Vanguard Student Housing Services

At Vanguard, we have decided to have our students live in the community, where they can get even more practical, hands on ministry experience, rather than living in the "Christian bubble" that dorm life often creates. While we are not a dorm school we have many, many affordable apartments close walking distance from Vanguard. You can view some of them in our photo albums here. Finding a place where you - or better yet you and a roommate or two - can stay is not difficult in our area of Edmonton, the "River City"!

Hunting Tips

How do I find an Apartment?

  1. You can start with this list of contact information for apartment buildings that are within a few blocks of the college. (Adobe Acrobat Download the list) We can’t be sure which of these places will have vacancies at the time you’re looking so let your fingers do the walking as you phone them until you find what you’re looking for. Just to give you an idea, you may also want to view these photos or nearby apartment buildings.

  2. Our online discussion board is another great place to find postings of houses/basement apartments/room & board situations that are available.
    http://vanguardcollege.com/boards/?CategoryID=2

  3. Other search options are these web sites that list houses, basement apartments etc. for rent in all areas of the city: www.rentfaster.ca, www.rentingspaces.ca, www.rentedmonton.com.

    As you search, some of the criteria that may help include:

    - Vanguard College’s Address at 12140 103 Street
    - Vanguard is located in Central Edmonton in the Westwood Community
    - Vanguard is in close proximity to NAIT and Kingsway Garden Mall. 

    Keep these facts in hand as you are home hunting so you don’t end up renting too far away from the school.

  4. Natasha Lantz - Housing CoordinatorFinally, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us; our experience looking for places to live near the college makes us an asset. nlantz@vanguardcollege.com

 

When do I start looking?

We STRONGLY suggest you start looking for accommodations in June or July and are prepared to begin renting in August; we recommend that you aim to have your apartment settled by August 1st with an August possession date. This means paying for August rent when you might not be living there but it’s worth the extra cost to be stress free as you won’t have to worry about finding a place to live come September when the vacancy rate in Edmonton drops drastically with students returning to the city for September classes.

Since tenants must give 30 days notice when they are leaving an apartment, landlords generally know of vacancies the beginning of the month before it’s available (although some times they may know earlier).

Be patient and call back if you don’t hear from them after a couple of days. Leave your name and contact info clearly. Some buildings have a waiting list; just ask to have your name added.

 

How do I find a roommate?

Vanguard’s Housing Coordinator maintains a list of those who are looking for a roommate including a personal bio so as to help you connect with someone who you might be better suited to live with. If you would like your name added to the list contact nlantz@vanguardcollege.com.

Another way to connect with roommates is our online discussion board where you, other future students and current students alike can post their need for a roommate.

http://vanguardcollege.com/boards/?CategoryID=2

Having a roommate arranged before you start hunting for an apartment is helpful as you’ll know what size of apartment you’ll be looking for, plus, if you live out of province you might find a roommate living close enough to come see the apartments, meet with landlords, etc. without having to rely on phone contact alone.

 

What should I know about an apartment before I agree to take it?

Here are some questions to ask:

  1. How many rooms?
  2. If you plan on sharing a 1 bedroom apartment between 2 people a 2
    bedroom apartment with 3 ask to make sure this is okay with your landlord.
  3. How much is Rent? What is required up front (ie. Many places require first
    and last months rent)?
  4. How much is the Damage deposit?
  5. How long is the Lease?
  6. What floor is the suite on? If in the basement do the windows have security
    bars?
  7. How old are the Appliances? What ones are included?
  8. Are there Laundry facilities in the building? How much do they cost?
  9. What Utilities are included? Heat/Water?

 

What are my rights as a Tenant?

For a comprehensive list of your rights and responsibilities as a tenant visit these government web sites:

http://servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/1022.cfm

www.landlordandtenant.org

 

What are average living costs?

Your living expenses will depend on a few things, like do you have a roommate, did you make a budget and do you have self-control to not buy that new guitar you’ve been eyeing or update your wardrobe with your student loan money?

Sharing livings space and other expenses with roommates is a great way to keep costs down. Although apartments vary in price you can expect to be paying around $450 a month in rent. Other expenses can be kept lower depending on what you ‘need’ vs. what you ‘want’, like do you really need to have cable television with all the homework you’ll be doing? You can find costs and contact info for the basic living expenses here: Adobe Acrobat Download the document