Study abroad: Housing in Canada (Edmonton)

 

Intro

After the excitement of getting accepted, one of the next thing we need to consider when going abroad is where to live. It is always the best to find a place to stay before taking our suitcases to the airport. How horrifying it is to set our feet to a completely new and far away country without knowing exactly where to go. In many countries at different universities it's really easy to rent a room or an apartment. There are always options like dormitories or apartments for students. Most of the time, student dormitories or university housing are really affordable. Unfortunately, sometimes, there are more students than rooms. On the other hand, some university housings are more expensive than renting somewhere else.

There are websites for housing in Canada that you can have a look: renfaster, bumper, kijiji, etc.  Before you decide to rent a place and sign the (long term) contract, there are things to consider:

Location

It's obvious that living near campus is more convenient. It's also easier to commute to be near bus stop or train stations. However, there is another important factor: safety. When I first came to Edmonton, I didn't know which place was better so I chose a cheap and convenient (near train station) property. It turned out to be a nightmare and I moved out after a month. Before moving to another place, my colleagues told me about the safe regions in Edmonton. You can easily figure it out by looking at the maps of criminal cases in Edmonton. Please check community safety map.

Landlord

It's not straightforward when it comes to choosing a landlord. Emails, texts, even meetings in person cannot tell you much about a person. When you first come to Edmonton, it is safer to rent from a company. There are options like: Boardwalk, Mayfield, Mainstreet, Parable, etc, if you want to rent an apartment or condo. These companies have housing everywhere with a range of price. I am not saying that it's completely a bad choice to rent from a private owner. It is just more risky. My first landlord in Canada sounded decent in emails (at least to my naive me at that point). After 7 years of study abroad, it was the first time that I needed to break the contract and lost my deposit to move to a safer and more peaceful place. Asking somebody in the city that you're moving to is also a great idea. They always know better (than you and the naive me).

Price

This should've been problem number 1, you think? Not really. When you do the search, you already see the price range. The landlords usually check the market before putting up their price. So there aren't much that you can do about. In Edmonton, price for 1 room is around CAD 500, CAD 750-1000 for 1 bedroom apartments or bachelors. 2 bedrooms nowadays cost CAD 1000 +. Utilities like water, heat are usually included but not electricity nor internet.

 

Happy searching and check out more of my blogs.