Rental Agents in British Columbia

Often when you are in the UK, you want to be able to find a good short-term rental, which will get you set up before you arrive in BC. The trouble is that good rental companies are hard to find and accommodation for families may be particularly challenging.

Why is there this shortage of decent rental companies who can offer something at an affordable price?

People “in the know” have said that property companies are getting out of the rental market for a variety of reasons:

1. Smaller companies are being taken over by larger ones who want to concentrate on the high end and corporate rentals.
2. An increase in the number of tenant problems with grow ops, criminals etc.
3. A huge number of “good tenants” have recently been able to buy property with current low interest rates and 100% finance deals.
4. “Bad tenants” are perceived to get too much protection.

For really short-term rentals, a reasonable alternative is the rental suite. Basic accommodation, beds bath, living room and you get a kitchen as well. There are a ton of these in the West End and a couple on the North Shore. I have a couple of recommendations. So email me when you are coming to Vancouver.

Basically, most rentals are done privately - check the local papers or main papers (see our list in the right hand column).

You may also want to try the following:

Classified adverts
Best source when you are here, or due to arrive very shortly.

• Vancouver Sun Rentals
  Classified adverts in Vancouver
• Victoria Times Colonist Rentals
  Classified adverts in Victoria
• Classified adverts in local papers
  - see the links on the right side of this page.

Rental companies - Vancouver and area
These are sites which rent suites in one or more buildings. These are mostly the property managers for the building. I have included a couple of housing co-op’s - more info on this at end of page.

• 5 Star rentals
  Various areas including Vancouver, Victoria and the Islands. Principally vacation properties.
• Concert realty services
  Various areas around Vancouver
• Realstar
  Burnaby, Vancouver, Victoria.
• Metropolitan Towers
  Downtown Vancouverapartments
• Boardwalk
  1 bed apartments in Burnaby, 1-2 bed suites in Surrey.
• Gateway property management
  New Westminster and Burnaby apartments
• CAPREIT
  1 & 2 bedroom suites in New Westminster
  Also 1-3 beds in Richmond and North Vancouver
• Trans-Globe
  1 bed apartments in Burnaby, Richmond and New Westminster
• Lougheed Village
  1-3 bed apartmens in Burnaby
• Greenwood Gardens
  1-3 bed apartments in Surrey
• Surrey Gardens Apartments
  1 bed suites in Surrey
• Rivers Inlet Split Level Townhomes
  Coquitlam - (604) 942-2012
• Rent Midwest
  Burnaby and Port Moody - 2 & 3 bed townhomes.
• Ford Road Housing Co-op
  Pitt Meadows 1-4 bed apartments
• Mainstreet
  Apartments in Abbotsford and Surrey
• Aragon
  Studios, lofts and 1 beds in Vancouver (Broadway)
  Also apartments and townhomes in Burnaby, Richmond, and White Rock
• Beach Towers and Langara Gardens
  1-2 bed apartments in Vancouver’s West End
• Apartments in Downtown Vancouver
  A limited selection of apartments in downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver.
• Greater Vancouver Apartment Guide
  Searchable site for the Greater Vancouver area.

Rental companies - Victoria and area

• Realstar
  Victoria - 1 & 2 bed suites; furnished available too.
• 5 Star rentals
  Various areas including Vancouver, Victoria and the Islands. Principally vacation properties.
• RentBC
  Apartments in Victoria
• Devon Properties
  Property manager in Victoria
• Proline Property Managers
  More of the same
• Brown Brothers
  Searchable vacancy list
• Times Colonist
  Vacancies published in the newspaper

Internet sites - various areas

• Craig’s List
  In B.C. this only covers the two main cities and their surrounding communities. Useful once you are here, and remember to check it out for things being sold.
  • Vancouver
  • Victoria
• Kijiji
  This internet classified advert site has rentals and can be a good place to look
  
  • Abbotsford
  • Chilliwack
  • Fraser Valley
  • Kamloops
  • Kelowna
  • Langley
  • Nanaimo
  • Vancouver
  • Vernon
  • Victoria
  • Whistler
• UBC Faculty Housing List
  The University of BC’s housing list covers mostly Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
• UBC/AMS Rentline
  This covers Vancouver only but does have short term, sublets and even shared apartments. Mainly in Vancouver’s West Side
• Vancouver Monthly Rentals
  List of monthly rental property in Vancouver area.
• RentBC
  Searchable listings throughout B.C.
• BBCanada.com
  Bed and Breakfasts.
• Places4Rent
  Searchable site, covering the whole of BC.
• BC Classifieds
  Wide ranging searchable site

Vancouver short term rentals
indicates we have negotiated a discount for clients. Please enquire with us.

• Make yourself at home
  Short term furnished places in the metro Vancouver area. Have been told they are a good source of private furnished places.
• Suite Deals
  Fully furnished apartment suites in North Vancouver. Usually minimum of one month’s stay.
• Rose Ellen Suites
  This has furnished suites available for short lets. Based in Vancouver’s West End, so handy for Stanley Park and downtown.
• Rosedale on Robson
  One and two bed suites in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Come with kitchens.
• Times Square Suites
  These suites in downtown Vancouver, Robson St and Denman, and are available for short lets.

Victoria - Bed and Breakfast / Furnished rentals

• Haro House
  Shameless plug for my cousin’s bed and breakfast in Victoria. This is a truly magical spot overlooking the Haro Strait - sleep 15ft from the water.
• Spring Ridge Cottage
  Conveniently located within Victoria, this rental cottage has been recommended by one of our clients.

Our advice is to budget for at least a couple of weeks, short term accommodation, as some landlords may be hesitant to take you on when you do not have Canadian references or credit history when you first arrive.

Co-operative Housing

Co-op’s are places where you buy a share in the co-op and vote on the way it is run. You may have to pass an interview to join the co-op. Co-op’s are an affordable housing initiative and have been going for many years. More information on co-op’s at the Co-operative Housing Federation web site.

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