Student housing in Guelph: questions and answers
Common questions about renting in Guelph as a student, from when to start looking to what a landlord is allowed to ask for.
When to look
When should I start looking for a September lease in Guelph?
Earlier than most people expect. Most students in Guelph look for a September lease between January and March, five to eight months before move-in. A lot of that search is first-years in their second semester deciding whether to move off campus for second year. Starting in January gets you the widest choice.
When do summer sublets come up in Guelph?
Mostly between February and April, for a May to August stay. Co-op work terms run four months at a time, so rooms also come up at other points in the year when students head off for a work term. See the sublets on Cribb now.
How Cribb works
What is Cribb?
Cribb is a housing site for students in Guelph, Ontario. You can browse rentals from landlords, find or post a sublet, look for roommates, buy and sell things in the marketplace, and post in The Bubble, the community forum. Cribb is independent and isn't affiliated with any school.
Is Cribb free?
For students, yes. Browsing, messaging landlords, booking viewings, posting a sublet and roommate matching are all free. Posting a rental is free for landlords too, and that's permanent, not a launch offer.
Who can use Cribb?
Anyone can browse listings. To message a landlord, book a viewing, post a sublet or leave a review, you need a verified student account: you sign up with your @uoguelph.ca email address and confirm it.
How do reviews work on Cribb?
Reviews are star ratings only, with no written comments. A verified student can rate a property once. When a landlord has three or more reviews across their properties, those ratings start counting toward the Cribb Score on their listings.
What is the Cribb Score?
A score out of 100 on each listing. It starts with the property itself: price compared with typical Guelph rents (30%), location (40%, mostly distance to campus, plus distance to groceries and downtown), amenities (20%) and how complete the listing is (10%). Once the landlord has 3 or 4 reviews, reviews make up 30% of the score, and from 5 reviews they make up half. Landlords can't pay to change it.
Does Cribb collect rent or handle my lease?
No. Cribb helps you find a place and talk to the landlord. You sign your lease with the landlord and pay rent to them directly, not through Cribb.
Can I find roommates I don't already know?
Yes. You can set up a group with friends, or search on your own. If you search on your own, you answer a 10-question lifestyle quiz (things like cleanliness and sleep schedule) and see other verified students ranked by how well your answers line up. Groups can invite you, and you can ask to join a group. Start on the roommates page.
Is the gender preference on a roommate group enforced?
No. A group can say who it's hoping to live with, and you can filter by it, but it's a preference, not a rule. Cribb doesn't ask for your gender and doesn't stop anyone from asking to join. The group decides who to accept.
Sublets and viewings
How do sublets work on Cribb?
A sublet is a room or place a student rents out for a set stretch, often a summer or a co-op term, while they're away. Each sublet shows its dates, monthly rent and travel time to campus, and you message the student who posted it on Cribb. If you're posting your own, it starts as a draft so you can check it before it goes live.
How do I book a viewing?
If the landlord or the student subletting has posted viewing times, you can book a one-hour slot from the listing. Once you book a slot, nobody else can take it. You both get a reminder email the day before, and either of you can cancel if plans change. If there are no times posted, send them a message to set one up.
Renting in Ontario
General information to help you know what to ask, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the official sources linked here before you sign anything.
What deposits can a landlord in Ontario ask for?
Generally two. A rent deposit, which can't be more than one month's rent and has to be put toward your last month, and your landlord owes you interest on it each year. And a refundable key deposit, which can't be more than it costs to replace the keys or fobs. Damage deposits aren't allowed under the Residential Tenancies Act, and a lease clause asking for one can't be enforced. Ontario's guide to the standard lease covers deposits in more detail.
Does my landlord have to use Ontario's standard lease?
For most private rentals, yes. Most residential leases signed in Ontario since April 30, 2018 have to use the province's standard lease form, though some kinds of housing are exempt. If you didn't get one, you can ask for it in writing. Renting in Ontario: your rights explains what happens next.
Do these rules apply if I rent a room in my landlord's house?
Often not. If you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, or with certain members of the owner's family, and they live in the same building, the Residential Tenancies Act usually doesn't cover you. That affects things like deposits and how you can be asked to leave, so ask about it before you sign. The exemptions are listed in section 5 of the Residential Tenancies Act.
Can I sublet my room in Ontario?
Usually, with your landlord's consent. Under the Residential Tenancies Act a landlord can't refuse a sublet arbitrarily or unreasonably, but you still need to ask first, and you stay responsible to your landlord while someone else is living there. Read your lease before you agree to anything.
Where can I get help with a landlord problem in Ontario?
The Landlord and Tenant Board handles disputes between landlords and tenants covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, and its site has the forms and guides. If something about a listing on Cribb looks wrong, you can also report the listing from its page.
Looking for a place?
See what's listed near campus, in the South End and downtown, or browse every rental.