How to Find a Rental in Calgary in 2023

People choose to rent for so many reasons. Sometimes, a person needs a place to stay after selling a home until they find the perfect house to buy. People migrating from other areas sometimes choose to rent for a while before deciding where to stay for good.

Alberta recently had the most significant population growth in a very long time. This is causing the rental prices to go up. Rental prices for one-bedroom apartments increased by 33%, and two-bedroom apartments increased by 31%. These increases put Calgary in the 14th place for the most expensive city in Canada when it comes to renting.

Finding Rental Homes

The first thing you have to do to find a rental home is to do a Google search. You can use keywords like Calgary rentals, Calgary apartments or Calgary houses for rent. Search through reputable websites like rentfaster.ca, gottarent.com, Kijiji.com and many more. You may also look at realtor.ca, but the options there are limited.

The second option is going directly to property managers. However, property managers only show properties they manage, so you may not see everything available in the city.

Lastly, many people, especially those from out of town, want to talk to realtors in Calgary. Unfortunately, real estate agents here only help with rentals a little, unlike in other major cities.

Types of Rental Options

There are many different types of rental homes in Calgary, from condos, townhouses, duplexes and even detached houses.

You can also find exceptional properties getting rented out in parts. That means you can take a single room in a whole house and share common areas and amenities with other tenants. The newest option in Calgary is renting a unit in an office building converted into a residential one.

The city of Calgary recently announced grants for repurposing office towers into residential units to alleviate the problems in downtown vacancy rates and produce more affordable housing options. Peoplefirst Development was quick to acquire a building in a great location to participate in solving these problems and even create jobs to start revitalizing downtown Calgary.

The Cornerstone project by Peoplefirst Development will be released in the market by the last quarter of 2023 and will be ready for occupancy by January 2024. This project aims to provide two- to three-bedroom units larger than traditional condos. The builder intends to address the need of families or young couples for a larger space with high-quality finishes and attainable luxury.

Rental Terms

Once you find the best rental home to stay in, you must pay attention to all the details in the lease agreement before signing. Look at the set terms and make sure everything is agreeable on your side.

If you are planning on buying a house soon, ensure that you have the flexibility to get out of the rental agreement because homes right now are moving so fast. You need to grab the opportunity quickly when the perfect listing you are hoping for shows up on MLS.

Be proactive in asking the landlord about your responsibility as a renter. Should you mow the lawns in summer or shovel the snow in the winter? Having these conversations upfront can lessen potential conflicts between you and the landlord in the future.

Pay attention to your move-in and move-out checklists. Having those appropriately done is very important because it rolls into the last point, which is your deposit. If you want to get your deposit back, having everything documented at the beginning of the move-in report will be key to accomplishing the move-out report by the end of your rental agreement.

If you are still looking for the best rental option and the best place to move in Calgary, head to our YouTube channel to watch all our videos about different communities in the city that you could choose from.