Housing & Associated Costs

Housing & Associate costs overview

In this section of the module, short and long-term housing will be discussed, as well as the costs that would typically be considered a housing related expense.

Short Term Housing

Short Term housing should never be your main option when studying at NSCC, however with the current housing shortage it’s challenging to find and secure housing.

If you have not secured a place to live before arriving for your NSCC program, we encourage you to budget for, and book, temporary housing for at least two months. It will be beneficial for you to review local hotel rates and understand that Short Term housing in August, September, and October is priced for the peak of Tourism Season in Nova Scotia. During the peak tourism seasons, short-term rentals in your community may be challenging to secure and have higher rates than during the off season.

Long Term Housing

The cost of your long-term housing will drastically vary depending on the type of accommodation you secure.

When you pay rent, pay it in non-cash ways (like cheque). This is to ensure you have a document of your payments, which is not possible with cash payments. Besides rent, there are several other costs to consider each month, including utilities, cleaning supplies, etc. long-term housing

Damage Deposit

A damage (or security) deposit is a standard and typical ask from property owners at the beginning of your tenancy. The amount you’ve paid for the damage deposit should be outlined in your lease.

In Nova Scotia, your landlord cannot demand more than one half of the first month’s rent as a security deposit. For example, if your rent cost is $1200, a property owner can only ask for $600 dollars. They cannot ask for $700 dollars as that is more than half of the cost of a month of rent.

Your security deposit also is not equivalent to the last month of rent. Asking for last month’s rent upfront is an illegal practice in Nova Scotia.

Illegal Fees/Deposits

In Nova Scotia, it is illegal for property owners to ask for extra deposits associated with:

• Application fees
  • In Nova Scotia, it is illegal to ask for application fees.

• Keys
  • They can apply to keep your security deposit if you do not return your keys at the end of the tenancy, but cannot charge a “Key Deposit” or “Key Access Fee” or if keys are not returned.
• Fire extinguishers
• Carpets
• Pets
  • They can apply to keep your security deposit if there are damages related to pets.
• Children
  • It is illegal to add additional fees to if you will live with children. Children are included in the occupants list on your lease, as they do not pay rent but will live in the space and are classified as occupants as per the Residential Tenancies Act.

Rental Insurance

Rental Insurance, also known asTenants insurance provides liability coverage. If something serious happens to the place that you’re renting, or you accidentally break something, this insurance will cover the costs associated with the damage. This includes support for costs that might result if your rental becomes unliveable for a period of time. NSCC Housing & Student Life recommend students get rental insurance to protect themselves from unexpected losses and damages that can occur.

Plans cover different things and have different costs, from $15 to $30+ a month. It is important to know what you would like to have covered when asking for quotes.

NSCC students and alumni have access to discounted insurance through our partnership with TD Insurance. Read more about insurance discounts available.

Utilities

Electricity: Sometimes electricity is included in the rent. If it is not included, it is important to ask what the average costs of electricity would be for the future apartment. If you’ve never had an account with a provider for electricity, you may have to pay an additional deposit or service fee to activate your electricity.

Internet: Sometimes internet is included in the rent. If included, it is important to ask the details of the current plan, as some internet plans are “data capped” meaning you can use all the internet before the month is over. Sometimes when the internet is included in rent, it is data capped. This means you can only use a certain amount of internet per month before service is cut, or extra fees are added to your use. You may need to discuss paying additional costs to increase the internet plan, or secure your own in addition to what is included. If it is not included, look for an internet provider that offers discounts to students. You may also have to pay service fees to activate the internet.

Water: Cold and hot water are usually included in rent. If they are not ask what the average monthly costs per month were so you can appropriately budget.

Heat: There are many way people heat their house in Nova Scotia. One of the common forms is electric heating. The major difference with electric heating and other forms of heating is that the cost is included in your electricity bills. Other common heat methods include oil based, wood fire heating, and hot water heaters. The method of heat depends often on the community, age of property, and other community specific resources. You should ask your property owner what type of heat is used, and the average costs to help you budget.

Parking

If you own a vehicle, it’s important to ask about parking. Some apartments and rentals will have spaces to park a vehicle, and often will show how many vehicles you can have in the parking spaces.

Depending on location, street parking may be an option but it is best to find and consider options. Street parking availability may depend on season, with many communities implementing street-side winter parking bans for snow cleaning purposes.

Prices for parking spaces can range from $25 to $100 per month or more.

Appliances and Furniture

Most apartments have appliances (stove, cooktops, fridge) and on-site laundry facilities (laundry might be coin-operated, so this could be an added weekly cost). Unless you specified that you’re renting a furnished apartment, you’ll have to provide your own furniture.

You can find second-hand basic items at thrift stores or through social media. Prices vary depending on where you shop. In Canada, and especially in Nova Scotia, many people will use Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace to sell used (secondhand) items.

If purchasing secondhand furniture, check it for damage and pests (bed bugs) before bringing it into the apartment. You can be held financially responsible if you bring bed bugs into a rental unit.

Internet and Phones

To be a successful student, you will need to have an internet connection to support completing school assignments after school hours. Some accommodation will include fees to internet in the rent. If the Internet is included, you will want to know details of the internet plan, as some have internet usage limits, and you may be financially responsible if your usage goes over the limits.

When not included in the rent, students paid anywhere between $40 and $80+ monthly for internet access. The cost of the internet, type of internet plan, and amount of usage (data cap) will depend on which community in Nova Scotia you live in.