How to Find Accommodation
VFS provides a housing search through our housing service. Our housing coordinator will search on your behalf for the most appropriate housing that fits your budget/needs.
E-mail: housing@vfs.com
Phone: 604-631-3078
There is a $350CAD placement fee payable for any successful placement. This fee is comparable to that of most housing coordinators throughout the city, and details regarding the fee are noted in a service agreement that you will receive.
Bell Accommodation Services specializes in short- and long-term housing. Vancouver Homestay International specializes in homestay accommodation, and can be contacted at vhicanada@hotmail.com or 604 929-9286. Both agencies have worked with VFS students for a number of years.
VFS also hosts an online listing bulletin board with some available housing options.
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Types of Accommodation in Vancouver
There are six types of housing that our students typically reside in. They are:
1) Apartments
Throughout Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver area, apartments and condominiums are everywhere. Apartments are typically two to ten storey buildings and can be new or thirty (or more) years old. Typically these are less expensive than condominiums.
2) Condominiums
Condominiums are typically towers made of concrete. Much of the building boom recently experienced in Vancouver has been due to condominium developments. These can be secured on your own or can be shared with a roommate and typically range in age from brand-new to about twenty-five years old.
3) Basement Suites
Vancouver home-owners frequently subsidize their mortgage by renting out their basements. Usually these are self-contained units with their own living room/dining room, kitchen, and bedroom.
4) Shared houses
A shared house is a rental house, where roommates pay rent to a single lease-holder for a bedroom and shares some or all of the following: living space, bathrooms, kitchen, and a central entrance/hallway. Sometimes a house is divided by floors (e.g. 2nd floor, Main floor, and basement) and sometimes there are several separate units on each floor.
5) Long-term hotels
Some hotels will rent by the month. Rates are typically more than what you can secure in an apartment, but usually include housekeeping.
6) Homestays
Many Vancouver residents open their homes to students from around the world. Usually they charge for room and board, sometimes for room only. Any homestay host will need to understand that VFS students sometimes are not able to return until late in the evening due to evening classes, homework, group work, etc.
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Temporary Accommodation
If you are looking for reasonably priced, temporary accommodation, we suggest you consider the YWCA, or look into a listing of Hostelling International.
Alternatively, the following hotels are in close proximity to VFS:
Ramada Limited Downtown Vancouver, Quality Hotel Vancouver, Victorian Hotel.
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Vancouver is ranked as one of the best places in the world to live by a number of renowned international newspapers and websites. With a booming economy and a temperate climate (for Canada) it has one of the lowest vacancy rates in North America. However, with many post-secondary students living in Vancouver there is constant turn-over of apartments and other rental units.