Laura Valenzuela and her husband are a Brazilian couple who have recently relocated to Canada. Laura is working downtown while her husband attends Langara College. They secured the rental of an unfurnished suite in Marpole’s W1 complex while still living in Brazil. The Marpole location, located right by the Canada Line, is convenient for both of them; Laura is downtown in 20 minutes and her husband can get to Langara in 10. She and her husband preferred the app over the web version and did everything through the app with some assistance from us.

Other than high rental prices, what are some of the biggest frustrations renters face in Vancouver?

For us, the limit on pets was a real issue. We have 3 cats and so many listings forbid pets at all and then most of the rest only allow for one. Ultimately, we had to leave a cat behind in Brazil.

How long did it take you to find a place?

It took us 3 months to find our place at W1.

W1 Living Room

How did liv.rent improve you rental search process?

For us, being able to search and secure a property while we were still in Brazil was a huge plus. Throughout the whole process, liv.rent support was excellent and provided assistance whenever we needed it. It was just so convenient to be able to digitally sign a lease from abroad without fussing with old tech like fax machines.

What features from liv.rent do you like best?

We loved all the filtering options. It enabled us to zero in on the neighbourhoods we wanted and search only pet-friendly properties for example. 

I also appreciate the livTips that offer rental-related advice.

How did you find out about liv.rent?

We reached out through liv.rent’s Facebook group which is a useful community group of people like us, looking to find a place to live in Vancouver. Through this page we began conversing with a Liv.rent customer care specialist who recommended we download the app and try it out. It was so simple and intuitive. We love it!

Do you have any feedback for our platform, or any additional features you’d like to see?

Not at this time. We found a place, we love using the app – what else could we ask for? Keep up the good work!

Looking for other perspectives on moving to Vancouver? Check out other posts in our Spotlight series:

Renter Spotlight: Volleyball Canada

Renter Spotlight: Felipe & Lais From Brazil

Property Manager Spotlight: Luxury Rental Suites

Property Manager Spotlight: W Brothers

Rent Anywhere, Anytime

Secure a rental from anywhere in the world. Browse though verified listings with virtual tours to find your next home with liv.rent.

Connect with verified and trusted landlords directly on the platform and when you’re ready to secure the rental – digitally sign a lease from abroad safely and securely. 

Start your search from anywhere in the world now.

The post Renter Spotlight: Laura Valenzuela from Brazil appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Felipe and Lais are a Brazilian couple who have recently moved to Vancouver. Lais is studying and Felipe is looking for employment. They secured a place to live in Gastown before moving here thanks to their relocation company, Easy Dream, and the liv.rent app, recommended by Easy Dream.

Other than high rental prices, what are some of the biggest frustrations renters face in Vancouver?

As an immigrant, it was hard to rent before actually arriving in Vancouver and there seemed to be a lot of bureaucracy. Also many people simply ignored our contact, not returning our emails, which was very frustrating,

Have you experienced any rental scams in Vancouver? If so, what happened?

We didn’t experience any scams but we have friends that almost lost $1,000 CAD deposit on a scam. The fake property manager asked for an early deposit and said the keys would be delivered to a mailbox.

(Read our top tips on how to avoid rental scams here.)

How long did it take you to find a place?

It took 2 months, but likely because we were in Brazil. When we hired a company in Vancouver to do it for us (Easy Dream), it took only 3 days to find and secure the rental using liv.rent

How did liv.rent improve you rental search process?

For us, the main improvement was simply our ability to complete the entire rental process on our phone, remotely from Brazil, attaching documents, and digitally signing the lease contract. It was great to be able to follow the whole process in real time using the app.

What features from liv.rent do you like best?

We loved the chat feature and the fact that all of the legal documents were available in app. And as mentioned, the ability to sign all the documentation digitally was a great feature given we were in Brazil.

How did you find out about liv.rent?

We reached out directly through liv.rent’s Facebook group and the friendly customer care contact recommended we download the app and try it out. It was so simple and intuitive. We love it!

Do you have any feedback for our platform, or any additional features you’d like to see?

We missed having the measurements of the rooms in each unit. We only saw the square footage of the whole apartment but did not know the size of each room so, for example, it was hard to determine whether a queen bed would fit in the bedroom. It would be nice if landlords/property managers could provide this level of detail…but this isn’t an app issue!

——

Looking for other perspectives on moving to Vancouver? Check out other posts in our Spotlight series:

Renter Spotlight: Volleyball Canada

Property Manager Spotlight: Luxury Rental Suites

Property Manager Spotlight: W Brothers

Subscribe to our newsletter for up-to-date rental reports and other useful rental-related information.

The post Renter Spotlight: Felipe & Lais From Brazil appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Welcome back to our Spotlight Series highlighting the experiences of some Metro Vancouver property managers and tenants. Each post will explore their approach to property management or to finding a rental property, the challenges and, more specifically, how they are using and benefiting from the liv.rent platform.

Renter Profile:

The Canadian Women’s Volleyball Team trained at the Richmond Oval this past year. Team members needed to be housed in accommodation that was furnished, conveniently-located and available for 2-6 months. Many of the team members used liv.rent to secure furnished residences successfully. We reached out to a few volleyball players for feedback on their experience using liv.rent to find a place in Vancouver. See below highlighting some of their rental struggles and how the liv.rent platform helped reduce their stress when it came to renting in Vancouver.

What was your preferred neighbourhood?

We were looking for something near SW Marine Drive so we would be centrally located between Richmond for training at the Olympic Oval and Vancouver. Living near transit was important too and the Marine Drive Canada Line stop was conveniently located below the W1 complex.

Did you prefer the web or app platform?

The app. It was so convenient to browse for options and apply in the palm of our hand.

Do you prefer #livStats (rental stats from liv.rent) or #livTips (rental-related tips)?

livTips – These helped us gain a better understanding of renting in Vancouver. The knowledge was practical and relevant.  We had to move here regardless of the stats so they were less important.

livTips: Exceptions to the Residential Tenancy Act

Other than high rental prices, what are some of the biggest frustrations renters face in Vancouver?

It was really difficult to find pet friendly rental places! liv.rent had more than any other platform so this was greatly appreciated.

How long did it take you to find a place?

It took us 2-3 months to find an available, suitable, geographically desirable, furnished place.

How did liv.rent improve you rental search process?

We knew the quality of landlords and property listings was high, and the platform secure, which was reassuring as many of us were not able to travel to Vancouver to see the place before signing the lease and moving in.

(Read about our 4 different verification processes here.)

What features from liv.rent do you like best?

We liked the simplicity of the interface and the straight-forward process and the selection of furnished properties.

How did you find out about liv.rent?

Our governing body, Team Canada, told us about W1’s furnished apartment options. Applications to these residences was through the liv.rent app exclusively and that is how we started using this great tool.

(Check out Volleyball Canada’s Press Release: Liv.rent to Support Volleyball Canada’s Women’s Team)

Do you have any feedback for our platform, or any additional features you’d like to see?

It has been amazing start to finish! Can’t think of anything we’d improve.

Thank you to Team Canada and we wish them all the best on their road to Tokyo 2020!

See the first of our User Spotlight series featuring Luxury Rental Properties.

The post Renter Spotlight: Volleyball Canada appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Newcomer Profile

Astha is a young software engineer who applied for her PR card – or permanent residency –  in India before moving to Vancouver.  Her academic and professional credentials ensured Canada would welcome her!  She arrived July 2018.

What brought you to Vancouver?

I have always loved to travel. I had explored South east Asia, extensively – the breathtaking beaches of Philippines, wonderful structures in Singapore, Thailand, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, SriLanka and obviously, my incredible home country, India. I wanted to explore western countries now and wanted to be with people who are open to meeting others from different cultures, open to welcoming immigrants. Vancouver was definitely unbeatable when it came to diversity and good job opportunities so I decided to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency. Also, the weather is awesome. Given I hadn’t experienced winters for the last 8 years, I was not ready to move to colder parts of Canada.

What documentation did you need to have in place before arriving?

It’s an elaborate process so the list is quite extensive. Initially I needed the WES certification of my college degree for which I had to obtain my college transcripts. I needed to submit the scores from IELTS exam as well. Other documents I required to gather were my passport, background check certificate, proof of financial security from the banks and proof of my employment from the employer. It took around 6 weeks to receive the letter of invitation for permanent residency. Upon landing, it is advised to carry all these documents but, in my experience, the officials just check your COPR and the passport.

What documentation did you need to secure once here?

I obtained my SIN number right after I landed. However, I opened my bank account and applied for BCId after only 3 months of landing. You can only acquire BCId if you show your PR card. SIN is important because you need it to start working in Canada.

When finding a place to live, what were your biggest challenges?

It was extremely difficult to find a place and even to arrange a viewing. Often by the time my appointment was set, the place was already taken. Not to mention, the rent was exorbitant. I had such a hard time finding an apartment and then found out I had to pay move-in charges as well.

If you are new to Vancouver, you need to be really careful about the scams here. People will ask you to deposit money without any rental agreement or they will ask you for you address and phone number even before you visit the apartment. These are all red flags and you should stop communicating with these suspicious landlords.

What did landlords expect from you?

I never had the chance to interact with a landlord directly. I dealt directly with the realtor/property manager. They are very stringent when it comes to rent. Apart from that, most of the apartments don’t allow pets. If pets are allowed then the rent will be higher by $200-300. I don’t have one but I would like the option to have one.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before coming to Vancouver?

I wish I knew how much it rains here!! You need raincoats and boots to fully embrace living in Vancouver.

In addition, I wish I had a better understanding of the tech industry here and the job scenario. Frankly speaking, the job opportunities here are not as good for me as they were in Bangalore, India. Regardless, I am still happy with my decision to come to Canada.

Also, I was told by many, that having Canadian job experience was important before applying for a job. This was frustrating for me having worked with Amazon, India for 2 years and then as a senior software engineer at a startup, MindTickle for 2 years. I had a very strong technical background but not Canadian experience specifically. I received a lot of rejections from the companies without even securing a first interview so I guess they were right. Since I started working here, though, I am hopeful this won’t be the case going forward.

Thankfully, I was working remotely for an Indian company for 3 months before I secured my current job at a Vancouver start-up.

What do like best/worst about living here?

I really love how willing people here are to offer help.  It was easy to fall in love with the city – less pollution, wonderful public transportation and a plethora of world famous weekend getaways within a 3 hour drive. Plus, I finally have an opportunity to learn to snowboard and ski. 

I have also been fortunate enough to meet many people with such diverse life goals and that surely has changed my point of view and perspective towards life.  

The worst part – or the part that required most adjustment – was doing my own housework. In India, we had a lot of help cleaning the apartment, helping with cooking etc. and these services are not affordable here. The worst part is washing dishes. But apart from that, I feel a little uncomfortable walking on empty roads in the evening but for the most part, I feel safe.

What do you miss most about home (other than family/friends)?

I miss spicy Indian food A LOT. I also miss huge Indian apartments with a lot of living space…and Uber!

The post FRESH from India: A Newcomer’s Guide to Vancouver appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Newcomer Profile

Paula is a student and professional who came to Vancouver to improve her English, study a little and work a little. She chose Vancouver hoping to avoid a true Canadian winter.  She arrived July 2016.

Photo: Paula Azevedo

What brought you to Vancouver?

I wanted to improve my English for business purposes and I wanted to take business and marketing courses in Canada as well.

What documentation did you need to have in place before arriving?

I needed to have bank statements,  student and work visa ready, passport, letter from our Brazilian bank stating investment and savings amounts, latest Brazilian employment information (letters and government documentation)

How did you find a place to live?

I had a contract with a company that provides rental search services for Brazilians (and other Portuguese speakers I suppose). They facilitate the apartment hunting process. Once you sign a contract with them and complete a survey outlining your housing preferences, they commit to providing you with at least 10 rental options to choose from, based on your profile.  They send you 10 links with all the information about the properties (typically pulled from Craigslist), and from the 10, you pick 3 favorites. Then their staff will visit your chosen properties, take additional pictures and video and send you all the information you need to make an informed decision (since you’re not in Vancouver yet).  When you think you’re ready to apply, they send you the application forms to be filled and signed. Importantly they provide references to the landlord. In addition, I had to provide basic information such as identification documents (passport), and financial documents (bank statements) proving my ability to meet payment obligations.

If I had known about the liv.rent app, I could have cut out this middle man and saved myself a lot of time.  The fact that the landlords and listings are all verified, would have given me, as a foreigner looking for a place remotely, peace of mind. In addition, I could have paid for rent by credit card and signed a lease digitally.

Photo: Vancouver by Paula Azevedo

What documentation did you need to secure once here?

Once here, I had to secure banking information, BCID, contents (tenant’s) insurance, and sign the contract in person.

When finding a place to live, what were your biggest challenges?

Definitely finding pet-friendly places that don’t cost a fortune. In Brazil, most apartments allow pets. Here, very few do. And it was definitely challenging to search for a place remotely from Brazil even with the help of a company.

What did landlords expect from you?

I was actually surprised – they didn’t expect too much. We only signed the contract in person and answered a couple of questions to make sure we were all on the same page.  I think it helped that the references were provided by the company I contracted to help me with the search.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before coming to Vancouver?

Tough question – I wish I knew more useful information about the immigration process. It would be easier then to take the first steps towards immigration right away.

What do you like best/worst about living here?

Best – security, lots of outdoor spaces, people’s friendliness

Worst – rain, cold, poor entertainment options on rainy days, businesses close way too early

What do you miss most about home (other than family/friends)?

I miss the food, weather, language, and just knowing how everything works (companies, businesses, politics, random processes, daily chores, etc.).

The post FRESH from Brazil – A Newcomer’s Guide to Vancouver appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Newcomer Profile

Candelaria is a talented designer and illustrator with an adorable Shiba Inu pup.  She has worked in the creative field for a local interior design firm and a tech start up since arriving here in July 2015.

What brought you to Vancouver?

My husband received a job offer; he works in the movie business and Vancouver has attracted a lot of film and production companies. Though originally from Argentina, we had been living and working in London, UK so we moved from there, looking forward to living in a less hectic city surrounded by nature.

What documentation did you need to have in place before arriving?

 The company sponsoring my husband took care of everything! It was very easy for both of us.

What documentation did you need to secure once here?

Once we landed in Canada, we had to spend some time in the airport upon arrival to secure our working visas. That same day, we got a Canadian mobile phone number (can’t do anything without it) and opened a bank account. It was very easy as we were dealing with the same bank we dealt with in the UK.

When finding a place to live, what were your biggest challenges?

Our biggest challenge was finding a place to live before all our belongings arrived (by ship) from the UK.

We tried to rent before moving here, but it was impossible to do remotely. There was never enough information provided on any listing. Also, we didn’t entirely trust Craigslist as we had heard of too many scams there! Having said that, most listings were posted there.

We also arrived at the end of the month, so all listings were gone or too high in price. Our Airbnb was booked for a few days only so we felt particularly pressured to find something quickly as the cost of temporary accommodation (Airbnb, hotels etc.) was really high, especially in the summer.

What did landlords expect from you?

They wanted reliable tenants that were able to pay, so they cared mostly about the income. We had to show the job-contract and provide 12-months of cheques.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before coming to Vancouver?

In Vancouver, you have to chase every listing (and some of them are so sketchy). It’s very stressful and time-consuming. Be prepared to fill the same information many times,  attend countless viewings of tiny places with lots of people! In addition, we were frustrated by the many landlords and property managers we called who didn’t speak English.  It made booking appointments even more challenging.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting – was the use of cheques!  This seemed so outdated to us as we had used automated debit payments in London and Argentina for years.   I wish we had the new app liv.rent to use during this entire apartment process. Not only could we have paid by credit card through the app – simply and securely- but also search for places, book appointments and conduct all communication through the app.

Other tips I’d pass along to anyone wanting to move to Vancouver:

• Start looking for units at the beginning of the month as all the good units are often gone by the second week of the month.
• Negotiate a rolling contract or month to month contract after a one year contract completes. Most landlords will only allow you to renew per year, which means more pressure to find a new place once you give your notice and not being able to break a contract any month you prefer.  With a month to month contract, tenant and landlord will have to give each other a 60-day notice.
• Try to negotiate when a landlord increases the rent i.e. after the second year of rental. (For additional tips on negotiating rent, check out this post).
• As mentioned, download and use the Liv Rent app!! I love that this app removes a lot of the pressure associated with apartment hunting. I only have to enter my application information ONCE, creating a digital resume, AND all the listings and landlords are verified.  In addition, I will be easily matched with units & landlords that I can trust…plus, it is so easy to book a viewing through the app!
• Also, if you are relocating to Canada, you can claim back expenses from the first 15 days in the country when you file your taxes. This includes costs associated with temporary accommodation, meals, and international-moving expenses. Lots of cash back!

The post FRESH from Argentina (via UK) – A Newcomer’s Guide to Canada appeared first on liv.rent blog.

Newcomer Profile

Amy is a young, Australian professional who was seeking travel, adventure and professional development overseas. She has been living and working in Vancouver since June 2017.

What brought you to Vancouver?

Adventure, exploration and the pow. Really, it was my partner’s idea to relocate to Vancouver after I first floated the idea of living overseas. We’re from Melbourne, Australia so finding a place that amplified our love for the outdoors, and challenged our respective careers was important. We were lucky to find ourselves in Vancouver where we can take advantage of all adventure activities as well as diversify our work experience.

What documentation did you need to have in place before arriving?

Australia and Canada have a reciprocal agreement, so we had a leg up in the sense that there was an online process to apply for a working holiday visa (2 year visa) in advance of our arrival. This did require endless documents, from identification to letters from our current Australian employers to health certificates, police checks and financial statements. We turned up to immigration in Canada (at the airport) with a wad of documents two inches thick to go through the official working holiday visa process upon arrival! There’s no guarantee that you’ll be approved when you arrive in the country, so it was a relief to walk out of YVR with that shiny piece of paper.

What documentation did you need to secure once here?

Once we had passed immigration and received our official visa we had to coordinate our Social Insurance Numbers (SIN) and lodge our local address at a Service Canada Centre.  Without the SIN you can’t work, even if you have a working holiday visa which allows you to stay in the country. Start with an address you can send mail to locally in Vancouver – use a friend’s address or if you’re lucky you’ve found a place to live as this address will determine you’re ability to file for a SIN, a bank account, a phone etc… it’s a golden piece of information to unlock all the essentials.

You also need to sort out a bank account – I recommend going with the best ‘Newcomer’ offer any of the banks are providing. CIBC is great as they offer one year without fees including a credit card to build credit history, but some prefer TD. Just ask around at every bank to see what offers are current. Lastly, the local phone sim – you’ll need your passport to set this up. One of the perks in Canada is that providers allow you to cancel any time on a month to month plan, and you can bring your own phone which makes it cost efficient. The data charges however are crazy expensive compared to Australia – so shop around here too.

For driving, it depends on which country you are coming from, however if you’re in it for the long haul I recommend checking out the driving license situation before you arrive. Australian drivers are able to do a short, written test and then exchange their full drivers license for a full BC drivers license.  It’s a good idea to have copies of all your original documents as we had to hand over our Australian drivers license to receive a local BC Drivers License.

When finding a place to live, what were your biggest challenges?

Everyone will tell you it’s stressful and intense to find a place to live when you arrive. And it’s true. We had to hustle hard for two weeks to find an apartment that we could see ourselves living in long term. If you have no issues with budget you’ll be fine, however, for those not wanting to spend a majority of wages on rent, you’ll need to shop around and be patient. We read up in advance that we needed to use Craigslist, Kijiji and hit the streets to look for “For Rent” signs. Once we arrived we checked out several areas in Vancouver in person, and settled on Kitsilano (Don’t groan, we’re Aussies who need some kind of beach nearby). This is a super competitive area so it just came down to attending as many viewings as possible.

The biggest challenge we faced was the complete lack of order and logic to finding a place online and organizing to view it– and then to drop off the deposit. We were accepted several times only to be left hanging when we went to drop off our security deposit and the landlord had simply ‘changed their mind’. We tried everything from long-term unfurnished apartments to short-term share houses and had the exact same disappointment about 8 times. It’s stressful, but if you’re persistent and patient the right place will come up.

The other challenge we faced was that we had both arrived without job offers, as we planned on securing a position in person once we had settled in. However, this doesn’t bode well with many landlords trying to secure financially savvy tenants, even if you have the savings of a king in your bank statement. We both had to scramble for casual work to get a look into the nicer apartments and in the end, it was this coupled with one of our employers vouching for us that landed us with a really nice place in Kits.

What did landlords expect from you?

When we were looking for a place, landlords were after financial security – that you could pay month on month for rent, they were looking for references to show your character credibility and they were expecting you to be able to commit straight away. Property moves VERY fast here in Vancouver. I’m talking minutes after a listing is put online, it is snapped up by those in the hunt and with their documents in order. It pays off to be prepared and have been through a few viewings and applications to really know what to expect and nail it when you find a place you love.

Once we were moving in, the landlords expected us to pay the Strata fee (standard for apartment buildings) and to do a walkthrough of the place, marking down any pre-existing damage. We also had to pay our security deposit (half of one months rent) plus our first months rent in full to receive our set of house keys.

What did you have to do to secure access to healthcare?

Healthcare in Vancouver, and Canada, is public. In BC, it is provided through the government provider, MSP, and most workplaces provide extended medical coverage to cover basic healthcare as well as prescriptions and other benefits. So basically, get a job that provides good coverage – that means one that incorporates MSP as well as private health and you’ll be laughing.

If your workplace doesn’t cover health, or you are self-employed, you can seek it on your own. MSP is valid for residents or those living in Vancouver for an extended period of time and very affordable (MSP costs $75 per month for one person, $136.00/month for a couple and $144 /month for a family of three or more).

I’d highly recommend enrolling in MSP as soon as you can (after 3 months of residency) as it opens up free walk-in doctor’s visits. Extended coverage is really beneficial when you need prescriptions filled regularly as the discounts help a great deal, while also giving you access to benefits like dental, physio, massage etc.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before coming to Vancouver?

It’s an odd one but one of the best tips I was given before I came over to Vancouver was to buy a vehicle. Car insurance is really expensive here compared to Australia, so the tip was to bring a certificate of your driving history with your Australian car insurance company and present it to ICBC. If you’ve been a driver with no claims for 10 or more years, you’re eligible for a discount of up to 40%. I managed to get this piece of paper before we left, and it’s saved us thousands of dollars on our BC Car Insurance.

Something that I do wish I had understood fully about Vancouver before arriving was preparing myself for the intense trial and error to find a place to rent. We ended up staying with a friend to begin with which was lucky, but it took so much longer than we expected we had to rent out a couple of different AirBNBs just to buy us time. So allow yourself at least a month of back up accommodation just in case. If you want a really smooth experience, have a job lined up before you start applying to places that aren’t shared houses or sub-leases – an employer vouching for you will make a world of difference (or plan in advance and create your digital renter resume and Trust Score with the Liv.Rent app, and you’ll be able to get a head start on your applications as landlords will look for you at the same time you conduct your searches).

The post FRESH from Australia – A Newcomer’s Guide to Vancouver appeared first on liv.rent blog.