I went to a rural high school, and I had never heard of Queen’s until September of Grade 12. My dad and I went on six campus tours within five days, and I fell in love with the Queen’s campus. The fact that it’s entirely self-contained, walkable, and easy to navigate was reassuring — I didn’t want to commute around a city to get to class.
Navigating living off-campus was daunting at first, even without factoring in moving countries and the height of the pandemic. Moving from the comforts of my 4 walls at Watts and over-reliance on TAMs left me with a lot of questions: Who would I live with? Where would we stay? What even is the average rent in a place like Kingston?
In my second year at Queens, I rented a house with a group of 4 second-year Queens’ girls. My advice for that would be to start looking early for a place to live. For example, start in October, which is well before final exams so that by late December you could have been to several house/apartment viewings and could have a better sense of what you want and what you can afford.
All Queen's University students are welcome to come to this free event! Meet with local property management companies and landlords, Off-Campus Living Advisors, AMS Housing Resource Centre, and other resources. Are you looking to meet other students looking for housemates? This could also be your chance to connect with other students and learn about upcoming Housemate Socials hosted by the OCLA Student Support Team.
Where do you start?
Spring is here! The longer days, sunshine, birdsong, melting snow, and mud are all indicators that the warm weather is coming. After a long winter trapped in your home, it can get pretty dirty and cluttered. With term end fast approaching, it could be a great time to clean up your home, declutter, and potentially prepare for your move out. If you are moving out, a spring clean can really help with the workload.
Preparing your home for winter and the holidays
With the holiday closure coming up this December and many students going home for the holidays, it is important to know how to leave your home in the best shape that you can.
"When do I start my housing search for next year?"
A common question being asked by many students across Queen's University right now. Let's talk about some of the common misconceptions and better understand the Kingston rental market.
