How it works
Every step is designed to be unhurried and personal. A coordinator will guide you the whole way, and you're never asked to decide anything on the spot. Here's what to expect, from your first call to move-in day.
Initial contact
- Fill in our online callback form, or call us directly if you'd prefer.
- A coordinator will speak with you personally to answer your questions.
- We'll send you the application form — online or as a paper copy, whichever suits you best.
Application and interview
- Hollyburn reviews your completed application.
- If the program looks like a good fit, we'll arrange an in-person interview.
- Together, we'll talk through your expectations, your needs, and how you feel about shared living.
- If you're a Home Owner, we'll also arrange a home visit to check your home is suitable and safe for sharing.
Screening
- You'll complete the required screening steps with our support.
- Once screening is complete, suitable applicants join our participant pool.
Matching
- When a possible match is found, Hollyburn shares some basic profile information with you.
- You decide whether you'd like to meet — there's no pressure either way.
- We can arrange and support an in-person introduction with your potential new housemate.
- You're welcome to meet more than once before making any decision.
Agreement and move-in
- If you both choose to proceed, Hollyburn helps guide your conversations and complete the Living Together Guide — covering things like a trial period, contract length, and how you'll share the home, including storage, move-in date and house rules.
- You'll complete the License to Occupy, which covers financial contribution, security deposit and notice periods, as well as the Program Agreement.
- The Home Seeker moves into the Home Owner's home. Hollyburn doesn't provide moving services, but our coordinator is on hand to guide the practical details if helpful.
- After move-in, Hollyburn checks in with you both, and is here to help with support conversations if concerns come up.
BASED ON COMPATIBILITY, NOT JUST AVAILABILITY
How we match
Home sharing is more than just finding a room, it is about finding a match. We don’t rely on algorithms to find you a match, instead we take time to get to know you and what is important to you.
Lifestyle and daily routines
Daily schedules, quiet times, guests, hobbies, interests, and how each person likes to use the home.
Affordability
A monthly contribution that reflects what the Home Seeker can afford and what the Home Owner is open to.
Location and amenities
Neighborhood, transit, mobility needs, stairs, parking, access to shops, services, and community.
Household expectations
Pets, smoking, cleaning, visitors, privacy, belongings, boundaries, and the way the household will function day to day.
Shared spaces
Comfort with sharing areas of the home, such as bathrooms, kitchen, storage and other communal spaces.
Communication
How each person prefers to talk through expectations, decisions, and any concerns that may come up.
BEFORE MOVE-IN
How we support you to prepare
Before anyone moves in, we help both people have the important conversations early. Together, we talk through practical details and everyday expectations so the home share can begin with confidence.
Meet with support
A match might look right on paper, but it also needs to feel right in person. We arrange an introduction, give both people time to meet, ask questions, and decide whether they want to move forward.
Put expectations in writing
This is the official agreement for the home share. It has been reviewed by a lawyer and sets out the key terms of the arrangement, such as the monthly financial contribution, trial period and notice period.
Living Together Guide
This is different from the formal agreement. It is a practical conversation tool that helps both people talk through everyday life in the home, including quiet times, guests, cleaning, shared spaces, privacy, communication, food, pets, and household routines.
Feel prepared
We provide practical resources to help both people feel prepared before move-in. This may include checklists, conversation prompts, room condition forms, orientation information, and other tools to support a clear start.
AFTER-MOVE IN
How we continue to support you
Settling in
We check in after move-in to see how the arrangement is going and whether anything needs adjusting.
Adjusting expectations
If routines or circumstances change, we can help revisit the Living Together Guide and clarify expectations together.
You set the rules, not us
We’re not here to tell you how to live together.
We provide the templates and support, you decide what works best for you.
HOW HOME SHARING DIFFERS FROM PRIVATE RENTING
A different way to share your home
Hidden Housing Solutions is different from renting out a room privately. The program has been designed specifically for people sharing a home together, with flexibility and safeguards. That means the agreement is built around your preferences and pace, rather than a one-size-fits all.
Standard Rental Tenancy
Usually centred on renting a private space.
The relationship is mainly landlord and tenant.
Terms are often more fixed, set by the Residential Tenancy Act, with the same notice period and deposit terms for everybody.
Ongoing support is not usually built into the arrangement.
Supported Home Sharing
Both people have a private room and share spaces such as a bathroom or kitchen.
The relationship is more personal.
Flexible notice periods, deposits and trial period so the agreement can genuinely fit around your circumstances.
We provide guidance, support and check-ins.
Home sharing is different from a standard tenancy. In arrangements where kitchen or bathroom facilities are shared with the homeowner, BC’s Residential Tenancy Act may not apply.
Your agreement is built around you
Instead of a standard tenancy lease, participants sign a License to Occupy – a clear, written agreement that covers your monthly contribution, security deposit, notice periods, trial period, how you’ll share the space and anything else that matters to you both. Hollyburn provides the templates and walks you through every section.
You can try before fully committing
Because the arrangement is flexible, there is the option for both participants to opt-in to a trial period before agreeing to a longer-term commitment. This gives everyone time to settle in, get comfortable and make sure the match feels right.
Matches are intentional and supported
Rather than the relationship being purely transactional, matches are based on more than a room being available. We take time to understand lifestyle, routines, communication style, comfort levels and expectations around shared living, so introductions feel thoughtful and informed.
OUR ROLE
What we can help with - and what we can't
We believe in being upfront with you from the start.
The Hidden Housing Program is here to guide and support but you some responsibilities remain with the people sharing the home.
Here’s where our role begins and ends.
We can help with:
Explaining the program
Screening participants and references
Identifying possible matches
Facilitating introductions
Providing lawyer-reviewed agreements
Ongoing support and check-ins
We cannot provide:
Guaranteed housing or a match
Emergency housing or care
Landlord responsibilities
Enforced payments between participants
24/7 support or daily supervision
Resolution for formal legal disputes
Is Home Sharing Right For Me?
Our self-reflection tool helps you think through your routine, communication style, comfort level, and living preferences before beginning the matching process.
Creating safe and supportive home sharing opportunities for older adults on the North Shore.
RESOURCES
CONTACT
604-329-3351
info@hiddenhousingsolutions.ca
Vancouver, BC
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