High rents, scams and paperwork make housing a struggle for international students in Winnipeg

Keshav Malhotra arrived from India on Aug. 24 to study at the University of Manitoba, but he's struggled to find a place to rent since then.

"I have been roaming on foot all day in search of a house. I have got 17,000 steps clocking all day and not yet found a decent place," said Malhotra, 20. 

He's staying with a family friend temporarily. Malhotra started the process of searching for a home from India through Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, but he had to be in Winnipeg before he could sign a lease.

"Often, listings don't match their photos. The rent can be high even for apartments with one bathroom shared by eight people," he said.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a record 550,150 international student study permits were issued last year. 

Malhotra, who's part of this influx, set aside $600 for his rent. He has some savings through his funding, but finding a place within his budget is difficult.

"It's not going to be easy with so much demand, and if you don't have credit history or rental history then you might need someone who could guarantee you a place." 

Tracy Karuhogo, president of the University of Manitoba Students Union, says it's a significant challenge for international students to find accessible and affordable housing. 

"Many universities offer on-campus housing, but these options may be limited, some are far and the costs of those are very high," she said.

Karuhogo says there's an average of 1,100 residences on U of M's campus, and they're usually always full as more than 26,000 students bid for those spaces.

As they grapple with budget constraints, Karuhogo said many international students end up with multiple roommates in one or two-bedroom homes.

Satyam Bhanot, who's been studying computer science at the University of Manitoba since 2021, has seen a big change in rental prices. Bhanot wants his own apartment now that he has a work-from-home job, but he's been searching for a suitable place for three months.

"I am hearing the same things from leasing agents — 'call me next week, call me at the end of next month,' and everything is booked," he said.

The average cost of a two-bedroom rental in Winnipeg is $1,350, according to a report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.