sattyflora

Hi all,

I'm looking at rental properties in Calgary from UK - I'm hoping to secure something before I move over so that I don't have to spend too long in an Airbnb. I've been looking on Rentfaster and have seen a few places I like the look of but I cant seem to get anyone to give me a virtual tour etc.

For those who've done the move, how did you get your accommodation? Is there a better way around this?

Regards

Piff Poff

Try kijiji. Also Boardwalk and Hearthstone are big rental companies in Red Deer, not sure how much they do in Calgary.

HGerchikov

Be really careful, there are a lot of scams around the rental market. To secure a place you will be required to send some money in advance, it's a risk!

OrangeMango

To avoid any scams, AirBnB in the beginning is not a wrong choice.
It gives the advantage of having the choice to look for something longer term in person, plus minimizes the risk of a scam.

tdrinker

In addition to scams, another risk with renting remotely is being deliberately or accidently mislead. Landlords and agents will try and make a property look as attractive as possible, emphasise its good points and underplay or not mention any disadvantages. Unless you know the location well, you could rent an unsuitable property and be locked in for the duration of the contract. When I was looking to rent (not in Calgary), some agents would rent a property without a personal viewing, but others wouldn't because too often tenants complained that the property they rented was not as expected from the online viewing.

sattyflora

Thank you all - you all make a very valid point! Sounds like Airbnb it is!

glendem4

We got an airbnb booked for 2 months , before making a decision to rent. You need time to find the right location, open a bank account, establish credit history and wait for goods to arrive from uk. It will take 10 weeks to ship large items over.

Kin12

I'm in a similar situation,moving to Calgary from the UK in circa 3 months time.
The rental market in the UK (London and Glasgow) is extremely competitive, with having to put down three months rent to secure a flat. Is this the same in Calgary?

tdrinker

Booking.com sometimes have the same apartments as Airbnb at a lower price or with lower cancelation fees.

Exercise great caution with sites like Craigslist where payment is direct to the vendor instead of via the booking site. Many scams, and you're especially vulnerable if booking from a long distance as you can't make physical checks.

One thing that can be checked for any property is the owner (title register) via the Land Registry for a £3 fee:

https://www.gov.uk/search-property-i...-land-registry