Rent-Geared-to-Income programs

RGI Program applicants must meet the following employment, income, and assets criteria. 

Employment

You must be currently working and fall into one of the two eligible employee groups:

1. UBC staff members who are:
   1. Full-time (100% FTE) ongoing employees with at least one-year work history; or,
   2. Full-time (100% FTE) term employees with at least three years of continuous work history with no breaks in service.​​​
2. UBC tenure-stream faculty members who are full-time employees with children and are relocating to Vancouver from outside Metro Vancouver. 

Staff members must be an employee of one of the following groups:

• BCGEU child care
• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2950
• Executive administrative staff
• Farm workers
• IUOE 115
• Management and Professional (AAPS)
• Non-union technicians and research assistants

Income

To be eligible, gross household income must be below the housing income limit for the unit type an applicant qualifies for at the time of application. Gross household income includes income before taxes from all sources for each household member 19 years of age or older.

The type of unit your household qualifies for is based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standards. All household members must be immediate family members, including the employee and spouse, and their parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, brothers, and sisters. Caregivers may reside within the rental unit only with the approval by UBC. Common household examples are listed below with more details found in the Program Details section:

• A single adult would qualify for a studio or 1-bedroom.
• A couple would qualify for a 1-bedroom.
• A single adult or couple with 1 child, or 2 small children, or 2 older children of the same sex would qualify for a 2-bedroom.
• A single adult or couple with 2 older children of the opposite sex would qualify for a 3-bedroom.

2025 Income Limits

Assets

To be eligible to apply for the program, net household assets cannot exceed $100,000 and the applicant and their household members cannot own a residential property in Metro Vancouver.

Eligibility Confirmation

UBC Housing, Immigration & Relocation Services (HIRS) manages the application process, including the collection and verification of employment, household, income, and assets information. Approved applicants receive an acceptance letter confirming eligibility, the unit type they have qualified for, the amount of rent based on 30% of household income, and other key program terms and conditions. Once the applicant has agreed to these terms and conditions, they are placed on the waitlist to be assigned a suitable rental unit in the Faculty Staff Rental Housing portfolio, subject to availability.

ONGOING ELIGIBILITY AND Rent Calculations

The rent calculation is subject to periodic eligibility reviews and these reviews are conducted, at a minimum, annually. All households need to meet ongoing eligibility requirements to remain in the program and for purposes of recalculating their rent contributions.

Once a unit is allocated under the Program, there is no requirement for gross household income to remain below the Income Limits to continue to be eligible. The rent contribution would be calculated as being the lesser of the rent calculation of 30% of gross household income or the full unit rent in the tenancy agreement subject to allowable increases.

Any changes to the rent calculation will be determined in accordance with the terms and conditions of the program and is not subject to Residential Tenancy Act regulations.

Unit Allocation and Tenancy

Up to 110 RGI units will be available to staff and up to 20 RGI units to faculty, subject to availability.

Village Gate Homes administers the allocation of units and tenancies within the Faculty Staff Rental Housing portfolio. Eligible units include studio, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments in the following buildings: 

• Sumac House
• Cascara House
• Gardenia House
• Tamarack House
• Larkspur House
• Dahlia House
• Magnolia House
• Nobel House
• Pine House
• Cypress House 

Excluded from the program are 4-bedroom units, townhomes, cityhomes, and units with dens. Approved participants will be offered rental units within the Village Gate Homes inventory as turnover permits. Participants may decline two offers of a unit, but will be removed from the program should a third offer be declined.

Taxable benefit

The housing benefit received through the RGI Program is taxable under Canadian income tax law. The taxable benefit amount is the difference between the adjusted market rent as determined by UBC Treasury and the tenant rent contribution. UBC reports the taxable benefit amount on the employee’s pay slip for each pay period and withholds and remits applicable income taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency. The taxable benefit amount can be significant given the level of rent support provided by UBC through the RGI Program. Employees are responsible for understanding the tax implications of the program and can request an estimate of the taxable benefit amount prior to accepting a unit.

Maximum stay

Staff can remain in the RGI Program for up to ten years and faculty members for up to two years subject to continuing eligibility. After this time, or should the employee no longer be eligible for the RGI Program, they can remain in the unit at the regular rental rate.

National Occupancy Standards

The type of unit allocated to successful applicants will be in accordance with the National Occupancy Standard (NOS) requirements. These standards require that:

• there be no more than 2 or less than 1 person per bedroom;
• couples share a bedroom;
• parents do not share a bedroom with children; and,
• dependents aged 18 or more and dependents aged 5 or more of the opposite sex do not share a bedroom.

Common examples are described below. 

UBC Staff Members

Applications for UBC staff members will be open between May 15 – June 15, 2025. 

Applications for staff are accepted as space allows in the program, until capacity is reached. Applications will open in future cycles when space becomes available in the program.

Important notes for current tenants of Village Gate Homes:

• Priority will be given to current tenants in eligible units over new applicants, if program demand reaches capacity.
• Current tenants in ineligible units will not be considered during this application cycle.
• Due to limited availability of studio and one-bedroom units, only applications from current tenants already residing in eligible studio/1-bedroom units will be considered at this time. 

Application process:

UBC Housing, Immigration & Relocation Services (HIRS) manages the application process, including the collection and verification of employment, household, income, and assets information. 

1. Initial screening:

   Applicants who meet the initial screening will be invited to provide their supporting documents after the application portal closes on June 15, 2025. 

2. Income verification: 

   HIRS will verify and calculate gross monthly income and assets from all sources for each household member 19 years of age and older. Only complete applications will be reviewed and it may take up to two months for reviews to complete. 

3. Program acceptance & waitlist:

   Applicants who meet all program requirements will receive an acceptance letter confirming eligibility, the unit type they have qualified for, the amount of rent based on 30% of household income, and other key program terms and conditions. Once the applicant has agreed to these terms and conditions, they will be placed on the waitlist to be assigned a unit by Village Gate Homes, as eligible units become available. As there are a number of factors that influence the unit allocation process, it is not possible to provide an estimate of how long it would take to be assigned a unit.

The application portal will open on May 15, 2025. 

UBC Faculty Members

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. 

The Faculty Temporary Housing Program (FTHP) program is merit-based to support entry-level faculty hires who would have difficulty with the initial cost of relocating their family to a city with high housing costs such as Vancouver. Applications may be submitted within 6 months of an accepted offer by the Department Head or Dean’s office on behalf of a candidate, or by the relocating candidate themselves. 

UBC Housing, Immigration & Relocation Services (HIRS) manages the application process, including the collection and verification of employment, household, income, and assets information. 

Upon approval, applicants receive an acceptance letter confirming eligibility, the unit type they have qualified for, the amount of rent based on 30% of household income, and other key program terms and conditions.

Once the applicant has agreed to these terms and conditions, they will be placed on the waitlist to be assigned a unit by Village Gate Homes. Best efforts are made to ensure that the unit allocation coincides with their arrival date within the constraints of turnover in the FSRH portfolio, and availability of an eligible unit, among other limitations. 

Faculty can remain in the RGI Program for up to two years subject to continuing eligibility. After this time, or should the program participant no longer be eligible, they may remain in the unit at the regular rental rate.

Apply now