Can't get a Single Reply while Apartment Hunting?

1% vacancy, looking for housing for September, which a bajillion uni students are all vying for

Too much competition for 3 bdrm units. Landlords can be picky at this point so they will choose whatever kind of tenants they prefer. I would only want a group of students if they were in demanding enough post grad programs that I could tell they wouldn't be partying, for example. I'd pick a more established couple over a group of poor students.

A lot of students are messy and irresponsible. Maybe don't introduce yourself as a bunch of poor students trying to save money if you have been doing that.

It’s hard to find a place right now in general, but (yes you might already be doing this) in my experience on both sides it really helps to write a little blurb about yourself and what makes you an awesome tenant in the initial message. Too many messages are, “I am interested,” “is this available.” I’ve gotten the last three places I’ve lived (over the last 6 years) by getting personal with the landlords.

Essentially, you have to respond within a short period of time after posting. These people posting ads are getting hundreds of messages within a very short period of time.

List information about yourself (how many people, kids, pets, job) and ask what is available/when you can view it when you reply. It's very fast moving and you have to be ready to go at a moment's notice. When I was looking last year I was pretty much on the go non stop. At work and on the phone in the middle of doing stuff just to contact these people. Ads would have been posted minutes before and I was in their inbox. I managed to get several viewings because of that in a week. I ended up getting ghosted by quite a few people (whatever. They had a lot of people messaging them). And ended up finding a place because the home owner felt bad about my sob story about needing to find a place to live in less than 2 weeks.

My work days were mostly me continuously refreshing Kijiji and Facebook market place.

Message apartment on buildings and ask what their availability is (sometimes they haven't listed anything yet and are willing to let you view before they list).

Girlfriend and I were looking since the end of February. Only one place responded, and it was like a week ago. Our lease ends June 30th. We can’t renew, so we had literally no choice but to take it.

Everyone one has given great advice.

• Low vacancies
• Sept is to far .. to much competition for sept. Most rental are renting them now and tenants are not moving in until Sept just to secure their unit. Yes actually paying for 2 or more months rent to have it vacant but secured

One thing i dont think anyone brought up what are your and the others that are applying for there rental social media presence? Just like employers property rentals take the time to look all this stuff up.

Edit: again people will not like this.. Just trying to assist..also make sure you complete in full the rental application no SIN # of course. But when the following blah blah is requested and its not provided they will move to the next rental app. Its important to provide your pay stubs, bank statement, they want to verify income some dont feel comfortable providing this..of course but it's not illegal either

What are you looking for what is your budget?

Don't rely on ads. Most of the big property management companies don't need to bother advertising, especially in this market. Be proactive, and call every large building you can find. Even now, people move (or get evicted). You just need to have the right luck and timing. If you target larger properties with more units, you might hit one at the right moment.

Make a good impression when you call to inquire. Sometimes the property manager who answers the phone is the same one who makes these decisions. You want to be polite, and project yourself as responsible and easy to deal with. Thank them for their time.

Are you only looking on the peninsula? If you're students, you get a free bus pass. Look in places like Cowie Hill or Fairview, along main bus routes.

Set your sights lower. And, I'm really not trying to be a d*k. I'm speaking from my personal experience last year. I found myself needing an apartment, and while I have good credit, guaranteed income, I had absolutely no rental history in the province or any in recent time for that matter (which meant no suitable references other than personal references). It really threw up roadblocks to what I would have considered more suitable housing. So, you might have to lower your standards is all I'm saying. Deal with the issues as they come.

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Honestly you're too early for any unit you're going to qualify for as a student. Most listings for September don't come up until end of July/beginning of August. I wouldn't worry too much until it's August. There's an enormous amount of rentals that come up for rent for sept 1st with how many students live in the city. Just keep your eyes peeled, check the sites regularly and something will show up eventually.