Resources and links to help you find a home to rent in Vancouver
Living on the Vancouver campus
UBC employees have a number of rental options on campus, some at market price and others at reduced rent for faculty and staff, as well as short-term stays.
For information on renting in Kelowna near the UBC Okanagan campus, see our relocating to Kelowna.
UBC faculty and staff rental housing
UBC offers rental housing to full-time faculty and staff on the Vancouver campus at below-market rents. This portfolio of 1102 apartments and townhomes is managed by UBC affiliate Village Gate Homes. All suites are unfurnished and a minimum of a one-year lease is required. For details, photos, floor plans, and to apply for a rental suite, please go to the Village Gate Homes website.
Suites are allocated on a priority basis. Apartment suites are offered to tenure-track faculty first, followed by tenured faculty and then to staff and other eligible faculty, including postdoctoral fellows and research associates. Within each of these groups, priority is assessed by the date of registration with Village Gate Homes. There is a separate allocation process for townhomes in which tenured faculty are prioritized.
Full-time UBC Vancouver faculty and staff are eligible to apply by registering with Village Gate Homes. Please register only once you have a job offer for an eligible position. Be sure to provide complete information or else you may not be added to the waitlist. Village Gate Homes will confirm your eligibility once you are offered a suite.
Questions about availability, rents, suites and tenancy can be directed to Village Gate Homes at info@villagegatehomes.com.
Questions about eligibility and allocation guidelines can be directed to UBC Housing and Relocation Services at employeehousing.help@ubc.ca.
Rent-Geared-to-Income pilot program
UBC offers a limited number of UBC Faculty Staff Rental Housing suites to eligible employees at rental rates equal to 30% of their gross household income before taxes and adjustments. Employment, income and assets criteria apply. To view program details and apply please go to UBC RGI Pilot Program.
Market rental housing
A number of property management companies offer long-term unfurnished, market rentals for faculty, staff, students and the general public on campus. Visit their websites for more information, including photographs, virtual tours, unit plans, prices, and current vacancies.
Visitor housing
If you need short-term housing, there are a number of options available on campus that are within close proximity to all UBC facilities and amenities, including affordable food outlets, student pubs, pool and gym.
Living off-campus
To find off campus rental housing, you can search online listing websites, check with colleagues and friends, walk around and look for “for rent” signs, or engage a rental broker. Explore off campus neighbourhoods and rental housing options by checking out the neighbourhood profiles and searching the online listings below.
Neighbourhood profiles
Neighbourhood services and amenities, living costs and commute times are important factors when looking for housing. Our neighbourhood profiles include information on housing types and costs, commute time to UBC, walkability, amenities, demographics and schools to give you a feel for each neighbourhood.
Arbutus (PDF) | Downtown (PDF) | Dunbar-Southlands (PDF) | Fairview (PDF) | Grandview-Woodland (PDF) | Hastings-Sunrise (PDF) | Kensington-Cedar Cottage (PDF) | Kerrisdale (PDF) | Killarney (PDF) | Kitsilano (PDF) | Marpole (PDF) | Mount Pleasant (PDF) | Oakridge (PDF) | Renfrew-Collingwood (PDF) | Riley Park (PDF) | Shaughnessy (PDF) | South Cambie (PDF) | Strathcona and Downtown Eastside (PDF) | Sunset (PDF) | Victoria-Fraserview (PDF) | West End (PDF) | West Point Grey (PDF)
Online listings
Housing can move quickly so contact landlords immediately if you come across a listing you like. As tenants generally only give one month’s notice to end a tenancy, vacancies will only start showing 25 to 45 days prior to availability. Always exercise caution with any online listing platform.
- liv.rent
- Sabbatical Homes
- Rentseeker
- Rent Faster
- Make Yourself at Home
- Craigslist
- Kijiji
- Padmapper
- AirBnb
- VRBO
- Zumper
- Zillow
- Rentals.ca
- Hollyburn Properties
- Austeville Properties
- Bastion Development
- Facebook Marketplace
Please note that UBC isn't affiliated with any of the agencies listed above. They're listed for information purposes only.
Other rental resources
Residential Tenancy Branch: Information, education and dispute resolution services for residential tenancies in British Columbia.
Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC): Online guide to better understanding tenant-landlord law in British Columbia and free legal representation to eligible tenants.
BC Housing: Resource for a range of affordable and subsidized housing options across British Columbia.
YWCA Housing: Provides safe and affordable homes for single women and their dependent children across Metro Vancouver.
City of Vancouver: Resources for renters in finding safe and suitable housing in the city.
Catalyst Community Developments: BC-based not-for-profit real estate developer that owns and operates a number of affordable rental housing in the region.
Brightside Community Homes Foundation: Offers affordable rental housing for seniors, families and people with disabilities.
Metro Vancouver Housing: Offers affordable housing for households with low to moderate incomes.