Rent Regina Apartments

Renting in Regina: A Basic Overview

Flourishing Regina: Renting in the Majestic Prairies

When the ‘city elders’ gave Regina its Latin motto “Floreat Regina”, meaning ‘Regina flourishes’, it was quite fortuitous. Regina has been growing at a full speed, becoming an attractive destination for job seekers.

Regina is the second-largest city after Saskatoon and the capital of Saskatchewan and lies at the heart of the province. The “breadbasket of Canada” has made good use of its rich natural resources and has also developed a strong service-based industry.

Regina is prosperous community with a low unemployment rate, so it’s little wonder that so many people are starting to move to the city and looking for rental accommodation.

New tenants find a surprising abundance of parks and green spaces – even in this Prairie city – from local neighbourhood parks to Wascana Centre, and with more than 350,000 hand-planted trees. Reginans enjoy their recreational areas, and despite the lack of mountains, they take advantage of the fact that Saskatchewan is Canada's "sunniest" province and easily take to the outdoors.

Getting around as tenant in Regina

New residents often comments on Regina’s beautiful multi-use pathways that can be used to walk or bike your way around town.

Public transport also criss-crosses the city quite effectively, especially in the urban neighbourhoods or downtown, though having a car can be useful (Reginans think nothing of driving long distances spontaneously). Regina transit buses take you on 23 routes across the city at frequent intervals. If you’re renting an apartment near a bus station, you can go  check the online trip planner to commute.

If you’re a tenant and using the bus, you can pay cash on the bus or use the convenient pre-loaded R-Card instead of getting tickets or monthly passes.

Living in Regina: Costs for tenants

Saskatchewan makes a strong case for affordable, good quality of life. Regina is no exception. Tenants pay less on average than in other provinces for electricity and heating, as well as insurance and phone bills. Personal income tax rates are also lower.

If you live in or near the downtown core, you can get by on public transport for $750 a year (plus the Federal Tax Credit), compared with thousands of dollars to own and drive a car.

For tenants looking for rental accommodation in Regina, there’s a fair bit of affordable housing, though this is changing slowly because of the success of the economy and low vacancy rate. Rental accommodation is becoming a little more expensive over time. According to CMHC, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Regina is about $948, up $50 from 2011.

You can keep costs down by sharing your apartment with a roommate, winterizing your apartment, shopping around for rental insurance, and trying to negotiate with the landlord. Typically, rental accommodation slightly further away from the downtown core tends to be more affordable.

Finding your Regina rental in the right neighbourhood

Regina has several neighbourhoods and suburban residential areas beyond the historic city centre.

The downtown core is bordered to the north by North Central, to the northeast by Eastview, to the East by Heritage and Al Ritchie, to the South by Galdmer Park and Centre Square, and to the south west by Cathedral. These central zones are quite walkable and comprise Wascana Lake and some of Regina’s oldest neighbourhoods, as well as lots of shopping, nightclubs, and rental accommodation.

When you’re looking for the right rental accommodation, keep in mind that if you have children, you should first find the school you want them to go to before settling on a neighbourhood. If you’re working on studying, lifestyle will play a big factor on how far from the university or your workplace you’re willing to commute every day.

The city has a good description and map of Regina’s neighbourhoods.

As you make a final choice, remember to check the safety section of RenterPages’s Ultimate Apartment Checklist. Despite improvements in recent years, Regina has a reputation for very high “petty” crime like theft and breaking-and-entering and more serious crimes like assaults and car theft. The Regina Police Service give some helpful tips on how you can protect yourself and your belongings and how to recognize scams.

Before you move in, you’ll need to buy furniture if your rental apartment comes unfurnished and set up your utilities. New water and sewer accounts with the City can be set up online through ExpressAddress, by calling 306-777-7208, by visiting City Hall (2476 Victoria Avenue).

Regina also offers helpful tips about living in Regina in the “Let's learn about Regina handbook” and a helpful CityApp alerts service for residents and tenants.

Resources for tenants

When you meet your landlord to sign the lease, you may be asked for key money as well as a security deposit, payable in two installments. The landlord will have to indicate if the lease is to be renewed at the end of the lease term, but you should check to see if you are allowed to sublet your apartment if you renew for a longer period.

Tenants should look over the lease in detailto avoid potential issues: the clearer the rights and responsibilities are, the less chances of a rental dispute. The CMHC provides some useful information for renters in Saskatchewan.

However, if you do need help with your rental accommodation, you can contact the Office of Residential Tenancies (Rentalsman), who can also help you if your landlord is significantly increasing your rent.

Welcome to the Prairies!