FAQ

Co-living is a new concept for living in which people of similar ages, interests and lifestyles come together to create community, share resources and experience a better standard of living. It's a simple, economical option for those just starting out willing to share accommodation with others, offering one all-inclusive payment and a balance of personal and shared space.

My name is Paul and I am a home builder who created Village Common, a modern co-living alternative to apartment or house rentals. Co-living allows responsible housemates to share one beautiful space. Everyone has their own private room and bath where they can sleep, shower and relax, while sharing common facilities as part of a built-in community. The co-living concept has been used in other parts of the world with great success, by similar organizations including Milyou, Ollie, Common, and WeLive. Our housemates are responsible, motivated achievers who are comfortable with doing their part to make the co-living environment work. Our standard leasing arrangement runs 12 months. The lease includes rent, heat, water, electricity, internet, high-security locks and ring video doorbells, use of all of the house facilities including TV and on-site laundry, and professional cleaning of common areas every two weeks.

Our rates are listed here on the website. Your lease includes rent, heat, water, electricity, internet, access to house amenities including a big-screen TV and on-site laundry, high-security keys and video doorbell, as well as professional cleaning of common areas every two weeks. It is paid via auto-withdrawal from your bank account on the first day of each month of the lease term.

We are creating a community of high-functioning young professionals who understand what is involved in caring for and living in this beautifully furnished shared space. Specifically, we look for friendly, responsible people who want to experience the perks of shared living without the party atmosphere.

We rent to mature, motivated people whom we believe will get along well with others and fit into our community. As part of our application process, we ask about career, activities, education whether you have siblings and so forth to help us get an idea of who you are.

Absolutely! Your self-contained bed and bathroom suite contains a built-in desk, full-size bed with drawers, a nightstand and lamp, closet and clothes tree. You'll love having the large bathroom with 3 x 3' shower, vanity/sink, and toilet all to yourself. If you want company, the common areas of the house offer a comfortable place to socialize.

This may be possible, but as Village Common is a popular choice the room may not last until you have an opportunity to meet everyone.

Each room accommodates only one person, and all rooms are the same price no matter where they are located in the house. One larger room on our house map is not available as a room choice. It is reserved for our Community Advisor, a house manager who lives in the house and makes sure everything runs smoothly. If you’d like to live in the same house as your friend, sibling or significant other, encourage that person to rent their own room, and enjoy the shared spaces together!

As long as there is space available when you apply, it is possible to rent two rooms. Each potential housemate will need to apply individually and fill out their own leasing agreement.

Just bring your personal belongings: clothes, mattress, bedding including pillows, and towels with a shower mat. For a small administration fee, we can provide bedding, towels and other basic bathroom supplies for you in advance of your arrival.

We have a limited number of stalls in our covered, secure garage, offered on a first-come, first-served basis for an additional fee. Limited on-street permit parking from the City of Calgary is also available for a small annual fee. We encourage those with cars to secure their parking rights by signing a lease as soon as possible. Since Village Common is located close to the University, there are some fairly tough parking guidelines from the City if no parking rights are secured. Of course the proximity to transit make it easy to get around without a car.

Yes. The security deposit is in place to ensure that any damage which might be caused will be fixed. Legally, this deposit cannot be used as the last month’s rent. For this reason, our auto-withdrawal agreement with the bank includes the last month's rent. You'll also be asked to fill out a credit card authorization form. As we offer brand-new, custom-designed accommodation, we want to keep it in great shape for all members of the Villlage Common community. If a housemate causes damage that exceeds the amount of the security deposit, this authorization ensures it will be repaired. If you are responsible and take good care of the house, you won't need to worry. If damage does happen, a detailed report outlining exact cost of repairs will be provided. The credit card authorization outlines this agreement in detail.

Our application process follows several standard steps, and most of it is done online. In the first step, we'll ask you to introduce yourself to make certain that you fill our prerequisite as a mature, responsible young professional comfortable with sharing a house. Step 2 involves filling in a tenant agreement form, agreeing to the house rules, paying a deposit and selecting a room. In the last step, we'll look after details such as the preauthorized debit form which withdraws the monthly payment that makes living at Village Common so easy.

Village Common is designed for like-minded housemates of a similar age, allowing everyone living in the house to be comfortable with the arrangement.

You can review our Code of Conduct before you apply. If the idea of living in Village Common is appealing, you can begin the application process by clicking on the Apply Now button.

Sorry, no pets are allowed.

As part of the application process, you can request a room based on what is available when you sign the lease. You can find our house plan here, and we will advise you about which rooms are currently available. Once your signed lease and deposit have been received, your room will be confirmed.

Every housemate has their own bed and bathroom suite with a keyed lock, as well as pantry storage space and a storage locker. The rest of the house is shared, and both women and men may live in the space. A Community Advisor is on hand to sort out any issues and ensure that everyone does their part.

The kitchen is fully stocked with everything that you need to create delicious meals - except for the food, of course! You’ll find pots and pans, dishes, utensils and appliances including toasters, coffee makers, toaster ovens and blenders. You’ll also have your own lockable pantry space located just off the kitchen.

Yes, and you’ll find everything you need to do so in our shared kitchen.

The house located at 3411 Cascade Road NW in Calgary, one block from the University C-train stop, and a six-minute walk to the McKimmie Library.

Yes.

When space is available, we can give you an in-person tour. When the rooms are occupied, we’ll provide a virtual tour. You can view the virtual tour anytime on the home page.

Housemates pool money to buy shared supplied such as dishwashing soap, garbage bags, and other agreed-upon items.

While we prefer 12-month leases, stay in touch. We’ll contact you if rooms open up for the dates you need.

Living at Village Common is easy, with just one monthly payment. No need to search for roommates - you occupy your own private bed and bathroom suite in a multi-room house.

We ask for a personal reference, and you can also share your social media profile so we can get an idea of who you are.

All suites have the furniture included, apart from the mattress on the bed. We can provide a mattress for a small additional charge of $30/month. We discourage people bringing their own furniture as it tends to cause damage when moving in or out. However, if you need a small bookshelf we would not disallow it.

We have a similar student residence, and others in the planning stage.

We address this issue on a case-by-case basis, depending on how well the house is running and the opinion of other housemates.

The large room with the walk-in closet is reserved for the Community Advisor. We hire this person to look after the house, deal with any issues that may arise with maintenance, and to make certain everyone does their share. That role may be filled by someone that we already know, or we may discuss the opportunity with a responsible existing tenant.

Our Community Advisor makes sure the house runs smoothly, keeping an eye on things so that if there are problems we understand who is responsible. Any charges would only be for the person who creates trouble or causes damage. So far, we have not had any issues with damage, since our application process centres around selecting mature and responsible housemates. This is not a party house.