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Written By
Steve Tustin
Jan 14, 2025
•Housing
For most newcomers and international students arriving in Canada and seeking accommodation, a short-term rental usually comes first, followed by a longer-term rental. Many also consider sharing accommodation with others as a cost-effective option.
But there is another housing solution for newcomers: home-sharing, or rooms for newcomers.
Home-sharing, of course, is not new to Canada. Other home-sharing programs exist, primarily focused on keeping seniors living and aging in place and helping students find affordable accommodation.
But now Sparrow, a Canadian home-sharing platform is looking to help immigrants explore, and find, home-share solutions with rooms for newcomers. It’s also looking to enlist settled newcomer homeowners as hosts. To achieve this, Sparrow has teamed with Prepare for Canada to make hosts, and rooms, available to newcomers.
This Sparrow-Prepare for Canada initiative aims to provide immigrants and international students with accommodation sharing, another housing alternative to apartments, condos, or house renting.
“We need to do a better job of making it easier and safer for newcomers to find good housing options in Canada,” said Oren Singer, co-founder and CEO of Sparrow. “There’s a ton of underutilized housing space in the form of spare rooms and basements.
“With the cost of living so high these days, we’re seeing many homeowners turning to home-sharing as a way to supplement income.” The rooms-for-newcomers project is timely and affordable.
Though rental prices and vacancy rates are now easing across Canada, affordability remains a significant housing issue for the thousands of newcomers and international students arriving each month.
“We need to do a better job of making it easier and safer for newcomers to find good housing options in Canada.”
Oren Singer, Co-founder and CEO, Sparrow
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REGISTER FOR THE WEBINARSparrow estimates that there are over 12 million empty bedrooms across Canada.
In Ontario alone, it’s estimated that more than half of residents — and three-quarters of those over the age of 65 — live in houses that are bigger than they need, leaving five million spare bedrooms across the province, according to a pre-pandemic report by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis.
“We have an opportunity and responsibility to reimagine how we use and share our housing space,” says the Sparrow website. The company also notes that one in five Canadian renters spends more than half their income on shelter costs.
Obviously, to meet the demand for accommodation sharing, Sparrow and Prepare for Canada are looking for hosts in addition to housemates.
The lack of affordable housing for renters, plus population growth and inflation, inspired homeowner Karen H. to become a Sparrow host. “I decided that I could pay it forward by helping somebody get in a space to live at a reasonable price.”
Karine S., who rents a room from Karen in Toronto, said that initially, she didn’t know about the Sparrow concept of housemates and renting a room. She said she was hesitant at first because of previous issues with roommates.
A Sparrow Story – Karen & Karine from Sparrow on Vimeo.
“I was a little bit wary going into this,” she said, “but the thing that really clarified it for me was actually finding a compatible match (Karen).”
In addition to continuing demand and competition for affordable rentals, the price of rents across Canada remains high, particularly in regions such as the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver Area, popular destinations for newcomers to Canada.
In December 2024, a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto cost $2,360 a month, while a one-bedroom in Vancouver was $2,512. Even a one-bedroom in Saskatoon (one of Canada’s most affordable cities for rent prices) costs $1,223 monthly. Homeshare rents, at approximately $875 a month, are significantly cheaper.
Sparrow’s home-sharing platform and community match hosts with spare bedrooms with newcomers and international students seeking budget-friendly places to live. The company also sees its business as building social connections and increasing the quality of life for Canadians.
Sparrow does credit and background checks and attempts to match people based on compatibility.
Hosts can list their space and create a profile for FREE. A service fee for hosts is only charged once the host has received the first rental payment from the housemate.
The host service fee (a one-time only fee) ranges from 1/4 – 1 month’s rent, depending on the length of the home share contract:
Housemates do not pay Sparrow fees.
The company ensures safety and security. Its matching process involves rigorous identity verification, background checks, home share agreements, and screening interviews. Sparrow also matches based on compatibility to enable better connections based on habits, lifestyles, and living preferences.
Anyone who decides to become a host should check with their insurance company to see if any additional coverage is needed.
“Rooms and/or basements on the Sparrow platform are more budget-friendly compared to an average studio or 1-bedroom rental rates,” says Singer.
“We’ve been helping newcomers make connections that simplify the immigration journey for over 12 years,” says Dave Frattini, managing partner of Prepare for Canada and Rentals for Newcomers.
“Sparrow is a purpose-driven home-sharing platform and community that makes it easy, safe, and enjoyable to rent a room,” said Frattini.
“Together, we’re on a mission to help newcomers enter the rental market faster and easier than ever by connecting newcomers with newcomer and newcomer ally homeowners who can help newcomers find safe and affordable housing. We’re pleased to launch this initiative and look forward to reaching out to homeowners who want to contribute to building this innovative housing solution for newcomers.”
For newcomers and international students, renting a room represents an affordable and viable path to sharing accommodation in Canada, and a chance to make a lifelong friend.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Prepare for Canada to help connect and match newcomers to places they can call home,” says Singer.
Newcomer homeowners and renters can sign up here.
WRITTEN BY
Steve Tustin
Senior Editor, Prepare for Canada
Steve Tustin is the Editor for Rentals for Newcomers and a contributing editor for Prepare for Canada. He is also the former managing editor of Storeys.com and a former senior editor at the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
© Prepare for Canada 2025
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