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$600 / 7br - 110ft2 - Food-based collective seeking two long-term housemates! (Shaughnessey)
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Osler House, a long-standing collective home in Shaughnessy, is looking to add two new members to our home. We are looking for housemates willing to invest their time and energy into building our community. We have two rooms available:
- Cozy basement room, available now, $575
- Larger upstairs room, available March 1, $625
Note, we are willing to wait for the right candidate, so don’t hesitate to apply if your dates don’t match perfectly :)
The Rooms!
Basement Room (Available Now, $575):
One small room (10ft x 10ft) with two windows and wood paneled walls. It is currently unfurnished, but can be supplied with a queen bed and mattress if needed.
Upstairs Room (Available March 1, $625):
One larger room (10ft x 12ft) with large windows. It is currently unfurnished, but can be supplied with a queen bed and mattress if needed.
Note, both rooms have access to additional storage (attic/under stairs/shed). Rent can fluctuate slightly depending on the number of people in the house (up/down ~$100). Our food staples are purchased collectively, so all house expenses generally average to be $350-400/month (this includes all bills, wifi, and shared food).
About Osler House:
A collective for nearly 10 years, Osler House currently has six occupants and are looking for people who are a good fit to add to the dynamic.
The home is large, with 9 bedrooms (two currently used as guest rooms), 3 bathrooms, abundant storage, a thriving backyard garden and fire pit, an amazing west-facing front porch, and lots of shared spaces including a large living room, dining room, shared office, and breakfast nook. We also have ample bike storage and a toolshed.
We are located close to King Edward Ave and Oak St., with bus 17 going N/S and 25 going E/W to UBC - the closest Skytrain station is King Edward, about a 15 minute walk. We have free street parking and a driveway, but are also super close to bikeshare and carshare overflow zones. We are a 5 minute walk from King Edward Mall with a Safeway, banks, and restaurants, but we're also close to Douglas Park, South Granville, Cambie Village, and Main Street.
Our collective goal is a space people look forward to coming home to based around food and collective care. All of our food is purchased collectively, and we eat dinner together most nights. Food is absolutely fundamental and central to how our house works, and so our collective commitment to cooking for one another and eating together on a regular basis is an important cornerstone of living here. For this reason, we are unable to accommodate some specific food needs (ie, we cannot accommodate some allergies or vegan diets). We are each responsible for a weekly chore and meal preparation for the house (1x per week). We are omnivorous but we accommodate vegetarians!
We believe in mutual support, dismantling oppression, and proactive involvement in the community, as each individual is a vital piece of a greater whole. We support intersectional feminism, queer and trans rights, indigenous sovereignty, and BLM, and do not support intolerance of any kind. We welcome all potential housemates for their divine selves - we are alcohol and drug friendly (alcohol and weed are kept in shared spaces), but any smoking is always done outside away from doors. Unfortunately the house consists of three levels and isn't accessible for all.
About the current housemates:
We are six humans in our 20s/30s who are a combination of men, women, and queer/genderqueer. We don’t currently have any pets, but we are very enthusiastic about welcoming new doggos. Sadly, we have a cat allergy and cannot welcome feline friends at this time :(. Most housemates are out of the house during the work week, although we do WFH occasionally!
What we look for in a new housemate:
We have all invested time and energy into creating a space where we feel respected, cared for, and welcome, and look for someone who is also willing to invest their time and energy into building this community. We view our home as a living ecosystem and all folks are actively contributing to the health of the community. We have systems and ways of being that have evolved and distilled over a decade, and so it's vital that folks who want to live here understand that there may be adaptation to adjust to how we make time and care for one another. Open and caring communication is non-negotiable.
Firm Collective Expectations:
-Preparing a meal for the community about 1x per week, and eating together whenever possible
-Independently complete your house chore on a weekly basis
-Available (emotionally and physically) for bi-weekly house meetings
-Practicing open and direct communication - in such a large house we all have different lifestyles and habits, and so don't always know when something we do bothers someone else - it's important that we are all able to communicate and solve concerns before they become problems
-Investing time in maintaining the social element of the house - we want to share our lives and look for people who want to do the same. This can look like collectively decorating the house for a party, mutual aid, or organizing a fun activity among other things.
Desirables (not necessarily required):
Individuals looking for long-term accommodation (at least one year, if the dynamic fits)
Those with previous collective or shared living experience
If Osler sounds like the perfect place for you, please get in touch!
Please respond as fully as possible to the questions below and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as we can.
When responding, we ask you consider and thoughtfully answer the following questions:
1. Briefly tell us about who you are and what are you up to. What makes you you (i.e. name/pronoun/background; what is your work/study; what are your interests, hobbies, passions?
2. Why is collective living something you are looking for in your life? Have you ever lived collectively before?
3.Are you comfortable committing time and energy to the space and the energy as detailed above? How do you anticipate your life will change to do so?
4.What does you weekly schedule look like in a snapshot (including when you like to wake-up and go to sleep)? Any extra activities you are engaged in?
5.What would you bring to our collective house (qualities, skills, personality)?
6. Do you have any food concerns or barriers we should be aware of? What would you like your diet to look like?
7. Any other info that might be useful for us to know? Do you expect to live in the house for less than a year?
8. If you are comfortable, please provide a phone number that we can use to contact you for an interview!
We will schedule interviews on a rolling basis, as we get enquiries we're excited about. If you are looking for a space in the next month or two please don't hesitate to get in touch - the right fit is more important to us than the rent. Interviews would happen with all the current roommates in our home - so we can show you the space and give you a sense of who we are. Virtual meetings are possible but it's always nice to get a feel for everyone's energy, so in person is preferred!
We do get a lot of enquiries for the space, and we think that putting energy into the application is a good sign of someone willing to put energy into the home, so please note we will only reply to emails if we're inviting you to interview, and any enquiries that don't thoughtfully respond to our questions should not expect a reply.
Please also send along any questions if you got 'em!
With love,
Osler house