we are moving in april so it would be good to know what I can bring to help me get a rental in Canada. We want to be in the coquitlam area. As first time renters we wont have any references or credit rating etc...Just wondering if there is anything I should get prepared before I leave the uk.

if you have no Canadian credit history then a copy of your UK Credit file will help, as well as proof of enough funds to cover the duration of the rental (i.e 12 x the monthly rent available in your Chequing account)

if you have not rented in the UK previously, then references will obviously be an issue, and some landlords / agents may require a deposit of up to 6 months rental payment in advance.

Im presuming you also realize that the vast majority of rentals here are all unfirnished? - anything furnished will generally be a short term rental on a month / month, and will be very expensive

If you have a job in Canada, a reference from your employer will also help.

As far as I know, it's illegal to ask for more than 1/2 month's rent as a deposit in BC.

Good point about everything being unfurnished - you should make sure and budget for that too.

Thanks for the info, I certainly came across this a few times when looking in DT Vancouver and other areas; but politely declined!

I found as long as you can prove funds, or proof of income, i.e an indeterminate job offer, with salary stated on the offer letter; then this is all I needed + the half months deposit.

having proof of funds is probably all we will be able to get plus the uk credit history. We will want unfurnished anyway as we are shipping our furniture over. Plus we will be having an income from a uk rental so I guess proof of that will be helpful also...Im glad you mentioned about the deposit side of it being illegal aswell that's always good to know...Ive been trying to look at rentals online on craigs list but am a bit worried incase its a scam advert and I cant find any estate agents in Canada that advertise rentals online..Will be moving over in april so my plan is to look at the area we want to live in and find estate agent boards and contact them.

Craigslist and Kijiji are actually the best places to look for rentals, although of course there are scams on there.

The most common one is that you will get a reply saying the advertiser is currently working as a missionary overseas and they have all the keys with them...

Have you considered looking on Airbnb to start you off somewhere? There are people on there who pretty much specialise in short term accommodation for new immigrants.

There are a few rental agents out there.

Virtually all rentals start either 1st or 15th of the month. No genuine advertiser will ask you for more than 1/2 a month's rent as deposit (plus another 1/2 a month if you have a pet) and 1 month up front. Some will ask for first-and-last months' rents. Most rentals are for 12 months minimum, although you will find some 6 month ones.

Vacancy levels are very low and competition high.

Your accent might help.

I hope it does help, although people thought we were Australian a few times, but couldn't believe the amount of people who loved our English accents,

We just showed husband's employment contract and paid the deposit. Got the keys right away. Rented less than 24 hrs after stepping off the plane.
Good luck!

That's illegal.

We negotiated the 12 months' minimum to 6 months. We've just moved to a new place and negotiated this one down to 9 months. We've also negotiated the rent down in both places.

It is good for all tenants and landlords to be conversant with this.
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/DownloadAs...FB82EC9D68222B

Residential Tenancy Act

Anything that contravenes the act can be reported to the RTB.

Indeed.

But it doesn't stop them asking!


It doesn't stop you agreeing to it either, because that takes away the issue of not getting your deposit back...

We rented to new immigrants - went with gut feeling, job offer, references and the fact they were cute

it's not impossible.

I've had possible tenants try to negotiate me down on rent before...I just politely said no. But probably worth a try, right?

when is your furniture leaving the UK?

Are you prepared for it taking longer than expected?

could you afford to buy some stuff to tide you over?


Years ago, Mother-i-l moved into a home, and shipped stuff from Chester to Vancouver for OH and for his sister in northern BC.

It took almost 6 months to arrive


The shipment spent time in Bangkok