Finding a place to live

Residence, St. John's campus

On campus

Memorial University provides a number of residences and apartment buildings for single and married students, but you must be registered as a full-time student to be eligible for residence.

Burton's Pond Apartments
The Burton's Pond Apartment complex, located on the eastern edge of the campus, houses 512 single students in four apartment buildings: Guy, Gilbert, Cartier and Cabot. A block of these apartments is reserved for graduate students. Fifteen two-bedroom family units are contained in a fifth building, Baltimore Court. A service building, Corte Real, contains a laundry centre, mail boxes, a newly equipped computer lab, a new furnished study room, a Common Room, and the International Student Advising Office.

Each single student apartment can accommodate four students, each with a private bedroom, sharing a kitchen, living/dining room and bathroom. All apartments are fully furnished with the following:

Kitchen: refrigerator, stove, cutting board, fire extinguisher, kitchen table and four chairs

Bedrooms: mattress, built-in bed, built-in desk, shelves, study chair, study lamp, set of window curtains or vinyl blinds, closet

Household items: broom, dust pan, wet mop, mop bucket, toilet brush, shower curtain, plunger.

Furniture: two tables 24" X 24", two two-seat chesterfields, two table lamps; one set vinyl blinds.

Apartments are allotted by the date of application. The $20 processing fee may be paid by cheque or money order (payable to Memorial University), or by credit card (VISA or Master Card). You must submit an application for each semester and be registered as a full-time student for the entire period of occupancy.

Family accommodation in Baltimore Court is assigned according to a priority system. Check with the supervisor of Burton's Pond Apartments for more information.

Supervisor, Burton's Pond Apartments, 309 Hatcher House, Memorial University, St. John's, NL A1B 3P7 Canada; Tel: (709) 864-7590; burtons@mun.ca; http://www.munhousing.ca/pb

Feild Hall Residence

Feild Hall is designed to meet the particular needs of graduate students. It is located on the north side of campus by Long Pond and Pippy Park. The building consists of four floors. The first level houses Bitters Pub and Restaurant, which is owned and operated by the GSU. The second floor contains the GSU offices and departmental offices for students.

The top two floors contain 29 single rooms for graduate students. Each room measures about 18' x 12', and contains a single bed, a large desk, a dresser, a large book shelf, a two-seat chesterfield, a coffee table and a refrigerator. There is a large closet and ample storage space. Telephone, cable television and computer network hook-ups are available in each room.

The kitchen on each floor is equipped with two stoves, two sinks, a microwave and plenty of communal cupboard space. There are men's and women's washrooms and showers on each floor, as well as a TV room and a dining room. Laundry facilities are located in the basement, along with extra storage space for bikes, boxes and furniture.

For information about room availability, call the residence co-ordinator at (709) 864-4331. You can complete an on-line application form at: www.gsumun.ca.

Paton College

Paton College is the primary undergraduate residence on campus, and consists of men's, women's and co-ed houses. Each house has a television room, computer room, study room and games room. Several houses have exercise and weight rooms, canteens and kitchens. Most Paton College rooms are double occupancy, and quiet floors and wheelchair-accessible floors are available. All residents are required to purchase meal plans.

Student Housing Office, 309 Hatcher House, Memorial University, St. John's, NL A1B 3P7; www.munhousing.ca/pc; Phone: (709) 864-7590.

Off-Campus

Off-Campus Housing Office

The Off-Campus Housing (OCH) division of Memorial University provides information, web resources and programming to students of Memorial University who secure off-campus housing through their website.

Students can find regularly updated listings of rental accommodations in St. John's on the Off-Campus Housing website. Listings can be search by proximity to campus, rental types and price.

Off-Campus Housing, Room 316B Hatcher House, Memorial University, St. John's, NL A1B 3P7 Canada; www.munhousing.ca/och; och@mun.ca; Tel: (709) 864--3765; Fax: (709) 864-3520.

Sunridge Place Apartments

Memorial has been working with private landlords in the St. John's area to create other student communities. In fact, Sunridge Place (formerly known as Hillview Terrace) is a unique student community in St. John's and provides furnished apartments to Memorial University students. The owners of Sunridge place work closely with Memorial, a recognized leader in student housing, to provide an academically supportive environment and student centered community. While Sunridge Place is not the traditional residential college, it is a student focused environment with similar supports and resources for Memorial University students. For further information on Sunridge Place, email: althousing@munhousing.ca.

Choosing a Place to Rent

You may want to secure temporary lodgings for your arrival. Your department, the GSU, or the International Student Advisor may be able to assist you to find you a place or suggest where to look. Rent in St. John's is reasonable, but remember that heat costs can be high in winter and rent prices tend to increase close to campus. While the following estimates do not include utilities (hot water, power, heat), Newfoundland Power will provide information to prospective tenants on the previous year's heating costs for a given address.

  • $300-$350 per month for a bedsitting room
  • $375-$475 per month for a single bedroom apartment
  • $450-$550 per month for a two-bedroom apartment
  • $600-$800 per month for a house (three or more bedrooms)

Things to know before you rent:

  • How much is the rent? Are heat, electricity, hot water and cable included?
  • Is it furnished? What appliances are provided? Do they work?
  • What parking facilities are there?
  • Is it insulated?
  • Is a deposit required? How much?
  • Is a lease required?
  • Are there door and window locks?
  • Are there smoke detectors and fire extinguishers?
  • Are there any bugs or rodents?
  • Is there enough heat in each room?

For boarders:

  • Are meals included?
  • What are the kitchen privileges?
  • Are there any visitor restrictions?
  • Are there any curfews?

Other on-line databases of available accommodations include: http://www.thetelegram.com (The Classifieds section of St. John's newspaper, The Telegram); http://www.munhousing.ca/och (Housing, Food and Conference Services has an Off- Campus Housing section on their Web site)

What is a Lease?

A lease is the official rental agreement between you and your landlord. It is a legal contract that sets out what rent you have agreed to pay. It also states the premises the landlord agrees to provide. It may be quite simple, or it may contain certain conditions (e.g., quiet hours, restrictions on keeping pets). Regardless of any verbal promises, any changes or additions to the lease should always be noted in writing.

In addition to a lease, all tenants and landlords must abide by the Residential Tenancies Act, a provincial statute. This outlines your rights and responsibilities whenever you lease property in the province. Your landlord should give you a copy of the Residential Tenancies Act when you agree to rent his/her property.

Leases may take three possible forms: week-to-week; month-to-month; or for one year. The type of lease will determine when the rent is due, and what notice you must give the landlord before you move out. It will also determine what notice the landlord must give you if s/he asks you to vacate the premises.

If you notice any damage after moving into the apartment, you should let the landlord know as soon as possible. To avoid dispute, you should write and sign a note describing the damage and when you noted it. Keep a copy of the note.

If several people decide to rent an apartment together, they are called co-tenants on the lease. If a co-tenant fails to pay his or her share of the rent, the other co-tenant(s) will be responsible for paying the entirety. Also, tenants are held responsible for damage caused by co-tenants or guests. It is important to remember these points when agreeing to share an apartment.

For more information on the rights and duties of landlords and tenants, contact:
Residential Tenancies Division
Department of Government Services and Lands
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
5 Mews Place
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6
Phone: (709) 729-2610 / 729-2608 / 729-5829
http://www.gs.gov.nl.ca/cca/rt/