Students
Trent Students living off campus
Beginning your Off-Campus Living search can be an overwhelming experience but it does not have to be. Below is a list of things to think about and how to begin your search to help you be the most successful. Use the tools below to begin your search for Off-Campus Living!!
Peterborough Housing Resource Centre
What Factors to Include when Looking for Off Campus Living
Beginning Your Search for Off Campus Living
Signing a Lease and Understanding Your Rights as Tenant
Exiting a Lease and Room Rental Agreement
Living in the Peterborough and Oshawa Communities
What is your budget?
- Budget Calculator- Calculate your expected monthly and yearly costs while attending Trent. See the Budget Calculator and below links to determine costs over the year.
- Will you be funding your education by OSAP loans? See the following link on how to apply.
- There are Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries that go without any applications every year. Apply to all you are eligible for!!!
- Tuition fees are based on the program you are registered in and courses you are taking each term. Review how much your tuition will cost including expenses such as ancillary fees.
- Will you be living in Residence or Off-Campus?
- Costs to rent can vary depending on the type of unit and location- apartment, basement apartment, single house, duplex, number of bedrooms in the unit.
- You will need to consider additional costs such as utilities, wifi, rental insurance, cell phone bill, groceries, travel/ car expenses.
- Review the cost of living for students living the Peterborough and Oshawa area.
What factors to include when looking for housing.
- Peterborough Transit and Durham Transit- full time students have a transit pass worked into their ancillary fees that is non-refundable.
- Trent bus routes and scheduled transit in Peterborough.
- Trent bus routes and scheduled transit in Durham.
- Distance from school to off-campus living- know the distance from Trent Peterborough or Durham to your off-campus residence, this will better help you understand the time it will take to travel to campus daily.
Roommates Selection and Agreements
- Live you be living on your own or with roommates?
- A roommate agreement puts into writing the duties and obligations of each tenant in the rental property. Co-tenant obligations can include cleaning up after yourself and paying bills on time. Take the time to review the following Roommate Agreement, download and use as a baseline for you and your roommate's agreement.
- Look at the Roommate Guidebook on how to be a good roommate and what to discuss upon moving into a unit.
Beginning your Search for Off-Campus Housing
Places4Students- Available for Peterborough and Oshawa Students
- Safe and easy way to find a new place to call home. Free for all students with Live Student Support.
- The ability to browse units for rent posted by Landlords and search profiles for your next roommate.
- This is a monitored site by the University- if you have further questions please reach out!
Additional Resources Peterborough Students
- Kijiji
- Zumper
- Property Management Companies
- Rent Seeker
- Pad Mapper
- Housing Resource Centre
- Ontario Aboriginal Housing
- Airbnb
Additional Resources Durham Students
- Email or call the Landlord (preference will be on the posting).
- Present yourself as kind and professional.
- Include specifics such as Trent Student, year and interest of study, a little bit about yourself and roommates, such as hobbies. If it is not specified in the posting when viewings will be happening, in the email specify 2-3 times over the next 2-3 days that you would be available to view the unit. Include contact information.
- When viewing the unit don’t be afraid to ask questions and inspect the unit. Be sure to look in all rooms, do the windows open/shut, taps run properly, flush the toilet, turn lights on and off and inspect for bed bugs and damage.
- Ask the Landlord if they have content insurance- if they do not it would be worthwhile looking into Tenant Insurance. If there is an accident your belongings will not be covered under Insurance and will need to be replaced out of pocket.
How to prevent a scam?
- What to look for in a listing
- Landlord contact information listed, available to view the unit in person or over zoom, lease abides by the Residential Tenancy Act, Google Map the house to see if it looks the same as the listing
- How to recognize suspicious activity
- Not available for a showing, asking for payment and/or signing of a lease before viewing the unit, the price isn’t comparable to other listings,
- Tips to protect yourself
- Never give payment without signing a lease, never sign a lease without viewing the unit and meeting the landlord
- Trust your gut- if it doesn’t sound or feel right, it probably is not
Signing a Lease and Understanding Your Rights as a Tenant
Understanding a lease
- What is included in a lease? Being prepared when signing a lease will help you be proactive to ask questions and include information you might not have been expected to include.
- Review the standard lease under the Residential Tenancy Act.
- Additional information the Landlord and Tenant should understand and agree upon
- Exterior to the property- grass cutting, snow removal, garbage removal,
- Interior to the property- painting, hanging pictures, what can you personalize and what is considered damage. Having a sense of what you can and cannot do will help to develop this house into a home.
Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Tenant Rights- as a tenant you should know what your rights are and what the landlord can and cannot do or ask.
- Landlords Responsibilities- having an understanding and reviewing the responsibilities with the Landlord will help create a positive rental experience going forward.
- Residential Tenancy Act
Developing a sense of belonging in your home
- Ask the landlord before if you can paint, hang pictures and curtains. Add touches to allow you to feel comfortable in the unit without causing damage that you may need to pay for later.
Free of Discrimination
- Do you feel comfortable and accepted?
- Review the following resource when the landlord and tenant share common living areas.
- While living with the landlord or owner of the house, in order to make such a living arrangement work, you may want to review privacy laws and have clear rules spelled out in the rental agreement regarding the landlord’s expectations in terms of sharing common areas and other rules. Landlords living in buildings or units with their tenants have all the same duties under RCW 59.18.060 in the Landlord-Tenant Act.
- In shared living space, landlords do not have the right to restrict tenants’ access to the living space or common areas. Neither can they create arbitrary rule changes based on tenants’ behavior.
- When a tenant shares living space with their landlord, the rules of tenancy must be stated at the beginning of tenancy. Highly suggest reviewing the Roommate Agreement and making that a base for shared living areas. Be sure the agreement is in writing and shared with all parties for future reference.
- Landlords can change the rules if you are a month-to-month tenant, but the rule changes must be in writing with 30 days’ notice, and the rule must be reasonable.
- Be respectful when living with others.
Exiting a Lease and Room Rental Agreement
- Be sure the tenant and/or landlord is giving the required time to move out of the unit. Have this in writing for reference. This can be reviewed under the Residential Tenancy Act.
- Inspect the residence together upon moving out to be sure of no damage and as a friendly exit to the agreement. If there is any money owing either way this is when that can be discussed.
Living in the Peterborough and Oshawa Communities
Living in the Peterborough Community
- About Peterborough
- Being a Good Neighbour
- Waste Resources
- Street Parking
- In an emergency, dial 911, a dispatcher will answer and send Ambulance, Fire and/or Police. This is for emergencies only but please do not be afraid to call them.
Living in the Oshawa Community
- About Oshawa
- Being a Good Neighbour
- Waste Resources
- Street Parking
- Tenant Information
- In an emergency, dial 911, a dispatcher will answer and send Ambulance, Fire and/or Police. This is for emergencies only but please do not be afraid to call them.
Both the Durham Legal Aid Clinic and Peterborough Community Legal Aid are a not-for-profit community-based membership. Offers free and confidential legal services such as legal advice, help to fill out and understand forms such as a lease and represent you at some tribunals and courts. If this service is unable to assist, they will refer you to a service that can.
Durham Legal Aid Clinic Intake Form
Are you wanting or needing Tenant Insurance? Trent students are eligible for a discount with TD Insurance. Call them for a quote today and mention you are a Trent Student.
Have questions or concerns please email offcampushousing@trentu.ca.