So, I have a 6 month contract lined up in Halifax. I won’t mention where until I finish all the paper work but I will say that I start July 5. This is going to make our transition to Nova Scotia a whole lot easier as now we will have an income while we search for the perfect property. This reduces a bit of the stresses around that.

Unfortunately, it causes a whole lot of different ones.

Rent is Expensive

It’s been a long time since either The Wife, or I, have rented. We have both owned our own homes for at least 5 years. I must say that rent rates caught us a little off guard. One thing I found particularly interesting is that Calgary is actually cheaper than Halifax.

Rental rates in Calgary and Halifax are equivalent, as best I can tell (actually Halifax looks a little more expensive), but wages are signifigantly lower (also income tax is higher). This means that my cost of living stays the same, but my income goes down. Relatively speaking, this means that it is more expensive for me to rent in Halifax than it is for me to rent in Calgary.

It actually works out to almost cheaper not to take the job and just move to the country and rent there.

Is there really such a shortage of housing, in Halifax, that landlords can ask that much more?

One Year Leases

We have contacted about a half-dozen places about renting their properties, and all of them have refused to even discuss anything shorter than a one year lease. In one year I plan on having finished 6 months of work fixing up the inside of my new home, and having started on the outside. After asking around a little bit, things aren’t any different in Calgary.

Is there really such a shortage of housing, in Halifax, that landlords can afford to be that fussy?

Where are we going to live?