Desperate Vancouver renters are sharing rooms divided by curtains
In Vancouver, an increasing number of renters are learning how to close off a living room just to live and try to save some money.
Using curtains, tension rods, or collapsible room dividers, Vancouver renters across the city are transforming shared spaces into pseudo-bedrooms.
Not because it’s quirky, but because renting in Metro Vancouver is relentless.
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According to the June 2025 Rentals.ca Rent Report, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver is $2,830, a 5.9 per cent decrease from the previous year, but still among the highest in the country.
Three residents from Kitsilano, Main Street, and the West End spoke to Daily Hive Urbanized about what it’s really like to live behind a curtain, sleep beside a blender, and split a one-bedroom apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the country.
“I sleep beside my nine-year-old son”
Emma* lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Kitsilano with her nine-year-old son. They share a room, but not by choice.
The 44-year-old revealed how she has struggled to create some privacy in her tiny space.
“I’ve tried everything. IKEA curtains, tension rods, folding dividers. Nothing holds,” she told Daily Hive Urbanized. “I lost my damage deposit trying to hang a ceiling track. Eventually, we just had a hole in the ceiling above the bed.”
At first, she chose to co-sleep. By the time her son was three, she had hoped to create separate bedrooms. But by then, rent prices had made it impossible.
“I work with kids on the autism spectrum. It’s essential work. But I can’t afford a two-bedroom and still feed my child. That’s just the math.”
She’s not alone. According to the 2021 Census, one-person households now account for 29 per cent of homes in Metro Vancouver, and single-parent families are increasingly vulnerable to housing costs.
Emma has tried to let go of the shame: “There were years I didn’t let him have friends over. But then I heard another mom say her kid sleeps on a futon in the living room. It reminded me I’m not alone,” she shared.
She still dreams of privacy.
“My curtain would probably say, ‘You’re 44. Go find a man who can help with rent,” she laughed. “I make it look nice. I’ve hidden a lot of hard things with aesthetics.”
Waking up to the sweet sounds of a blender
Riley Armstrong’s former residence. (Supplied)
Riley Armstrong was in her mid-twenties when she moved from Ontario to Vancouver in 2017. She and her sister shared a one-bedroom apartment near Main and 14th.
“She had the bedroom. I lived in the living room beside the kitchen,” she said.“Every morning, I’d wake up to [the sound of] her blender. At least she saved me some [smoothie].”
At the time, they paid a total of about $1,400; Armstrong’s share was around $500 to $600.
It felt like a stretch, but it was doable. She was working full-time and often travelling for work, so the setup was manageable.
“It brought us closer. We grew from just sisters into real friends,” the renter shared. However, the downsides were real: zero privacy, no AC, and constant noise. “She had the only AC unit in the bedroom. Some nights were brutal.”
Even back then, Vancouver was already edging toward unaffordability. According to the CMHC, in 2017, the average rent for a purpose-built apartment in the city was $1,389.
For rented condos, the rates were $2,086, and both were rising rapidly. Purpose-built units saw a 4.9 per cent annual rent increase, while condo rents jumped 6.7 per cent.
Now, after a stint away, Armstrong is back in Vancouver and shocked by how little has changed.
Goose, Riley Armstrong’s cat. (Supplied)
“I still see the same listings. Living rooms for rent with curtains as dividers. People are just trying to stay afloat.”
Today, she lives in a small studio with her cat, Goose, and it’s her first time having a place entirely to herself.
“I put double curtains on a rod to divide the space”
In the West End, Danielle Gostkowska has lived in the same apartment for over a decade.
She has a steady job, a degree, and a rent that is considered “cheap” by Vancouver standards — $1,145 a month.
But between student loans, a line of credit, and the high cost of living, she still couldn’t make it work on her own.
“I’ve paid off a lot, but I still have quite a bit left,” she said. “And I just needed help for a while.”
In 2021, her friend was getting married in Australia. Gostkowska wanted to go, but her budget didn’t stretch far enough. Instead of picking up a second job, she got creative.
“I rented out my living room,” she told Daily Hive Urbanized.
Danielle Gostkowska used curtains to split up her space. (Supplied)
“I put up double curtains on a rod to divide the space and even got my roommate a mini fridge. I cook a lot, and there wasn’t enough room in the main one.”
Over the course of two years, she hosted three or four roommates, all of whom she had carefully screened.
“People were surprised I interviewed them. But of course I did. This was still my home,” she shared. Eventually, she needed her privacy back: “I’m not bad at living with people. I just wanted to live alone again. I’m in my late 30s — I don’t want to still be sharing space like that in my 40s.”
She’s solo again for now, but the future feels uncertain.
“My landlord increases the rent every year to the maximum. And everyone in the building knows that when he passes, his family plans to sell. So even though it’s stable today, it could all change tomorrow.”
A recent report by the Balanced Supply of Housing found that 10.5 per cent of B.C. renter households experienced eviction between 2016 and 2021, the highest in Canada.
Gostkowska said she has done everything she was told to do: get an education, work hard, and manage her money wisely.
“Even if I get a raise, it still might not be enough,” she shared. I don’t want to take on a second job just to keep the home I’ve already built.”
Vancouver renters aren’t alone in their struggle
All three renters agree that this isn’t a lifestyle, it’s survival.
Gostkowska put it bluntly: “Two people can split a $2,600 rent. But I don’t have that. And I shouldn’t need a second job just to live alone.”
Armstrong agreed: “This isn’t a quirky housing trend. It’s people figuring it out because there’s no other option.”
Emma perhaps said it best: “We’re being told that curtain hacks and micro-units are the future. But Canada has space. We don’t have to live like this.”
And yet, these three Vancouver renters aren’t alone in their experience.
An Angus Reid survey from June 2024 found that 78 per cent of B.C. renters say it’s harder to make ends meet now than two years ago, the highest rate of any group surveyed.
It also reported that more than half (56 per cent) of renters struggled with rental costs and felt financially squeezed.
Meanwhile, a joint Rentals.ca and Urbanation report from February 2025 shows that 52 per cent of Canadian renters now spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, officially making them “shelter-cost burdened.”
And it turns out that nearly half (48 per cent) are planning to live with a roommate or partner in their next rental, driven not by choice but necessity.
Among first-time renters, that number jumps to a striking 60 per cent.
Emma, a single mom, already feels the squeeze.
“If I get renovicted and they offer me a ‘replacement unit,’ it’ll be a micro-suite. My son and I won’t even fit a bed in there.”
Behind each curtain wall is someone sacrificing sleep, space, and stability just to stay near work or school.
“It’s no joke,” Gostkowska adds. “I don’t want to be in my 40s renting out my living room again. I want to live, not just survive.”
Are you a renter living in Metro Vancouver and want to share your unique story? Get in touch with us at vancouver@dailyhive.com.
With files from Kenneth Chan, Daniel Chai, Megan Devlin, and Amir Ali
*Editor’s note: Emma’s full name has been withheld to protect her privacy.
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