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Single Mom Seeking Accommodation Options

Meheruna

Member
Jun 2, 2018
19
0
Bangladesh
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Express Entry
NOC Code......
2171
Pre-Assessed..
Yes
Hello all,

This is Meheruna from Bangladesh. I have been accepted and got admitted to the Big Data Analytics program for 1 year and Georgian College at Berrie, Ontario. I am a single mother and my 5 year old son will accompany me during this study period.

I have contacted several off-site room rentals for students but most of them replied saying not suitable for me and my son.
What will be the best and sort of cheap rental option for me and my son at Berrie? Please suggest.
 

bimale4bipeople

VIP Member
Apr 15, 2018
4,627
1,673
Hello all,

This is Meheruna from Bangladesh. I have been accepted and got admitted to the Big Data Analytics program for 1 year and Georgian College at Berrie, Ontario. I am a single mother and my 5 year old son will accompany me during this study period.

I have contacted several off-site room rentals for students but most of them replied saying not suitable for me and my son.
What will be the best and sort of cheap rental option for me and my son at Berrie? Please suggest.
Hello you can reference these links for rental adds
You can look at options such as furnish Basement apt which are reasonable

https://www.places4students.com/
https://www.kijiji.ca/b-room-rental-roommate/barrie/georgian-college/k0c36l1700006
 

Meheruna

Member
Jun 2, 2018
19
0
Bangladesh
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Express Entry
NOC Code......
2171
Pre-Assessed..
Yes

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,758
Unfortunately don't think you will find success renting typical student rentals with a child. Also not sure you want to live in student rentals as a single mother with a child. You will find it very difficult to rent a room with a child. I would focus on self-contained apartments. Most landlords may prefer to rent to people without children and you will find that most will prefer you to rent a 2 bedroom apartment.
 

yeg82316

Star Member
Nov 9, 2017
64
35
Category........
FSW
Hello all,

This is Meheruna from Bangladesh. I have been accepted and got admitted to the Big Data Analytics program for 1 year and Georgian College at Berrie, Ontario. I am a single mother and my 5 year old son will accompany me during this study period.

I have contacted several off-site room rentals for students but most of them replied saying not suitable for me and my son.
What will be the best and sort of cheap rental option for me and my son at Berrie? Please suggest.
Try https://www.rentboard.ca/rentals/index.aspx

Wish you all the best.
 

Meheruna

Member
Jun 2, 2018
19
0
Bangladesh
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Express Entry
NOC Code......
2171
Pre-Assessed..
Yes
Unfortunately don't think you will find success renting typical student rentals with a child. Also not sure you want to live in student rentals as a single mother with a child. You will find it very difficult to rent a room with a child. I would focus on self-contained apartments. Most landlords may prefer to rent to people without children and you will find that most will prefer you to rent a 2 bedroom apartment.
Yes I am already experiencing it :( Thanks
 

nadirakazi

Star Member
Apr 14, 2017
55
13
Hello all,

This is Meheruna from Bangladesh. I have been accepted and got admitted to the Big Data Analytics program for 1 year and Georgian College at Berrie, Ontario. I am a single mother and my 5 year old son will accompany me during this study period.

I have contacted several off-site room rentals for students but most of them replied saying not suitable for me and my son.
What will be the best and sort of cheap rental option for me and my son at Berrie? Please suggest.
Meheruna,

With a kid, I would suggest you not to book anything online from Bangladesh for long term, you need an accommodating landlord, need to see the room/apt first by being there physically, need to see the area/transport routes/ grocery distance, Berrie is a really cold place, you need amenities near you(does it have washer/dryer/how far is laundromat?)(www.walkscore.com).

Also your kid will go to school, so school distance, good school neighborhood is another factor (http://ontario.compareschoolrankings.org/elementary/SchoolsByAreaMap.aspx).

Once you are physically there you have the ability to negotiate, bend some no nos.

In your situation ideal would be if you get the apartment first, preferably a 2 bedroom and sublet the other bedroom, if you are pressed for money, that way you would be in a strong position all through the lease period. You will always find some students looking for apartment share. And if you are renting out then you can choose your room mate too.

Right now from BD you can sort a few neighborhood from where you might want to settle. Then find a temporary stay there for one month, if you do not know any single person there then choose a rental with superhost from airbnb, you can initiate conversation with them, ask for there reference/suggestions, make them your guarantor if you can tune with them. There is a chance that rental in Berrie would be a bit cheaper than Toronto city. So do not look for the cheapest option, at least not in your first winter. Come prepared, borrow some money even if you have to, but don't pass your first winter in a chilly basement with a 5 year old. Without guarantor landlords sometime ask for upto 6 months so have enough financial cushion.

No one would suggest you to go for apartment sharing with a kid, you do not how the other person would be. They are saying no, because they are concern about the child's safety. So do not take it personally, I haven't landed yet but still I found Toronto to be a single-mother-friendly place. So do not hold back for being a single mom. Do send me a message if you need anything more. Good Luck on your big adventure!
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,758
Meheruna,

With a kid, I would suggest you not to book anything online from Bangladesh for long term, you need an accommodating landlord, need to see the room/apt first by being there physically, need to see the area/transport routes/ grocery distance, Berrie is a really cold place, you need amenities near you(does it have washer/dryer/how far is laundromat?)(www.walkscore.com).

Think this is a good idea in general. Barrie gets a lot of snow but it has similar weather than Toronto which has decent weather compared to many other cities in Canada. Most students don't have children so housing geared to college students may not be close to an elementary school. You have to try to be near public transportation for things like going to the grocery store. Would also look into childcare because schools can end between 2:30-3:30. There are also school holidays that your child will have that you won't have.

Also your kid will go to school, so school distance, good school neighborhood is another factor (http://ontario.compareschoolrankings.org/elementary/SchoolsByAreaMap.aspx).


School ranking is good but your child is young so won't make a huge difference. I would be more concerned at minimizing your transportation costs and commuting time.

Once you are physically there you have the ability to negotiate, bend some no nos.

Meeting with a landlord is a good idea for everyone. Landlords want to meet you to see if you give off a good first impression.

In your situation ideal would be if you get the apartment first, preferably a 2 bedroom and sublet the other bedroom, if you are pressed for money, that way you would be in a strong position all through the lease period. You will always find some students looking for apartment share. And if you are renting out then you can choose your room mate too

Would expect that most people will be reluctant to share an apartment with a mother and a small child so don't rent if you can't cover all of the rent if needed. Read the lease carefully it may not allow you to sublet the other room or you may have to ask the landlord first.

Right now from BD you can sort a few neighborhood from where you might want to settle. Then find a temporary stay there for one month, if you do not know any single person there then choose a rental with superhost from airbnb, you can initiate conversation with them, ask for there reference/suggestions, make them your guarantor if you can tune with them. There is a chance that rental in Berrie would be a bit cheaper than Toronto city. So do not look for the cheapest option, at least not in your first winter. Come prepared, borrow some money even if you have to, but don't pass your first winter in a chilly basement with a 5 year old. Without guarantor landlords sometime ask for upto 6 months so have enough financial cushion.

Think you mean reference no guarantor. Guarantor means that they will agree to pay the rent if you don't. No landlord you just met will agree to that. Rental costs should be lower in Toronto than Barrie. People charge a premium if they rent close to the school. You also often end up paying more if you rent from abroad as a student.

No one would suggest you to go for apartment sharing with a kid, you do not how the other person would be. They are saying no, because they are concern about the child's safety. So do not take it personally, I haven't landed yet but still I found Toronto to be a single-mother-friendly place. So do not hold back for being a single mom. Do send me a message if you need anything more. Good Luck on your big adventure!
They are most likely saying no because children can be loud. Other students or single people won't want to be around a loud and busy child, won't want to be quiet when the child is sleeping, etc. and landlords are trying to avoid complaints from other tenants or neighbours. You should be concerned about having roommates when you have a child for safety reasons. Canada is a friendly place. Not sure I would say people are nicer to single moms in particular. See women struggling daily on the subway with their strollers and nobody helps.
 
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Meheruna

Member
Jun 2, 2018
19
0
Bangladesh
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Express Entry
NOC Code......
2171
Pre-Assessed..
Yes
Meheruna,

With a kid, I would suggest you not to book anything online from Bangladesh for long term, you need an accommodating landlord, need to see the room/apt first by being there physically, need to see the area/transport routes/ grocery distance, Berrie is a really cold place, you need amenities near you(does it have washer/dryer/how far is laundromat?)(www.walkscore.com).

Also your kid will go to school, so school distance, good school neighborhood is another factor (http://ontario.compareschoolrankings.org/elementary/SchoolsByAreaMap.aspx).

Once you are physically there you have the ability to negotiate, bend some no nos.

In your situation ideal would be if you get the apartment first, preferably a 2 bedroom and sublet the other bedroom, if you are pressed for money, that way you would be in a strong position all through the lease period. You will always find some students looking for apartment share. And if you are renting out then you can choose your room mate too.

Right now from BD you can sort a few neighborhood from where you might want to settle. Then find a temporary stay there for one month, if you do not know any single person there then choose a rental with superhost from airbnb, you can initiate conversation with them, ask for there reference/suggestions, make them your guarantor if you can tune with them. There is a chance that rental in Berrie would be a bit cheaper than Toronto city. So do not look for the cheapest option, at least not in your first winter. Come prepared, borrow some money even if you have to, but don't pass your first winter in a chilly basement with a 5 year old. Without guarantor landlords sometime ask for upto 6 months so have enough financial cushion.

No one would suggest you to go for apartment sharing with a kid, you do not how the other person would be. They are saying no, because they are concern about the child's safety. So do not take it personally, I haven't landed yet but still I found Toronto to be a single-mother-friendly place. So do not hold back for being a single mom. Do send me a message if you need anything more. Good Luck on your big adventure!
Thanks a lot Nadira for your detail explanation. This was super helpful. I have my cousins at Toronto, I am thinking to stay with them for a while and ask him to visit the apartments. I liked your suggestion to consider better place in first winter with my kid. I am a bit nervous as I would be starting a new life almost alone with my son there. Your suggestions are helpful. Would love to get back to you if require. Thanks again sis.
 

nadirakazi

Star Member
Apr 14, 2017
55
13
Thanks a lot Nadira for your detail explanation. This was super helpful. I have my cousins at Toronto, I am thinking to stay with them for a while and ask him to visit the apartments. I liked your suggestion to consider better place in first winter with my kid. I am a bit nervous as I would be starting a new life almost alone with my son there. Your suggestions are helpful. Would love to get back to you if require. Thanks again sis.
If you have managed this far with your kid, rest you can manage smoothly, that I can say for sure. A lot of new things to encounter, but the system is user friendly. Try to find a little about son's school too, see which good schools are near your college, if they have any before/after care, if you need to pre register in their before/after care programs. Don't hesitate to call schools too, they are super friendly and would provide a lot more valuable information. Search a bit in tdsb website (http://www.tdsb.on.ca/mobile) find out school's catchment areas, and compare their score from ontarioschool's ranking. I would suggest you to stick to green and yellow ranked school on bing maps of the compare school's website. Also Berrie has a 24/7 daycare which is open year round for 24 hour, if needed put your son's name in their waitlist also. Call anyone and everyone as much as you like there, I found personal communication does wonders there. Being a single mom is far more common in Canada, one of my friend is staying with a single mom, another single mom is renting out her place. Both have younger kids. So do not keep any reservation for being a single parent. If your cousin has any child then you can rely on his observation, this would be a plus. Focus on getting your own place rather than student housing as right now you don't need to expose your son to party/drug/heart infested drama which are staples in student life. Get yourself a distraction free environment, so you can put all your concentration on yourself and your son, both of you deserve this right now.
 
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Meheruna

Member
Jun 2, 2018
19
0
Bangladesh
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Express Entry
NOC Code......
2171
Pre-Assessed..
Yes
If you have managed this far with your kid, rest you can manage smoothly, that I can say for sure. A lot of new things to encounter, but the system is user friendly. Try to find a little about son's school too, see which good schools are near your college, if they have any before/after care, if you need to pre register in their before/after care programs. Don't hesitate to call schools too, they are super friendly and would provide a lot more valuable information. Search a bit in tdsb website (http://www.tdsb.on.ca/mobile) find out school's catchment areas, and compare their score from ontarioschool's ranking. I would suggest you to stick to green and yellow ranked school on bing maps of the compare school's website. Also Berrie has a 24/7 daycare which is open year round for 24 hour, if needed put your son's name in their waitlist also. Call anyone and everyone as much as you like there, I found personal communication does wonders there. Being a single mom is far more common in Canada, one of my friend is staying with a single mom, another single mom is renting out her place. Both have younger kids. So do not keep any reservation for being a single parent. If your cousin has any child then you can rely on his observation, this would be a plus. Focus on getting your own place rather than student housing as right now you don't need to expose your son to party/drug/heart infested drama which are staples in student life. Get yourself a distraction free environment, so you can put all your concentration on yourself and your son, both of you deserve this right now.
you have got the best understanding heart of a mom :) I have already communicated some schools and day care. But your green and yellow ranked suggestion will help a lot. I guess having an apartment with two bed and renting one would be good idea. Thanks for your detail suggestion Nadira. :)