Housing
Finding a new home in Victoria is likely to be one of your first priorities. Below are some resources to help you make your decision with confidence.
Buying a home
- The University of Victoria's Home Relocation and Purchase Loan program
- The Newcomer's Guide to Canadian Housing by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
- Home buying in Canada: A step by step guide by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
- In Canada, the term "realtor" refers to those with real estate licenses who are members of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). They are considered specialists in the real estate market and can help to make the transfer of property easier for you.
- Search the Canadian Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for realtors in BC by name or by the office they work with.
Renting a home
There are many resources for finding both temporary and permanent rental housing around campus. UVic's off-campus housing registry is a great place to start.
The Victoria Times Colonist newspaper provides a link to househunting.ca, where you can search for rental accommodation in Victoria. You can try apartmentsrus and can also place an ad in the Times Colonist under "accommodations wanted" or sign up for classified alerts. Victoria Craigslist and UsedVictoria also provide free online classified listings.
Some property management companies also have their own rental vacancy listings:
- Baywood Property Management Ltd.
- Boorman Investment Company Ltd.
- Brown Brothers Property Management
- Cornerstone Properties Ltd.
- Devon Properties
- Dutton's & Co. Real Estate Ltd.
- Proline Property Managers
Additionally, the Capital Region Housing Corporation builds and manages housing for low and moderate income families, seniors and people with special needs.
For more information on renting a home, the British Columbia Residential Tenancy Branch provides guidelines on security deposits, pet deposits and inspections, repairs and maintenance, dispute resolution and related issues.
Temporary accommodation
Between May and August you can also stay in UVic residence rooms or cluster housing. Check the visitor accommodation website for more information.
Tourism Victoria lists accommodations such as bed and breakfast rooms, apartments, hotels, motels, houses and cottages.
