Ottawa students rush to find affordable apartments ahead of fall term

As the school year approaches, university students are scrambling to secure rental accommodations.

As the school year approaches, university students are scrambling to secure rental accommodations.

This cost is below the average price of a two-bedroom unit in the city, but with school starting in about two weeks, many students are rushing to secure accommodations. Some say that not only are these rentals harder to find, but they are also becoming more expensive.

"Very stressful. My old lease was up at the end of June, and I had nowhere to put my stuff so we're just taking it out of storage today," says Manary.

For parents like Lisa Manary, the challenges extend beyond finding housing.

"It's very difficult to kind of navigate what's affordable, what's safe," Lisa said.

Steve Pomeroy, a housing policy professor at Carleton University, spoke about the broader issue. The cost of a two-bedroom unit has gone up 15 per cent year over year to about $1,200 per person, largely due to limited availability.

"In the short term, there isn't really a fix," Pomeroy says. "We've tripled the number of folks coming to the city. We haven't tripled housing production."