ReThink Education- Part 4 – Community Impact: Housing, Homestays, and Scams

Part 4 – Community Impact: Housing, Homestays, and Scams

As the number of international students has surged across British Columbia, the impact on local communities has become impossible to ignore. While education is the official draw, housing has quietly become one of the biggest points of pressure.

Rental Market Pressures

In Metro Vancouver and cities like Surrey, Burnaby, and Kelowna, international students often struggle to find affordable housing. Landlords know they can charge more to desperate students, and this creates ripple effects across the rental market. Young Canadians, single parents, and low-income workers are squeezed out, competing for the same scarce rooms.

Homestay Boom (and Bust)

In the 1990s, homestays were a structured, school-organized way for students to live with Canadian families. Today, the system is much looser. Many families rent out rooms privately, sometimes at exorbitant prices, with little oversight. While some students find supportive homes, others fall victim to unsafe or exploitative living conditions.

Scams and Exploitation

With so much money involved, a parallel market has emerged. Online ads target international students with fake housing offers. Some are crammed into overcrowded basements, paying far above market rates. Others are pressured to work illegally to cover rent. Oversight is weak, and schools often look the other way once tuition is paid.

Impact on Communities

For local residents, the changes are noticeable. Neighbourhoods once home to families are now filled with rental houses divided into multiple student rooms. Community resources—like transit, libraries, and food banks—are under pressure. Resentment grows when people feel their own kids can’t find housing while schools keep recruiting more students from abroad.

A Call for Transparency

British Columbia’s government and post-secondary institutions must address these impacts honestly. If the system continues unchecked, the cycle of profit for schools but struggle for students and communities will deepen. Transparency around recruitment practices, housing support, and community consultation is urgently needed.

Tomorrow in Part 5, we’ll explore solutions: what accountability could look like, and how to ensure fairness for both international students and local communities.