Ontario Tech Students Squeezed out of Housing
The housing infrastructure around Ontario Tech has fallen short in addressing student needs.
Read that again.
From expensive rent to a lack of options for students, trying to find off-campus housing is frustrating for Ontario Tech students. According to the survey the OTSU launched last year, affordability was rated as the most challenging factor in finding off-campus accommodations, but it was also cited as the most important factor. This dilemma has students struggling to find a place to live during the school year that won’t break the bank.
According to Cision, students in Canada pay 25% more for rent compared to the general population, that the average student rent price was ~$1250, and indicated that 7 out of 10 students spend more than 30% of their total income on rent. This is a problem as the lack of affordable housing forces students to pay rent that exceeds their pay, thus contributing to more student debt and limits the accessibility to higher education.
“Finding housing was impossible because of the bidding wars”— Ontario Tech Student
Here at the OTSU, we recognize that this is an issue that severely impacts our students, which is why the Ontario Tech Student Union is committed to housing advocacy. For the last two years, the OTSU has been researching the housing issues surrounding the Ontario Tech community. We have examined the City of Oshawa’s Student Accommodation Strategy, city by-laws surrounding student housing, and took note of a special commentary from the Ontario Human Rights Commission regarding Oshawa housing.
The OTSU then launched the Housing/Rental Survey to Ontario Tech students to determine what specific barriers students face when finding off-campus housing (see PDF below for survey results). In the survey, some students stated, "it is challenging to focus on school when I worry more about making my rent.” Other students indicated that “finding housing was impossible because of the bidding wars.” A bidding war is when a landlord receives multiple bids/offers for the same property, which drives the price of rent up as the individual “with the highest bid wins.” It is a tactic that further exploits students when trying to find off-campus housing.
After the OTSU launched its housing survey, we shared our findings with the university and city officials to let them know of the significant barriers students face when searching for a place to live. We also highlighted the additional barriers international students might experience when finding accommodations. Some students in our survey indicated that international students might experience “additional challenges with getting a guarantor to co-sign a lease as well as barriers with the paperwork.”
The OTSU also shared our research findings with our Legal Protection Plan partners, Student Care. We then collaborated to host the Housing 101 Workshop where Student Care's lawyers informed students' of their housing rights in Ontario, and what they should be aware of when looking for accommodation. The lawyers were also able to answer student questions, and they created an FAQ to help assist students with any future questions they might have.
Overall, housing issues continue to negatively impact the Ontario Tech community. Students struggle to find a place to live for the school year and often end up renting extremely unaffordable places. Recognizing that this is a long-term issue, the OTSU is striving to help make improvements by providing students with educational support, and opportunities to engage in research to help direct our advocacy efforts. By collaborating with the City of Oshawa, Ontario Tech University, and our students, we hope to improve the affordability and equity of student housing in our area.
