Students squeezed by high rents

Post-secondary students say the rising cost of rent and limited availability of affordable, suitable housing are making it increasingly difficult to find places to live in the Wheat City.

For some students, the search for accommodation has meant spending months looking for a place within their budgets, accepting older properties with maintenance problems or temporarily staying with friends when they could not find suitable housing.

Ibrahim Mirza, a second-year Assiniboine College student in the network administration technology program, said he and two friends have been frantically searching for an apartment since spring.

“It’s been really hectic,” he said.

“Every ad or every post or every website that I go to is either too expensive or extremely far away from campus, and for a student, it’s just too much.”

Last semester, Mirza’s commute to the east end campus by bus was about 40 minutes long — something he hopes will soon change if he’s able to find an apartment or a single room for rent closer to school and his workplace.

“The ones that are cheap are like far away, and the ones that are not cheap are like extremely close, but then you’re paying $1,800 for a two-bedroom apartment, which sounds extremely unreasonable,” he said.

Mirza said he has contacted many people advertising suites and has filled out several apartment applications with zero luck. He thinks a lack of timely responses from landlords or those subletting may be partly due to the competitiveness of the rental market for students and families.

He said sellers should prioritize students when they review applications and facilitate viewings.

“At least try to make it affordable for students who are working minimum wage and already have a lot on their plate,” he said.

Mirza, who also has a bachelor’s degree at Brandon University, said he has previously lived in BU’s dormitory and recently moved out of a basement suite that flooded due to excessive rainfall this spring.

Despite paying $550 monthly for a room in the house he’s currently living in, Mirza said he doesn’t feel safe, and the home is “extremely run down.”

Assiniboine student Oluwatoyosi Babalola said her housing search also involved significant challenges.

Before finding her current apartment, Babalola lived in a seven-bedroom house on 12th Street with only two bathrooms — one for men and one for women.

“The lack of bathrooms and the number of people living in the house made the arrangement uncomfortable,” she said.

“After moving out, I spent two to three months searching for another apartment during the winter. Many of the units I found were too expensive for me.”

Unable to find suitable accommodation immediately, she stayed with a friend for months.

The arrangement provided a temporary roof over her head but came at the cost of privacy and comfort.

“There are days I had to sleep on the couch,” Babalola said. “That was not really conducive, so it was a struggle. I didn’t have my privacy.”

She eventually found her current apartment through Facebook Marketplace for about $458 a month, excluding utilities, which she described as affordable and conducive.

Brook Hajnrych, who graduated from Assiniboine College’s heavy-duty pre-employment program in June, said it was a struggle to find a place.

She recalled packing her belongings in Melita and moving into a $650-a-month room in a house one week before her classes began last August.

“It was insane trying to find somewhere that … I could afford with the bit of money I had from student loans, along with a part-time job and the little bit of help I got from my parents,” Hajnrych said.

She said she started looking for housing in May and saw apartments ranging in cost from $900 to $1,200 at the time.

“Even to see those kind of prices get so high, it was crazy,” she said.

The dormitory at BU allows some students at Assiniboine College to rent rooms, but Hajnrych said the college’s North Hill campus should build its own residency, creating opportunities for students at both schools to access affordable housing.

She encourages students searching for housing to stay positive.

Moyinolorun Akinola, another college student, said rent increases have prompted him to look for another apartment.

“My rent has been increased by $140 between August 2025 and now,” Akinola, who shares a three-bedroom apartment on Princess Avenue downtown, told the Sun.

“Separating rents from utilities like hydro and water makes the bill kind of outrageous for international students and new immigrants still coming into the system,” he said.

Akinola’s search for another apartment has so far been unsuccessful. “The available units have either more expensive or below the standard of my current home.”

He also wants to remain close to campus to reduce transportation costs.

He said he has seen a three-bedroom apartment listed for about $1,750, but the cost remains a concern.

The housing challenge is not limited to Assiniboine College students.

BU psychology student Oluwadamilola Oke said she and her sister were forced to leave their three-bedroom apartment after their other sister got married, making the rent too expensive to split between two people.

The sisters spent about three months looking for another apartment, visiting property management companies and considering listings that were either above their budget or in poor condition.

“We eventually found a two-bedroom apartment near BU for about $1,500 a month, excluding utilities, but decided against it,” Oke told the Sun.

“We just knew … if we’re going to be staying there, all of the money we make during the month just goes to rent.”

They eventually moved into a two-bedroom apartment on 10th Street North for about $1,200, including utilities, which Oke said was more manageable for the two sisters.

But the cheaper accommodation has brought its own challenges.

“The building is old, with water leaking into the apartment when it rains, and the refrigerator also broke down shortly after we moved in. The property manager asked us to get cooling boxes to preserve our food or use a deep freezer,” she said.

The property manager’s response to some maintenance concerns has been frustrating, she said.

Oke said the landlord has reduced the rent by about $100 on two occasions to compensate for the problems, but water still gets into the bedrooms when it rains.

The sisters are considering looking for another apartment, but Oke said current listings remain expensive. She said she has seen two-bedroom units listed for about $1,600, while some of the cheaper options are basements or located farther from the university.

Assiniboine College spokesperson Anya McNabb said the college recognizes that some students have difficulty finding housing that fits both their lifestyle and budget.

While Assiniboine does not operate any student housing, it “supports students with finding suitable housing before their programs begin and after they arrive in Brandon, including providing advice on monthly accommodation budgeting,” McNabb told the Sun in an email.

She said the college’s website suggests where students can explore housing options and information about its residence partnership with Brandon University.

“The partnership allows … students to live in BU’s residence, providing an option for students who may otherwise have to navigate the private rental market,” she said.

“As part of our Strategic Plan, we have outlined that we’re aiming to establish student housing by 2030.”

The college’s approach comes as students continue to face pressure from accommodation costs alongside other expenses associated with post-secondary education, she said.

“Manitoba remains attractive to students compared with other parts of Canada because of its lower cost of living,” she said. “The college also provides information and resources about financial aid and has bursaries and scholarships available to help students reach their educational goals.”

BU spokesperson Grant Hamilton said the number of requests for residence by students speaks for itself.

“Residence is fully sold out this year, which demonstrates what we have been saying all along: BU residence provides great value with unbeatable convenience,” he told the Sun on Friday.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com, tadamski@brandonsun.com