FSW WORLDWIDE

[Impatient Dankaroo]

I have done house hunting for rentals in Vancouver and Victoria BC. Victoria tends to be very tight rental market with less than 1% vacancy. Here is how I did it. Please do note, I have always searched as an employed, married & (now) with a little kid. YMMV.

1. I did NOT use realtor etc. I did not pay 6 months of rent anywhere. If someone asks it, RUN. RUN as far as possible. It is a scam.

2. Rentals in Canada are not free for all game and is regulated by rental/tenancy boards which provide rental agreements and ensures rents are not increased and arbitrates in rental disputes.

3. There are 2 main kind of rentals. Purpose built rental buildings or privately owned homes. Purpose built rental buildings are typically owned by REIT funds or large investors and are NOT controlled by whims and wishes of some weird landlord. They have very well defined rental application form and process - typically it is first come first serve. Privately owned rental units are well... capricious. Lastly, there is this thing called Co-ops but typically Co-ops bar rentals so you wont have access to one.

4. Best place to look for rental ads is Craigslist. I got ALL my rental accommodations via this listing only.Pretty neat.

5. Strata or multi family buildings / units / homes have these things called by-laws which governs what and who can live in a unit. Typically its noise and related issues or occupancy limits or smoking area related limits. Be sure to look at one before confirming a rental.

5.5 Typically multi family buildings have a building manager who manages that buildings and in purpose built rental buildings is also responsible for putting out ads for rentals. If it is not a privately owned unit, insist on talking to this person for he or his employer is usually responsible for rentals.

6. Usually having a good job makes it easier to get a rental in a tight market.

7. Rentals typically start on 1st of month or 15 of month, most 1st of month. So to get a rental, new listings show up around mid of the month. Hit a listing before its taken. Start a conversation.

8. NO ONE can ask you a showing fee. If they do, its a scam. Run! Basically anyone who is offering a rental without showing the place and / or is asking money for it is a scam. This being said, scam rentals are easy to spot. They talk funny on email, they avoid giving any phone numbers to communicate, typically they ask money before showing the place (big red sign), there is no contact to building manager, the owner keeps on telling how they are outside canada. Typically sob stories are thrown in as how owner got stuck in USA due to covid or how owner's wife got cancer and he cannot live in the home due to all the MeMoRiEs. The scam artists tend to overshare and are unprofessional in rental game. Its very easy to spot them and even easier to avoid them. Lastly, if the listing has pictures, just do a google image search or tineye search on images. They almost ALWAYS hilariously end up being of a house or unit from another city, province and sometimes country! I once saw an ad with pictures from an apartment in JAPAN being offered for rent in downtown Vancouver. Yeah! Domo-Arigatou-Mista-Robotto! Lastly, if it is too good to be true, it usually is.

9. There is passive racism in rentals. In the sense individuals may prefer to give their homes for rent to known good races. Yes its 2022 but it is what it is. You can ignore it but don't be surprised if you were told a place has already been taken but it keeps on being listed and owner keeps on asking people.

10. Sometimes you may get what is called a sub-let. Its a rental of a rental. Basically you will be renting a house / unit --usually fully furnished from another tenant who is going away from his home for some time and you can take up that rental and pay rent to the landlord directly. It can be a good place to start but if you are not confident just skip.

11. Most of rentals come with address or atleast a phone no.. if not confirm if it is a real person or a scam. Look point 8.

12. Some people ask for credit score for rentals, which is not strictly needed and may not exist for new movers but including a copy did not seem to hurt me. That being said, never give SIN or other details to your prospective landlord.

13. If you are in job, include 1 or two references from your work place during application. it helps.

I will add more as I remember..

Advance rent is very much a thing especially if you no credit history or references in Canada. Tbf, even I would ask that as a landlord since there are so many squatters and evicting them is hard

 

[raklukr]

Welcome to Toronto mate, the city of hustlers. Sounds like you are a quick learner

yeah definitely learned a lot in 3 weeks, I've got a realtor already and will work to view units after landing. I am aware (and it was mentioned by a forum member as well) that realtors must not charge a fee, as they're paid by landlords/building management.

 

[raklukr]

Advance rent is very much a thing especially if you no credit history or references in Canada. Tbf, even I would ask that as a landlord since there are so many squatters and evicting them is hard

Looks like advance rent has always been a thing there, a good friend of mine paid several months up front when he moved initially in 2019 before covid.

 

[GandiBaat]

Advance rent is very much a thing especially if you no credit history or references in Canada. Tbf, even I would ask that as a landlord since there are so many squatters and evicting them is hard

There are rental boards and they have regulations. If you are violating the regulation for get go, I as a tenant will avoid you like plague. Come next year and you will increase rent more than what regulations allow. After that I will see reno-viction. Actually, as a new comer, I will prefer to go with a REIT owned building where I will be treated with total indifference. That works best for lots of us.

 

[raklukr]

Pathetic and day light robbery. . Airbnb should be the way to go for the first 2 or so months. For apartment rental search, I would use Zillow, Zumper, Kijiji, and definitely not craigslist or Facebook marketplace.

I would not recommend Zillow, as the listings on it do not appear to be updated regularly. The other two you've mentioned are decent.

 

[Shivpati]

Guys! QQ - After ADR acknowledgement e-mail, status in portal changed to not applicable. Is that normal? Is the next step - Reviewing additional documents?

 

[imransyed]

Bruh, that's just ridiculous. Is it that hard to foresee what they need and ask all the documents at once?
I hope that the end is in sight for you!

In the notes, it says that one of the most decisive ADR for the Case Officer to pass my eligibility was sent after discussion with the Case officer. I don't mind the ADRs, they are better than nothing.
The end is definitely in sight, but I am content with the passed eligibility.

 

[imransyed]

When did you order GCMS notes and from whom?
I ordered 2 months ago and received nothing

Getgcms. This was the 3rd time I ordered notes with them, they have always delivered.

 

[Impatient Dankaroo]

@sametkasik is this you bro?

 

[abqalhamairi]

In the notes, it says that one of the most decisive ADR for the Case Officer to pass my eligibility was sent after discussion with the Case officer. I don't mind the ADRs, they are better than nothing.
The end is definitely in sight, but I am content with the passed eligibility.

Immediately after the email or did it happen after a day or two?

 

[GandiBaat]

Guys! QQ - After ADR acknowledgement e-mail, status in portal changed to not applicable. Is that normal? Is the next step - Reviewing additional documents?

Yes. Mine went to Not applicable after RCMP PCC ADR uploaded.

 

[Sasha2021]

Hi everyone
I have a question:
I received medical request today but it has my old address (same country). I have already updated them with my new address through schedule A, but seems that they have not reviewed them yet.
Do you think the wrong address on the form is gonna make a problem?

 

[Deleted member 994371]

I have done house hunting for rentals in Vancouver and Victoria BC. Victoria tends to be very tight rental market with less than 1% vacancy. Here is how I did it. Please do note, I have always searched as an employed, married & (now) with a little kid. YMMV.

1. I did NOT use realtor etc. I did not pay 6 months of rent anywhere. If someone asks it, RUN. RUN as far as possible. It is a scam.

2. Rentals in Canada are not free for all game and is regulated by rental/tenancy boards which provide rental agreements and ensures rents are not increased and arbitrates in rental disputes.

3. There are 2 main kind of rentals. Purpose built rental buildings or privately owned homes. Purpose built rental buildings are typically owned by REIT funds or large investors and are NOT controlled by whims and wishes of some weird landlord. They have very well defined rental application form and process - typically it is first come first serve. Privately owned rental units are well... capricious. Lastly, there is this thing called Co-ops but typically Co-ops bar rentals so you wont have access to one.

4. Best place to look for rental ads is Craigslist. I got ALL my rental accommodations via this listing only.Pretty neat.

5. Strata or multi family buildings / units / homes have these things called by-laws which governs what and who can live in a unit. Typically its noise and related issues or occupancy limits or smoking area related limits. Be sure to look at one before confirming a rental.

5.5 Typically multi family buildings have a building manager who manages that buildings and in purpose built rental buildings is also responsible for putting out ads for rentals. If it is not a privately owned unit, insist on talking to this person for he or his employer is usually responsible for rentals.

6. Usually having a good job makes it easier to get a rental in a tight market.

7. Rentals typically start on 1st of month or 15 of month, most 1st of month. So to get a rental, new listings show up around mid of the month. Hit a listing before its taken. Start a conversation.

8. NO ONE can ask you a showing fee. If they do, its a scam. Run! Basically anyone who is offering a rental without showing the place and / or is asking money for it is a scam. This being said, scam rentals are easy to spot. They talk funny on email, they avoid giving any phone numbers to communicate, typically they ask money before showing the place (big red sign), there is no contact to building manager, the owner keeps on telling how they are outside canada. Typically sob stories are thrown in as how owner got stuck in USA due to covid or how owner's wife got cancer and he cannot live in the home due to all the MeMoRiEs. The scam artists tend to overshare and are unprofessional in rental game. Its very easy to spot them and even easier to avoid them. Lastly, if the listing has pictures, just do a google image search or tineye search on images. They almost ALWAYS hilariously end up being of a house or unit from another city, province and sometimes country! I once saw an ad with pictures from an apartment in JAPAN being offered for rent in downtown Vancouver. Yeah! Domo-Arigatou-Mista-Robotto! Lastly, if it is too good to be true, it usually is.

9. There is passive racism in rentals. In the sense individuals may prefer to give their homes for rent to known good races. Yes its 2022 but it is what it is. You can ignore it but don't be surprised if you were told a place has already been taken but it keeps on being listed and owner keeps on asking people.

10. Sometimes you may get what is called a sub-let. Its a rental of a rental. Basically you will be renting a house / unit --usually fully furnished from another tenant who is going away from his home for some time and you can take up that rental and pay rent to the landlord directly. It can be a good place to start but if you are not confident just skip.

11. Most of rentals come with address or atleast a phone no.. if not confirm if it is a real person or a scam. Look point 8.

12. Some people ask for credit score for rentals, which is not strictly needed and may not exist for new movers but including a copy did not seem to hurt me. That being said, never give SIN or other details to your prospective landlord.

13. If you are in job, include 1 or two references from your work place during application. it helps.

I will add more as I remember..

All these rental privileges will only work if you are employed.

Otherwise, get ready to pay advance rent.

Also, remember that you are living on the 2nd largest country in the world. So the land is very scarce here, hence the rentals are very high.

So if soft-landing is possible, get a job first and only then move to this frozen wonderland.

 

[Impatient Dankaroo]

All these rental privileges will only work if you are employed.

Otherwise, get ready to pay advance rent.

Also, remember that you are living on the 2nd largest country in the world. So the land is very scarce here, hence the rentals are very high.

So if soft-landing is possible, get a job first and only then move to this frozen wonderland.

If you look at @GandiBaat's answers from a perspective of earning 200K+ with a Canadian job, it makes total sense as you have all the options of the world. If you are a peasant, then your choices are more limited. Renting a room or a 1BR is totally different ballgame for newly landed folks without a job

 

[zekkeh]

Pathetic and day light robbery. . Airbnb should be the way to go for the first 2 or so months. For apartment rental search, I would use Zillow, Zumper, Kijiji, and definitely not craigslist or Facebook marketplace.

i found my current place and my upcoming rental on marketplace though. been great so far! make sure to arrange viewings so you know what the place is like and more importantly what the landlords are like