Finding a place to rent in Metro Vancouver felt like a part-time job, but we did it

This is a first-person experiential piece written by a Daily Hive staff member

Earlier this year I wrote a piece called “I’m trying to rent a place in Vancouver and it feels like The Hunger Games.”

And now, almost seven months since our search officially began, it finally happened.

We hit the jackpot. We accomplished something that felt like body-slamming Andre the Giant, reaching the top of the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, defeating Apollo Creed, destroying the Death Star, or winning the Hunger Games.

My partner and I found a place to rent in New Westminster (she deserves most of the credit, actually).

via GIPHY

It was a gruelling process to say the very least.

Surrey, Coquitlam, Vancouver, New West, and Burnaby. We looked everywhere, and we ran into brick walls at every turn. I mean metaphorical brick walls as we really like brick when it comes to design. It’s very photogenic.

Before we found our new place, we were going to take someone’s advice and raise our budget, which would’ve potentially allowed us a wider selection. No one should have to do that to find shelter and a place to live.

Finding this apartment was truly like winning the lottery. After countless viewings and interactions and being ignored, we met a person who showed us around our new apartment building, and they seemed down to earth and genuine. It didn’t feel shady like many of the other places we looked at — it felt comfortable.

You could argue that regardless of the state of housing in any chosen city, finding the right fit will always feel like winning the lottery, but why should that be the norm? Everyone should be entitled to finding a home that fits their needs and lifestyle. It shouldn’t feel like you struck gold.

Finding a place to rent feels like a part-time job

Anyone out there who has tried to find a place to rent in Metro Vancouver over the last several years can attest to the idea that finding a place to rent is like a part-time job on the side.

The amount of time you need to put in to constantly scour listings and stay on top of communications to be one of the first in line is absurd. If you have a full-time job that takes up most of your day, say goodbye to your weekends. If you’re just “working” weekends — working as in looking for a place — it also limits the scope of the number of places you can find.

Now imagine what it’s like for a min wage worker.

— The Dissenter (@TheDissenter4) July 5, 2022

What if we made minimum wage?

One of the other reasons finding a place to rent was so difficult was because of our budget. The higher the price, the less demand there seems to be.

We sat somewhere in the $1,200 to $1,700 range when it came to our budget. On the lower end of that scale, we would’ve had to make serious compromises when it came to size and space based on the listings we spotted. We found something right in the middle, and it luckily checked most of our boxes. No pets was a sacrifice we were willing to make for now.

Everyone should be able to find something that fits their budget and needs with money left over to do the things they want to do. You also shouldn’t have to live in a closet for the sake of affordability.

If my partner and I made minimum wage, I can’t even begin to comprehend what we would’ve had to go through to find a place that fit our budget to move in together. It honestly kinda feels like it would have been impossible.

3 months, 7 days a week until I found mine. 2nd job indeed.

— Kathryn Orr (@kcorr54) July 5, 2022

The unfortunate reality of renting in Metro Vancouver is that the second you let your foot off the gas, motivation goes out the window; it did for us.

After reaching out to several people who left us on read and didn’t bother replying, we just stopped. We kept casually looking but it just felt so hopeless that we stopped pushing hard for about a month.

A friend of ours moved out of his old apartment unit in which he was only paying $1,000, he wondered if we were interested and we thought about it. A week after he gave notice that he was moving, a listing for his apartment appeared on Craigslist that had the rent jacked up to $1,300. That was still within our budget, but the unit was located inside a very old building that wasn’t maintained very well and it was not worth $1,300, and barely worth $1,000.

The lack of rent control might be part of the reason why the situation has gotten so out of hand in Metro Vancouver.

Wait, what rent control?

There are rent controls in place for active rentals. As a landlord, you’re only entitled to one rent increase every 12 months at a certain rate. This year the allowable increase is 1.5%.

But, what about recently vacated units like the one my friend offered? After speaking to the BC Government Residential Tenancy Branch, I was informed it’s basically a free-for-all. The landlord can declare whatever rent they want once a unit has been vacated.

With that in mind, is it any wonder that we’re facing the rental situation that we are in Metro Vancouver? This seems like a major oversight in a city dealing with an affordability crisis.

While we’re thrilled about our recent fortunes, the experience shed new light on the struggles of the Metro Vancouver renter, including the sheer surreal joy one feels when one finally acquires a place.

Best of luck to you if you’re going through this journey, and just know that there is the hope of finding the right place if you are willing to persevere.