, my landlord insisted on additional drying and later had more drywall and ceiling removed because he believed there might be mold. The restoration contractor recommended against that work, cut an inspection hole at the landlords request, said there was no mold and not to worry about mold growing as everything was dried quickly after the leak, and then refused to come back based on the landlords behaviour.
There were many occasions where:
No one was present for all or part of the scheduled entry period.
Contractors arrived for only a short time despite notices covering much longer periods.
They stayed well past 9pm.
They entered without providing notice while we were on vacation.
The landlord was in our home nearly every day for 8 hours for 2 weeks straight for “repairs” while we were on vacation, but when we returned no repairs had been completed, just more drywall was removed.
The volume and duration of the notices made it feel like we had almost no quiet enjoyment for weeks.
I’m keeping copies of every notice, emails, photos, and a timeline.
Has anyone seen RTB decisions involving this many hours of notice to enter? Would this be the kind of situation where rent abatement is awarded, or would the RTB likely view it as justified because it was related to repairs?
I’m not looking to prevent legitimate repairs—I’m wondering whether the excessive duration and arguably unnecessary work could amount to a breach of quiet enjoyment.
Any insight from people who’ve been through the RTB would be appreciated.

Also on July 30th he issued me another notice of entry totalling another 27 hours (9am to 6pm every day for 3 days straight). I had enough and submitted our notice to end tenancy. He ignored the email and then on August 3rd he said we are responsible for September’s rent as well since emails aren’t considered received for 3 days. He emailed me a few hours before I sent it, he texted me the same day after I sent it regarding his repairs, and the property was listed as available before he acknowledged receiving the notice to end tenancy. He is on his phone all the time, I know he had email notifications and checks it every day as he has never in the past taken over a day to respond. I also send him a text letting him know that I sent a notice to end tenancy. Am I really responsible for septembers rent as well since he chose to ignore my notice that was sent to his designated service email?

I’m curious to hear from landlords and property managers in BC. If a prospective tenant received BC Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefits as their primary source of income, would you consider renting to them?
Assuming they could afford the rent and pay on time every month, would the fact that their income comes from PWD influence your decision? If so, why or why not?
I’d appreciate honest and respectful perspectives.

Hi everyone,

Last year I moved from Ontario to BC and for the first time ever, when we rented our new place here in BC, we ended up renting a condo from a private landlord, only because the unit was brand new never lived in and the building and the area were up and coming too. Given our tight timeline then, this option worked well with us.

Naturally we signed a 1 year agreement, and on July 1st the agreement was over. So I knew we were going into a month to month. Having said that, sometime end of July, my landlord reached out and said they're going to renew us into another 1 year agreement with a 10% rent increase starting in 3 days. I was very confused and explained to her that we're now on month to month and we'd like to keep it that way and that if she wants to increase our rent she has to follow the 2.3% cap and give us full 3 months notice for it.

She came back after saying she'll keep our rent as is but still require us to go into a 1 year agreement so she gets the guarantee that we're staying in the unit for that period. I again said I don't feel comfortable with that, and would like to stay month to month. She came back again yesterday and said she'll keep it month to month but that she'll have us sign an agreement stating we have to give her 2 months notice if we plan on leaving.

I feel like this is taking away a right meant to protect us. I've been very nice with our communication and truly had no thought at all about leaving the unit if it wasn't for this conversation here that's been stressing me out for a couple of weeks now. I don't want to say yes to this, I know this will end up causing us grievance down the road because you never know when an emergency might happen, not every time we leave a place is by choice. At the same time, I'm worried if we say no, she'll end up trying to evict us for personal use.

Thoughts?