Finding Housing

• Search for available rental listings on Western's Off-Campus Housing Services rental listing website.
• Learn about the different neighbourhoods in London.
• Read Top 10 Tips for Off-Campus Housing Success from Western’s Off-Campus Housing Services.

Note: Other websites such as Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace may advertise apartment and room rentals in London. Please be careful when using these services due to the increase in fraudulent rental properties. If you need help, reah out to Off-Campus Housing Services.

• Furnished: The apartment or house includes furniture that you can use during your stay as a tenant. Both furnished and unfurnished rental units are common in London.
• Room/Apartment/House to Share: Single or shared accommodation in a private home where individuals in an apartment or house are looking for roommates. May include furniture, kitchen and/or laundry facilities. The bathroom is usually shared.
• Apartment: A self-contained unit of one or more rooms, with kitchen and bathroom facilities. It may be a unit in a large building complex, or one floor of a private house with or without a private entrance.
• Bachelor and Studio Apartment: A small self-contained unit where the bedroom, living room and kitchen (or kitchenette) is combined in one room. There are no walls separating space.
• House or Townhouse: A self-contained unit on its own plot of land or joined to similar units.
• Sublet: This is an arrangement where students “rent’ their apartment to someone else for the period when they will not be occupying it. For example, students who leave London for the summer often ‘sublet’ or rent their apartment or room to other students for a reduced rate while they are away in order to save money. They are still subject to the rental agreement with the landlord. It is recommended that you sign a written sublet agreement.

Are you a new international or exchange student looking for off-campus housing before arriving in Canada?

Contact Off-Campus Housing Services for personalized assistance with your housing search in London, Ontario, even if you aren't in Canada yet. This service is only available to international and/or exchange students studying at Western University.

How can they help you?

• Customized housing searches based on your needs.
• Personal property viewings on your behalf.
• Assist with your questions about off-campus housing, London services and amenities.

Email oca@uwo.ca. This service is offered from early May until the end of August each year. More information is available on the Off-Campus Housing website. 

**Please note this service is intended to connect you with housing. They are not involved in finalizing or securing a rental, nor can they make any guarantees regarding your living experience.**

A tenancy agreement, also known as a lease or rental agreement, is a written, verbal or implied agreement between a landlord (owner) and a tenant (renter). Verbal agreements are valid. However, it is easier to prove the contents of a written agreement when there is case of a dispute. Most landlords require that tenants sign a lease. In addition, you should also know that:

• When you are ready to sign your lease, the landlord may ask you to pay the first and last month’s rent up front (immediately). This is common and generally required.
• You are NOT required to pay for the entire year of rent at the time that you sign the lease. After you sign the lease and pay first and last month's rent, you will pay rent once a month on the first of the month. Some landlords will accept payment by e-transfer and others may require cheques. Some may ask for post-dated cheques for the length of your lease.
• It is important to ask for a receipt that you paid your rent each month, at the end of the year or before you move out. You will need the receipt for when you file your Canadian Taxes.
• Some apartments require a guarantor who is a Permanent Resident of Canada to co-sign the lease. If you cannot secure a guarantor, you will have to look for another landlord/apartment that does not require one.
• Do NOT sign any agreement before you read, fully understand and agree with all of the conditions. It is difficult to cancel a lease after you sign it and there is usually a large fee.
• If the lease is in writing, the landlord must deliver a copy to you within 21 days.
• Know the required procedures before ending a tenancy (e.g., notice of termination, early termination by a landlord, etc.).

• Off-Campus Housing Services
• Off-Campus Advisors
• Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS)
• City Garbage Collection Schedules
• City of London By-Laws