dbd33

Of course, one hesitates to get into a "who kept their children more poorly than whom?" sort of argument, but wtf, how can a student afford $475 a month in rent during term time, nevermind when the student is off to the cape?

MarylandNed

What other choice is there unless you're commuting from your parents' home? First year students living on campus pay $10,000+ for 8 months room and board. Move off campus and pay $475 a month in rent and you're not paying much different with utilities and food added in - even if you have to sign a 1 year lease. If your parents don't pay, you get loans or you get a job.

Secam

They work all summer, which gives them enough money to pay a year's rent plus living expenses until Christmas. Tuition and additional living costs are made up by loans, grants and mom and dad. Picking up $1,500 by subletting over the summer is found money.

curleytops

House/apt. sharing is probably the best chance of staying anywhere near your budget if you want to live in a decent area with convenient transportation. As a single occupant, I was paying $635/month for an older "junior" 1 BR apt. 18 years ago in the Mount Pleasant Davisville area. As for no-go zones, avoid Jane & Finch at all costs! All the best in Canada hinny

dbd33

I'm familiar with the paying, just surprised that students would enter into a lease on a place for a year. None of mine had $475*4 to put into rent in their university towns (Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver) while working their vacations away from those towns. That seems a luxurious way for a student to go about things.

On consideration, chucking away $475 a month for a place where you don't live seems a luxurious way for a working man to go about things.

MarylandNed

So what did they do? If they live away from home you're going to be paying one way or another - either in uni residence or on a private lease.

My daughter is at Western in London, Ontario. She's wrapping up her first year. She lived in a Western residence and had to buy a meal plan. She didn't think much of the food so it wasn't exactly good value forking over $10K+ for 8 months room/board.

In London, the private leases for students run May 1 to April 30. My daughter and some friends signed a 1 year lease on an apartment starting May 1. The sad part is that she's going to be paying rent for almost 4 months for a place she won't be living in. Even so, it works out better for her because she found a nice place close to campus and shopping - wait until closer to classes start and you risk being in a dive far from campus. She can cook her own food and, even with a 1 year lease and paying for food/utilities, she's likely going to save money over living in uni residence. At the very worst I've calculated that she'll break even. Plus she can live in the place for the remaining 3 years of uni without having to move multiple times like she would have done if she had stayed uni residence. In addition I save money on hotels, restaurants, etc. because I can stay with her when I visit.

dbd33

One spent a year in a residence, one lived with her father for one year. Otherwise I believe they each rented a room in a shared house on a month-to-month basis. They were never sufficiently well funded to be candidates for a lease. I can't recall all the arrangements because I don't keep close track, I know their email but not physical addresses, and because one seems to have been in school since before she was born, she's lived in dozens of places including a railroad box car and several watercraft.

Mist05

Go on the Mls.ca website put in your budget and select rental and hover over the areas on the map to see locations. Oakville has the best Go line schedule as trains run quite frequently long the lakeshore, whereas places like Markham etc the trains run only at peak times and then you have the bus in between. My husband actually drives to work from Markham to downtown and he loves the trek as it takes him 45 min max door to door going down the 404.

Jerseygirl

My daughter and her friend paid about $1400 per month for a 2 bed apt. excluding utilities. It was an older no frills apt but had 24 hr security...2005/07 when she was a student at U of T. They sublet it during the summer for the same price...the apt was snatched up within hours of it being advertised.

Clusks

Off to look at a place in Oakwood tomorrow, if that's a similar place! Looks nice in the pictures, seems good from speaking to the Lass that is there and is very affordable! If it has good transport then I think I'll be taking it ASAP!

dbd33

I had to google Oakwood but now I think I went to a basement there late at night, from Wikipedia:

"The intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Vaughan Road is considered a notorious area, given that it has among the highest concentration of after-hour bars in Toronto".

dgagitw

Sounds pretty much perfect to me.