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For newcomers and international students arriving in Canada renting a room in a home can be an affordable housing option. Most arriving newcomers seek a short-term rental, and then search for a longer-term rental. Many also consider sharing accommodation with others as a cost-effective option. But there is another solution for newcomers: home-sharing, or renting a room. Discover how renting a room in Canada can be a great solution for renters and homeowners!
Home-sharing is not new to Canada. For example, other home-sharing programs focus on helping students find affordable accommodation or keeping seniors living and aging in place.
Sparrow, a Canadian home-sharing platform helps immigrants explore and find rooms for rent and home-share solutions. It also looks to enlist 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 provides immigrants and international students with accommodation sharing, another alternative to apartments, condos, or house renting. “We need to make 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, many homeowners turn to home-sharing to supplement income.” The rooms-for-newcomers project is timely and affordable.
Though rental prices and vacancy rates are now easing across Canada, affordable housing remains an issue for many newcomers arriving each month.
“We need to make it easier and safer for newcomers to find good housing options in Canada.”
Oren Singer, Co-founder and CEO, Sparrow
“We’re proud to collaborate with Prepare for Canada to help connect and match newcomers to places they can call home,” says Singer.
Sparrow’s home-sharing platform matches hosts with spare bedrooms to newcomers and international students seeking affordable rooms for rent in Canada. The company also sees its business as building social connections and increasing the quality of life for Canadians.
Searching for your first home in Canada? Join this exclusive session for key insights on housing market conditions, affordable options, and renting without credit history. Tailored for newcomers settling in the next six months, register now for valuable tips and a free guide!
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINARIn addition to the demand and competition for affordable rentals, rental prices remain high, particularly in popular destinations for newcomers like Toronto and Vancouver.
In February 2025, a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver cost $2,522 a month, while a one-bedroom in Toronto was $2,353. Even a one-bedroom in Saskatoon, one of Canada’s most affordable cities for rent prices, was $1,217 monthly. Homeshare rents, at approximately $964 a month, are significantly cheaper.
“Basements or rooms for rent on the Sparrow platform are more affordable than the 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 renting a room easy, safe, and affordable.”
“Together, we’re on a mission to help newcomers enter the rental market faster and easier. We connect newcomers with homeowners to help them find safe and affordable housing. We look forward to connecting with homeowners who want to build this innovative housing solution for newcomers.”
Sparrow’s rigorous matching and identity verification process ensures safety and security. Its matching process involves 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. Newcomer homeowners and renters can sign up here.
Sparrow does credit and background checks to match people based on compatibility. Hosts can list their rooms for rent and create a FREE profile. Sparrow charges the host a fee when they receive the first rental payment from the housemate. Housemates do not pay Sparrow fees.
Anyone who becomes a host should check with their insurance company to see if they need additional coverage for home-sharing.
The host service fee (a one-time only fee) depends on the length of the home share contract and ranges from 25 – 100% of one month’s rent, for example:
| HOMESHARE TERM LENGTH | FEE (% OF ONE MONTH RENT) |
|---|---|
| 1 – 3 months | 25% |
| 4 – 5 months | 50% |
| 6 – 9 months | 75% |
| 10 – 12 months | 100% |
The lack of affordable housing for renters, plus population growth and inflation, inspired homeowner Karen H. to become a Sparrow host. “I decided 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.
“I was a little bit wary going into this,” she said, “but the thing that clarified it for me was finding a compatible match (Karen).”
Watch the video to learn about Karen’s successful home-sharing experience!
Sparrow estimates there are over 12 million empty bedrooms across Canada.
A Canada Centre for Economic Analysis report estimates more than half of residents, and three-quarters of those over 65, live in houses bigger than they need. This is five million spare bedrooms across the province.
“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.
In addition to housemates, Sparrow and Prepare for Canada are looking for hosts to meet the demand for accommodation sharing. Renting out a spare room and welcoming housemates can help homeowners deal with rising expenses.
For newcomers and international students seeking a room to rent and share accommodation, this is a safe and affordable housing option, and a chance to make a lifelong friend!
For homeowners in Canada with a mortgage to pay and spare rooms to rent, becoming a homesharing host can help solve financial and personal needs. All homeowners quickly discover that homeownership comes with costly expenses, including the mortgage, insurance, monthly maintenance, and daily living expenses. Despite the costs, homeownership remains the goal of young Canadians and newcomers, even with the high home prices and mortgage rates, according to a recent Scotiabank survey. Renting out that spare room and welcoming housemates as a home share host can help lower your monthly homeownership costs.
Discover the benefits of becoming a homesharing host and how to do it!
Renting out a spare room can bring Canadian homeowners valuable extra income via home share to help pay their mortgage and bills. Becoming a home share host is a solution that can bring financial relief, whether you’re an empty nester, a struggling young homeowner, or a newcomer to Canada homeowner. It also enables homeowners to make new friends and gain companionship.
The 1.4 million Canadians who got a mortgage in 2020 or 2021 may have seen their median monthly mortgage cost increase by $420, or 30%, upon renewal. Even though the Bank of Canada continues to lower interest rates, many homeowners renewed their mortgages when or just after the rate reached a high of 5% in 2023.
Renting out a spare room can ease that financial pressure. It also provides affordable home-share rental option for newcomers and international students.
Searching for your first home in Canada? Join this exclusive session for key insights on housing market conditions, affordable options, and renting without credit history. Tailored for newcomers settling in the next six months, register now for valuable tips and a free guide!
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINARHomesharing hosts rent spare bedrooms to long-term housemates for rent (and possibly help around the house and companionship). While the homesharing concept isn’t new, Prepare for Canada and Sparrow Share have partnered to offer a unique and fulfilling path for Canadian homeowners to become homesharing hosts.
Sparrow estimates that there are over 12 million empty bedrooms across Canada.
Canada will welcome 395,000 immigrants in 2025 and 380,000 in 2026. That’s in addition to tens of thousands of international students and temporary foreign workers looking for affordable housing. Rental demand and rent asking prices nationwide remain high for renters.
Homesharing, done right, is a safe, reliable, hassle-free process that benefits both hosts and renters.
In Ontario, it’s estimated that more than half of residents, and three-quarters of those over 65, live in houses larger than they need. According to the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, that adds up to five million spare bedrooms across Canada’s largest province.
Oren Singer, the co-founder and CEO of Sparrow, says Canada needs “to do a better job of making it easier and safer for newcomers to find good housing options in Canada.” “There’s a ton of underutilized housing space in the form of spare rooms and basements,” said Singer.
Dave Frattini, Managing Partner of Prepare for Canada and Rentals for Newcomers, says the Prepare for Canada/Sparrow initiative offers a simple, turnkey homesharing service to help homeowner hosts find a pool of compatible housemates.
To ensure accountability, Sparrow verifies every potential renter through background, credit, and income checks. Their matching algorithm finds renters who complement the homeowner’s lifestyle.
Sparrow also ensures that the homeowner’s room rental is the optimal price. They collect and report rent payments to credit bureaus to motivate renters to pay on time.
Housemates can rent a room for as little as two months or up to a year.
We’re on a mission to help newcomers enter the rental market faster and easier by connecting them with homeowners and newcomer allies.
Dave Frattini, Prepare for Canada
Homeowners who want to become homesharing hosts can list their rentals 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 charge) ranges from 1/4 – 1 month’s rent, depending on the length of the homesharing contract. There are no service fees for housemates.
| TERM LENGTH | ONE TIME ONLY HOST SERVICE FEE |
|---|---|
| 1 -3 months | 1/4 month’s rent |
| 4 – 5 months | 1/2 month’s rent |
| 6 – 9 months | 3/4 month’s rent |
| 10 – 12 months | 1 month’s rent |
Becoming a homesharing host offers many benefits, including:
Brigitte Sharpe of Toronto decided to become a Sparrow homesharing host after her son moved out.
“I’ve got a second room,” said Sharpe. “It’s very difficult for people to find spaces, so I thought I would give it a shot.”
Sharpe says that she and her housemate of six months bonded and now have a friendship. She believes that they will definitely get together in the future.
Canadian homeowners with a spare bedroom can sign up to be a home-sharing host here.
“We’re on a mission,” says Frattini, “to help newcomers enter the rental market faster and easier by connecting them with homeowners and newcomer allies who can provide safe and affordable housing.”
“We look forward to reaching out to any homeowners across the country who want to contribute to building this innovative housing solution for newcomers.”
And, of course, for homeowner hosts, there are the benefits of “having someone around.”
“I recently spoke with one of our hosts who’s been renting out her spare room to a PhD student from the University of Toronto for about a year now,” said Singer.
“She shared that, while the extra income has been helpful, the biggest benefit has been the peace of mind that comes with having someone around.”
Singer said that this reminds him “how homesharing isn’t just about financial stability, it’s about creating a sense of community.”
Canadian homeowners looking for a sense of community and an income stream from renting a spare room can sign up here to be homesharing hosts.
With rising homeownership expenses, becoming a Canada homesharing host may be the boost you need!
Renting a room in a homeowner’s house is a smart strategy for newcomers to Canada. Following these simple, common sense tips for housemates will create a great experience for newcomers, international students, and homeowner hosts.
But perhaps the biggest tip about being a housemate is that the rent as a housemate can be several hundred dollars cheaper than you would pay as a roommate. And, you’re not tied into a long-term lease.
Homesharing provides a way for renters to find budget-friendly rooms in great neighbourhoods. This is a great option for newcomers and international students looking to become housemates in a home-sharing arrangement, whether for two or twelve months.
Living with a homeowner in their home as a housemate offers many advantages, from saving money to making friends. Housemates and hosts can forge a lifelong relationship by following simple rules.
Here are six helpful tips for housemates that will contribute to a great living experience:
Make sure that you understand the house rules from the beginning. Have an open discussion with the homeowner and other housemates, if there are any. It’s important to understand the homeowner’s expectations and decide what is fair. A good tip for housemates is to schedule regular meetings (weekly or monthly) to address concerns, expectations, and schedules. This will maintain openness and prevent issues from escalating. If chores are part of your home-sharing agreement, regular meetings provide a forum for updates and feedback.
This is an excellent tip for housemates that will prevent small problems from escalating into big problems. If something is troubling you as a housemate, talk to the homeowner/host and discuss it as soon as possible. Don’t let things fester. This will prevent resentment from building, which could poison your relationship. Be open to finding a solution that works for everyone and be willing to compromise. Being proactive is the best strategy in a homeshare environment.
Searching for your first home in Canada? Join this exclusive session for key insights on housing market conditions, affordable options, and renting without credit history. Tailored for newcomers settling in the next six months, register now for valuable tips and a free guide!
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR
Most items in a homeshare environment belong to the homeowner/host. If you have agreed to boundaries regarding using items or certain spaces, be sure to respect that by asking first if you can use them or move them. Likewise, the host should show the same respect if you have personal items in the house. Respect each other’s personal space by, for example, knocking before entering a closed room. Creating clear boundaries around property and space from the beginning will ensure maximum privacy and respect. Use headphones and be mindful of noise. Learn the host’s schedule and share yours. Again, it’s all about communication.
You and your host may come from different cultures and thus have different values and beliefs. Approach the housemate experience as an opportunity to learn, share, and grow. It’s a chance to see the world through someone else’s eyes and share your view of life. You won’t agree on everything, but if you stay open, the possibilities for learning, growth, and friendship are endless. Be open to sharing experiences,
Again, this is an issue of respect and communication. Energy costs concern homeowners, so do your best to keep them down. Turn off lights, wash your clothes during off-peak hours, turn off taps, and recycle. These are just a few things you can do to show respect and earn the host’s trust and friendship. It will go a long way in avoiding potential conflicts.
This is an important tip for housemates to ensure privacy and build respect. Be sure to understand the guidelines about having friends over and overnight guests. Discuss and understand the host’s expectations and comfort level regarding visitors and the acceptable length of stay. It all comes down to common courtesy, communication, and respect for privacy.
Housemates and hosts may never become best friends, but the goal should be to be respectful, polite, friendly occupants of a shared co-living space. Take the time to know and understand each other, share some meals, watch TV, and enjoy moments together. All of this – and following these simple, common sense tips for housemates will create a great experience for newcomers, international students, and homeowner hosts.