Cheap accommodation for International Students in Canada

Securing cheap accommodation for international students pursuing their education in Canada is a paramount consideration.

Accommodation in Canada has proven to be a difficult issue for newcomers and is an essential part of survival in Canada. Having where to call home will ease the burden of having to get acclimatized to the environment.

As soon as you know that you will be coming to Canada for whatever reason you have to get your accommodation sorted out and decide on where you will be staying. The sooner the better.

However, this may feel a bit overwhelming at first but there are guides in place to put you through and ease the stress of going through it alone.

Accommodation for New Immigrants in Canada is necessarily one of the first questions students and workers have upon landing in Canada.

This is true since accommodation is a basic need that comes first before many other things you will need in your first few weeks of arriving in Canada.

In order not to be stranded, it is best to have these things sorted out, or at least have an idea of how accommodation processes work before landing in the country.

You should have begun to make provisions for your accommodation before you travel over to Canada. If at all you don’t have any apartment fixed yet, have a list of organizations offering temporary accommodation for newcomers handy or have a list of hotels you will prefer to stay in whenever you finally arrive.

Waiting till the last minute to sort out your accommodation can put undue pressure on you and can make you spend more than expected or even fall into the hands of dubious agents if you are unsuspecting enough.

Temporary Accommodation

Probably your visa came sooner than expected or for any other reason, you have not gotten an apartment yet, temporary accommodations can be your life saver while you seek a permanent one. As expected, most temporary accommodations have not been fully furnished for comfort, especially when they come at a low rate.

However, they will serve the purpose of granting you a roof over your end until you find what suits you best for an apartment. You may not have a permanent place to stay before your big move, and that’s okay. If you are not staying with friends or family, you will want to find temporary housing that will allow you to get to know the city while you look for a permanent place to stay.

There are a number of short-term accommodation options including hotels, hostels, Airbnb, sublets, and short-term apartment rental. Make sure to read any reviews available, confirm what the rental price includes (heat, electricity, etc.) and that transportation will be accessible to you.

Most hotels and hostels have a website with:

• price
• location
• photographs
• the services they offer

You can also find reviews from:

• forums
• travel guides
• other websites

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Getting Accommodation

When seeking accommodation there are things to consider and important questions you will need to ask to avoid falling into dubious organizations. Questions like where you should look out for an apartment in Canada? Who should you talk to? While you are still in a temporary lodge, you can begin an active search for a house or a room by checking around for ‘to let’ signs in your neighborhood.

If you are looking for apartments that are on a low budget, consider renting houses fringing the urban centers, rather than at the center of the cities. It is also equally important that you consider factors like transportation cost and proximity to your place of work or school before finally putting a price on an apartment.

Always try to find out from your landlord if utility costs such as electricity bills have already been calculated into your rent so you can know if the apartment is truly worth the pay, or the rent was unnecessarily hiked.

Most of the time, apartments available for rent are already furnished with basic furniture. Still, ensure to make a proper check on the place so you can know how sparsely or heavily furnished it is and also factor in how much more will be needed to fully equip the apartment to your desired taste.

What to Expect When Renting in Canada

Landlords will usually request information about you, to make sure you will be able to pay rent. Examples of documents that could be requested:

• Pay-slips, or any document proving income.
• Bank statements with proof of enough money to pay for the first few months of rent.
• Letter of reference from a previous landlord, saying you are a good tenant that paid rent on time.

If you do not have a credit history and have not worked yet, many landlords will be apprehensive about lending you their apartment, and this can be quite inconvenient for newcomers. However, you should keep looking until you find an understanding landlord (but you need to at least show that you have enough money in your bank account, or you can offer to pay the first few months in advance).

Apartments for rent usually start on the 1st of the month (sometimes some rentals are available on the 15th). You should land around two weeks before the end of the month, so you have time to look around and find the perfect apartment for you. You need to advance at least half of the monthly rent as a security deposit for most apartment and house rentals in Canada.

Long Term Accommodation

There are ways in which you will be given long term accommodation in Canada

• Renting

This is the most common way of getting accommodation in Canada. Most of the things that renting an apartment entail have already been discussed. For more information, you can reach out to individuals who are already members of the neighborhood on what the tenancy rights in the locality are so you know when you are being cheated.

• Subletting

This is a process that involves a few months- few years. This is so because the owner of the house plans on making a brief journey. However, the advantage is that you will not necessarily buy furniture as this is already provided.

• Ownership

This may not be the option you want to start your accommodation procurement from. But in the long run, you may need to fully own a house to yourself, especially if you have a family and you all are considering permanent residency. Before that time comes though, you will have been familiar enough will all the details that are required for buying a house.

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