Relocating to Vancouver? Line up your rental before you arrive.

I can. I'm Devin Desaulniers, a Real Estate Associate with Axford Real Estate in Port Moody. I help people relocating to Greater Vancouver line up a rental on the tenant side before they arrive — in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities, BC (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody). I search for rentals that fit your budget and commute, arrange and attend showings, do live video walkthroughs and share floor plans when you're not here yet, negotiate on your behalf, and review the lease with you before you sign.

Yes — you don't have to wait until you land. I shortlist rentals and view them for you. When you can't make it, I do a virtual showing with a live video walkthrough, so you can see the home and ask questions from wherever you are, and I share floor plans for the homes you're seriously considering. If you're in town, I'll attend showings with you and, when practical, drive us between appointments. We also go through the lease together, so you're not wiring money to a scam listing from another province.

The service fee is $1,500 total + GST, paid by you, the tenant, in two parts: $750 at the beginning of our engagement and $750 once you successfully secure a rental.

$750 (+ GST) at the beginning of the engagement, and the remaining $750 (+ GST) once you successfully secure a rental.

Four things: a personalized consultation (including green flags and red flags to watch for), a property search with early access to rental opportunities, booking and attending showings (or virtual showings with live video walkthroughs and floor plans when you can't make it), and lease review & negotiation.

I search Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and other rental sources. Through Axford Real Estate I also have access to our own rental opportunities and firsthand relationships with the property managers in our office.

Most Greater Vancouver rentals come on the market only a few weeks before they're available, so the active search usually starts about 4 to 6 weeks before your move-in date. Use the weeks before that to settle your budget, neighbourhoods, commute needs and documents (ID, proof of income, references). Once you're inside that window, I can move quickly on new listings.

Landlords and property managers look for a complete, verifiable application: photo ID (a clear, unexpired government-issued ID); proof of income (usually 2–3 recent pay stubs, an employment letter, or a contract or offer letter — or, if you're self-employed, recent bank statements and/or a Notice of Assessment); references from previous landlords and/or employers; sometimes a credit report, which you can get yourself (e.g. from Equifax or TransUnion) to speed things up; and a short renter profile (who will live there, your move-in date, pets and what you're looking for). I can help you organize it. The full checklist is in my free Greater Vancouver renter's guide.

Both — I search across Greater Vancouver. I work in Port Moody, so the Tri-Cities, BC (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody) are an area I know especially well, but most of my rental searches cover the wider region: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and beyond. Tell me your commute (SkyTrain, West Coast Express or driving), budget and must-haves, and I'll focus the search where it makes sense for you. Moving to Greater Vancouver? Read my Relocating to Greater Vancouver guide.

Never send a deposit before the unit and the landlord (or their licensed agent or property manager) are verified. Be wary of below-market listings that seem too good to be true, landlords who refuse showings, and requests to wire money to “hold” a unit. Get a written tenancy agreement and do a move-in condition inspection. I can view the unit in person, or on a live video walkthrough with you, before you commit.

Yes. In our consultation we go over your budget, preferred areas, timing, commute, lifestyle and must-haves, and I focus the search on rentals that fit.

The first $750 covers the consultation, search and showings, and is non-refundable. The second $750 is only due once you successfully secure a rental, so if no rental is secured, it isn't owed.

No — this is a tenant representation service. I represent you, and you pay my fee. [PLACEHOLDER: disclosure wording when the rental is one of Axford’s own listings / managed by Axford property managers — confirm with managing broker]

Property managers usually represent the landlord and lease out the buildings they manage. I work on the tenant side: I represent your search, not a landlord's inventory. Axford also has a separate property management business; my service is different — it's tenant-paid relocation rental help, and I don't manage rental properties myself.