It can certainly take quite a bit of time and effort to find accommodations for a short term period. Many outgoing Queen’s University students may not have posted their sublets for rent yet and there could be more coming available. Landlords that have properties for rent for September 1st may be more willing to consider a four month lease agreement the closer we get to September. Even if a property is posted for eight months or a year, reach out and ask about the possibility of a short term lease; the worst they can say is no. If you are posting an ad to different listing services or social media groups, stay on top of it and regularly re-post it to ensure it continues to get exposure.
It is strongly encouraged that you take multiple approaches and think outside of the box when trying to secure accommodations. Staying persistent, consistent, and searching broadly will increase the likelihood of your success. There are a wide variety of approaches that you can take to find success in your housing search;
- Finding other exchange students to search with you for your term
- Renting a room in a house of pre-existing tenants where one individual is going on exchange
- Renting a property for a full eight month term and then assigning the lease for the January – April term
- Connecting with students coming to Queen’s University for the Winter (January – April) term and signing a lease together
- Contacting local AirBNB properties to see if they would consider a short term rental accommodation
- Reach out to Queen’s University students, go to where students are talking, to create posts looking for a room to rent
Note that you should be trying to utilize all of these techniques in order to increase the likelihood of success.
Below you will find some links of where to look for short term accommodations:
Please note that these websites, landlords, nor listings posted to said websites have not been verified, checked, approved, nor recommended by Queen’s University. Independent research and due diligence is required.
Accommodations Listing Service
Kijiji – Short Term Rentals – you can also create a “Wanted” ad on Kijiji explaining what you are looking for.
Kijiji – Month to Month Rentals
Sabbatical Homes
Queen’s Off-Campus Housing Facebook Page – you can create a listing yourself explaining what you are looking for.
Princess Towers - offers four month lease agreements
Earl Street Cottages – offers month to month rentals
Canada Homestay Network
Dwell Aparthotels
Homiis App
Queen’s University Reddit
Queen’s University Discord
Student run social media pages
It is very important to regularly check a variety of websites, create your own posts, send emails and messages; the more active you are, the more likely you are to succeed. Check with the many different property management companies in Kingston regularly to see if they have any short term rental options. For additional resources and links, check out the Off-Campus Housing Resource Package.
Always be aware of Housing Fraud!