scrubbedexpat075

i'm looking to come over either end of this year (november) or start of next year depending on when my WHV application is accepted/receive my POE letter as you get a year to activate it.

I want to live in whistler for probably at least the first year of my visa as i want to fully experience life in whistler as well as the snowboarding, so far looking for accommodation all i see is renting for holidays etc, there must be websites for normal long term rent (1 year) surely? really struggling to find anything and i've searched this forum but most recent info i found was 2010.

Is there a specific area i should search for? are most places walking distance to the slopes? i wont have a vehicle so i'll be walking.

my budget at the moment is about $1100 maybe $1200 pcm.

Aviator

Accommodation is hard to come by in Whistler. Try squamish. You may need to up the budget a bit, $1500 to $1800, unless you share.

Vulcanoid

Bear in mind that Squamish is about 40 miles from Whistler, so OP if you're planning on not getting a car (get a car), you'll be using the Greyhound a lot.

R I C H

Pique is the local newspaper - that's where you'll find many rental ads (Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA) I'd advise that you join this Facebook group too: https://www.facebook.com/groups/105948296221882/ You've got to understand that Whistler is a seasonal resort community. While it's population is big enough to ensure some amenities remain open year-round, many businesses will close between seasons, hence many more seasonal rentals being available than long term.

Not really. Apart from the town core, residential areas of Whistler are spread out along the highway. Some communities have amenities like a cafe or small store, many do not.

No, many will require you to use transit, which link the residential areas to the downtown. All of downtown is walkable to the slopes.

That budget is likely to be ok for sharing accommodation, not for having your own place.

R I C H

This article is particularly pertinent: Navigating the ins and outs of Whistler's housing crisis | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA

EASING THE PAIN
Every year, hundreds of young people come to Whistler to live out their dream ski season.

Stories of people sleeping on floors, crammed 12 or more to a home, paying thousands of dollars in rent, are not uncommon in Whistler.

But in the 2016/17 season the problem has morphed into a full-blown crisis, according to many.

The mayor formed a task force on resident housing in response to the crisis, which is looking at solutions to improve the situation in the months and years to come.

A new program for matching businesses with homeowners — dubbed Home Run — was launched in December, and as of Jan. 10, had 14 interested property owners and 28 applications from business owners.

With the transfer of another lot to the RMOW by the Whistler 2020 Development Corporation there are now three new resident-restricted housing projects in various stages of development in Cheakamus Crossing, for a total of 250 new beds.

The RMOW has also increased its investigation and enforcement of illegal nightly rentals.

More initiatives from the task force will be announced in 2017.

But in the short term, Whistler will continue to be populated with more van dwellers, couch surfers, tent campers — and ultimately, Whistler-leavers — than ever before.

Shredder

Look in the Pique newspaper for accommodation. Things are tight and expensive in the winter (ski season). In the summer things are cheaper and there is more availability. Some areas Village, Brio, and Creekside are mostly not too far of a walk to the slopes - otherwise you can use the local bus service.

R I C H

This is true for all major BC ski resorts. By late August/early September incoming staff for the next ski season are snapping up accommodation. Many will pay in advance to ensure they've secured something for the winter and beyond.

If the OP is not arriving in Whistler until November, and then starting to look for somewhere to live, he may find that choice is very limited. When I was running a business in Sun Peaks I often hired winter staff in late summer - they'd visit the resort, secure work and accommodation, then go travelling during the off-season before showing up for work in mid November.

tweed_wearer

"do a season" then move to Vancouver, elsewhere like everybody else. Unlikely to be the employment to sustain you through the off-season.


And get an STD test before you leave. Promiscuity capital of Canada.

scrubbedexpat075

Oh wow even at $1200 you're still looking at shared accommodation?

For work i'll be doing the same job i do now as it only requires a computer and an internet connection so i won't be needing work out there. I'm quite lucky as i'll be able to organise my work around snowboarding, so the reason i want to be fairly close to a slope is although i'll be working full time i could start later and get a few hours snowboarding in the morning or have like a 3 hour lunch and go out then for a bit.

I'll check out the Pique newspaper and join that facebook group.

i'm thinking of moving over november earliest but whenever i do go i want to have it all sorted in advance, whenever i plan on going i will be looking in the summer to see if i can find somewhere, only thing i'm concerned about is securing accommodation when i'm not in the same country and can't be there to see the property... feels a bit risky?

I was thinking of this, winter in whistler summer in vancouver, as mentioned previously i won't be looking for a job so location is less of an issue.

I hear they do love a british accent

scrubbedexpat075

Wow i didn't realise it was that much of a problem, i know it's possibly the most famous ski resort in the world i guess it's popularity has grown too quick for its size

tweed_wearer

re: British accent - tends to be the women of a certain age. Grab a granny?


I'd suggest booking an Air BnB to begin with, then just ad-lib it. If you arrive mid-way through the month then book to the end of the month. In Vancouver certainly Landlords want tenancies to start on 1st of the month - might be different in Whistler with it being more casual labour/transient population. I wouldn't bet on getting a property for a long term let while still in the UK.

GermanytoCanada

You say this like it is a bad thing...

scrubbedexpat075

This is what i'm concerned about, how do people normally go about getting a place in advance? i don't want to fly over for a couple days before i actually move over as this would activate the visa upon entry, also i don't really want to spend a good chunk of the money i'm saving just to go over for a couple days

R I C H

I've had tenants visit several months in advance and pay rent on property they're not actually ready to move into. The likelihood of renting somewhere without meeting a landlord and being physically present is slim.

dbd33

It doesn't have to. It's common to arrive as a tourist and then to "flagpole" to activate an IEC visa. You could, given unlimited funds, fly over now, visit as a tourist, rent a place and come back later activating the visa and taking up residence.