Transition to Vancouver

Regardless of whether you are arriving in Vancouver for the first time or have been living here for years, settling in prior to your studies is an important step in your preparation for the program.

We encourage all students to be in Vancouver to find housing by late summer as securing accommodation near the end of the month can be difficult. We expect that you will be fully settled by the start of Opening Week.

Introduction to Housing

Housing at UBC and in surrounding neighbourhoods is very competitive as there are 40,000+ students returning to campus every school year.
Beginning the search early is important because housing and rental prices are high and there are many students looking by the late summer so it only becomes more competitive.

The options for housing can be lumped into two categories:
On-Campus Housing
Off-Campus Housing

We will break down these two options further below.

On-Campus Housing

The demand for on-campus housing greatly surpasses the supply so please be prepared for the likely possibility that you will have to look for off-campus housing.  You can apply for UBC Housing through their website. As the program is longer than one winter session at UBC (Sept-April) students are recommended to apply for year-round housing.

If you have any questions, please reach out the UBC Housing directly. The RHL Office is not involved in the housing allocation process and we do not have access to your application.

Notes:
You may find when you apply for residence on campus that you are placed on a wait list. If you are placed on a wait list, check with UBC Housing as to the likelihood of obtaining housing for September.

  • Wait lists can be long and you may wish to investigate off-campus housing in late summer to ensure you are settled before the start of the program.
  • If you arrive prior to the move-in date for your off-campus or on-campus housing, you may require short-term accommodation (see “Short-Term Accommodation” section).
Upper Level Student Housing (year-round)
Graduate Student Colleges (year-round)

UBC has two residential graduate colleges that offer accommodation dedicated to graduate students, visiting scholars, and postdocs:

Winter Session (September-April) Housing

This type of housing is accommodates undergraduate students who typically study from September – April each year. Some residences are exclusively first year residences and are not open to graduate students. These residences include Totem Park, Place Vanier, Orchard Commons.

Alternative On-Campus Housing

These housing options are located on campus, but not managed by UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services.

Off-Campus Housing

We recommend that all students who need to secure off-campus housing arrive in Vancouver by late summer at the latest. It is difficult to secure off-campus housing since Vancouver generally has a low vacancy rate and high demand. Before looking at rental properties, we recommend you read the off-campus housing guide. Students who arrived too late to secure housing before Opening Week found it very stressful to house hunt while being in school.

In Vancouver, advertisements for rental accommodation are most plentiful near the end and beginning of each month. This is because most agreements require tenants to give one month notice if they plan on moving out. Landlords advertise the vacancy for the first day of the following month.

Selecting your neighborhood: Neighborhood cultures, living costs and transit routes are important factors when looking for housing. Vancouver is in general a safe city to live in but, as in any big city, you need to be aware of your surroundings and select accommodations and a location you are comfortable with. It is strongly advised to research and visit any area you are not familiar with before committing to renting a place.

If you are using Google Maps, you can do a search for “2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC” to zero in on the UBC Sauder School of Business and search locations close by.

House Hunting Resources
  • The off-campus housing guide gives an overview of Vancouver neighbourhoods, costs and considerations to take before and after securing a rental unit. This is a great place to start.
  • For details on your rights and responsibilities as a renter in Vancouver, or for further information on apartment rentals, visit the BC Residential Tenancy Office website. Changes to tenancy laws, including amendments that limit the use of vacate clauses in fixed-term tenancy agreements and that limit rent increases between agreements with the same tenant are now in effect. Learn more.
  • Please also review the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada on renting and rental agreements.
  • Before you move in, inspect the apartment. In some provinces, you’re required to do an inspection. This will ensure you’re not held responsible for damage that may already exist. The inspection should be done with your landlord. Document and photograph any visible property damage. Use the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Initial Inspection Worksheet Primer and Initial Inspection Worksheet.
  • Google Maps (do a search for “2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC” to zero in on the UBC Sauder School of Business and search locations close by).
Rental Listing Website

The UBC AMS (Alma Mater Society) provides a listing service of available off-campus housing for both students and landlords. You can utilize the web site to search for accommodation on criteria such as number of bedrooms, distance from the University and/or neighborhoods. Other online sites you may wish to try:

Beware of Scams

As you may know, Vancouver is a very competitive housing market. While typically our students are able to find appropriate accommodations on- or off-campus and have rarely come across scams, it is important to be aware that scams do exist. Students should be vigilant when working to secure housing for their time during the program..

Some warning signs of rental scams according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, include:

  • Rental rates that are well below the current market rates.
  • Landlords who require you to leave a deposit on the spot without any formal rental agreement in place or with a much later move-in date. They could be showing you an apartment to which they have somehow gained access but which is not actually for rent.
  • Someone who is asking for cash only and/or personal information such as a SIN, bank account, credit card numbers.
  • Someone who is willing to rent you a property without meeting you or doing a background check on you.
  • Links within emails that send you to websites asking for personal and/or financial information. These are usually phishing emails that expose you to financial fraud.
  • Ads that show pictures of the outside of the property only, or pictures that do not match the actual property.

Short-term Accommodation

If you need a place to stay while conducting your accommodation search, there are a large number of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and hostels in Vancouver. This page lists a few of the options, but there are many more to be found by doing a web search.

On-Campus

On-campus short-term accommodation is difficult to find if you are not scheduled to move into one of the on-campus residences at the beginning of the school year. There are only a few options available:

Please note that RHL does not recommend any commercial enterprises, but provides these lists of local services for information only.

Off-Campus

Options for staying off-campus include youth hostels, YMCA/YWCA, bed and breakfasts (B&B’s), or hotels. In any case, you should check what area of Vancouver they are located in for ease of travel.

You may also find short-term accommodation listed on some of these rental listing websites:

Parking & Transportation

Whatever your method of transportation, taking the bus, biking, walking or driving, there are resources available to help you navigate to, from, and around campus.

Please note all UBC students are charged for the Compass Card transit pass which is included in student-levied fees, regardless of whether they choose to use the bus system or not.

Transportation Options
Transit (bus, Skytrain, Seabus etc.)
Cycling
Driving

Banking

Find out what you need to set up a bank account and how to go about transferring funds if you have come to UBC from another country.

Medical Insurance & Health Care

UBC requires that all students, both domestic and international, have basic and extended health insurance for the duration of their studies.

If you are an international student, there is a more detailed explanation on the International Students page.

All students must review the following web site to ensure they have proper coverage and understand what is automatically supplied by UBC and what they need to apply for themselves:

NOTES:

Cell Phones & Communication

Learn more about setting up a Canadian cell phone plan on this page.

Childcare and Education

In British Columbia, there is mandatory schooling for children ages 5 to 16. If your study permit is valid for at least one year and you are enrolled at UBC (excluding ESL programs), your minor children (18 years of age and younger) are eligible to attend elementary and secondary school without paying international student fees. However, you should begin the enrolment process for your children as early as possible after your arrival.
A proof of address is required to determine school catchment and to register children in school. If your child is not born in Canada and/or does not speak English as their home language, you must first register at the District Reception and Placement Center.
You will need the following to enroll your child in school:

  • Passport
  • Passport stamp or visit records indicating the day your child entered Canada
  • Copy of the parents’ study or work permit

The following should be translated into English if necessary:

  • Immunization documents
  • Birth Certificate
  • Copies of the last two years of school report cards/marks/evaluations

For further details on registering children in school, please refer to the Student Registration page in the appropriate School Board website:

Indigenous Peoples & Vancouver/UBC

UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people. We acknowledge this fact often because it is an important aspect of UBC’s history and present relations with Indigenous Peoples. Both UBC and Canada have a long and complicated history of colonialism and Indigenous relations. In preparation for your arrival at UBC, we encourage you to learn more about UBC and Canada’s historical and present relationship with Indigenous peoples and communities, and to explore the many resources available online and on campus. Please follow the links below to learn more. During your Opening Week orientation there will be more opportunities to engage with this content: coming prepared with some pre-existing knowledge will help facilitate these discussions respectfully and profoundly.

Key words:

Recommended resources:

Learn more about the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and their connections to UBC and the city of Vancouver by visiting the resources below:

  1. First Peoples: A Guide for Newcomers (Downloadable pdf)
  2. Musqueam People Historic Timeline: http://www2.moa.ubc.ca/musqueamteachingkit/history.php
  3. Indigenous Peoples Language Guide: https://brand.ubc.ca/indigenous-peoples-language-guide-now-available/

For more in-depth information on current and historical Indigenous affairs:

  1. Information Resource: https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/
  2. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada
  3. National: https://aptnnews.ca/
  4. At UBC: https://aboriginal.ubc.ca/
  5. At UBC: https://you.ubc.ca/aboriginal-students-ubc/
  6. UBC Strategic Indigenous Plan: https://aboriginal.ubc.ca/indigenous-strategic-plan/
  7. At Sauder: https://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Programs/Chnook

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