Hi All
We are getting ready for the move to Vancouver in January and just trying to find short term accommodation for about 3 months.

Just wondering what the norm is when trying to book from abroad. We have seen a place that we like and after emailing the landlord he has come back to say we would need to transfer 1/2 months rent into his bank account after signing the tenancy agreement. Is this normal?

He does have his own website for the apartment but doesnt have any facility on his site for paying so we are just a little unsure. We are probably being a little over cautious but just dont want our first experience to be a scam
thanks in advance
Shaunagh

That's about right. Always be very careful when doing this from a distance, especially with regards to the property.

Personally, I'd alway stay in a hotel or motel for the first month. Find somewhere while you are here. No way to tell what the vicinity is like or how quiet or noisy it is from a website.

We booked an initial vacation rental for 2 weeks, gave us enough time too look around different areas, an also to find a place to rent.

Landlords here are very wary of renting with no checkable history, so slightly easier to do once you are here.

And yes half a months rental is the legal maximum deposit in BC, unless you have a pet, then they can also charge you another half months rent for a pet deposit.

thanks all for your responses...jsut wanted to make sure its pretty normal. Its all happening so quickly now even though we applied over 3 years ago