Off-Campus Living

Students walking near park

As the largest urban area on Cape Breton and the island’s historical capital, Sydney is the perfect mix of metropolitan charm and down home hospitality. As with many Nova Scotian communities on the ocean, the heart of Sydney is its waterfront. On a warm, summer evening it’s a great place to go for a walk, stop to watch a busker and to watch ships in the harbour. Along the way, be sure to get your photo taken beside the world’s largest fiddle, built in recognition of Cape Breton’s musical talent.

Secure housing plays a vital role in your student experience. It is very important that students do not travel to Canada before securing proper accommodations. Like most of Canada, affordable housing is a serious issue in Cape Breton. Housing in the area is limited and students should begin their search early.  We continue to advocate for affordable housing solutions, including pushing for Federal support of the proposed Tartan Downs Project, which would see various housing options built within the CBRM.

Students should budget $1000 per month for housing and associated costs.

Below, find a searchable database for students looking for off-campus accommodations as well FAQs about off-campus accommodations.

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1 Bedroom in House, 174 Victoria Road, Sydney $650

174 Victoria Road, Sydney

1 bedroom to rent immediately to 1 female tenant. There are 2 other tenants who live in the house. All…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Apartment
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Upper Level of House, 2339 Highway 28, South Bar $1800

2339 Highway 28 South Bar

Upper level of home available to rent to 3 tenants beginning May 1st, 2025. This is a waterfront home located…

3 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Laundry
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 17 Seaview Street, Sydney $750

17 Seaview Street, Sydney

This is a fully furnished bedroom in a large home, available to rent to 1 male tenant. Tenant will have…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Bedroom Rental in House, 11 Seventh Street, Glace Bay $850

11 Seventh Street, Glace Bay

Colm & Black Incorporated is a newly established construction and rental property company specializing in modern, single-bedroom rentals designed specifically…

  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available
  • Feature: Bus Route
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 209 Reserve Street, Glace Bay $600

209 Reserve Street, Glace Bay

This is a fully furnished bedroom located in the landlord’s house. This is a lovely large home, very close to…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 3610 Emerald Street, New Waterford $545

3610 Emerald Street, Scotchtown

1 fully furnished bedroom, available immediately in a private home. Male tenants preferred. This house is located in the New…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Single/Double bedroom, 3 Charlotte Street, Sydney Please Call

3 Charlotte Street, Sydney

There is 2 single fully furnished bedrooms, and 1 double bedroom available to rent May 1. All utilities will be…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available May 1st
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 shared Male bedroom, 850 George Street, Sydney $475

850 George Street, Sydney

1 shared Male bedroom available to rent May 1. All utilities are included in tenants rent, with access to WIFI.…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available May 1st
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Double bedroom, 850 George Street, Sydney $475

850 George Street, Sydney

1 double bedroom available to rent May 1. All utilities are included in tenants rent, with access to WIFI. Monthly…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available May 1st
  • Type: House
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom in House, 123 Maloney Street, Whitney Pier $500

123 Maloney Street, Whitney Pier

This is a fully furnished shared bedroom, with 1 small room available to rent to 1 female tenant. Tenant will…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bed
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Monthly
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

2 Bedrooms in House, 73 Daley Road, New Victoria $600

73 Daley Road, New Victoria

2 single bedrooms, fully furnished and available immediately. This house has 8 rooms in total, with 2 vacant rooms, remaining…

2 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedrooms
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Rent Period: Lease
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

1 Bedroom -152 Mansfield St, Glace Bay $400

152 Mansfield St, Glace Bay

1 Furnished bedroom –  152 Mansfield St., Glace Bay All Utilities (electricity, heat, WIFI, hot water) are included Bus stop…

1 bedrooms
  • Category: Bedroom
  • Status: Available
  • Type: Bedroom
  • Feature: Bus Route
  • Amenity: Electricity
View Listing

Off-Campus Accommodations FAQs

The Off-Campus Housing Coordinator works to connect students to landlords and vice-versa via the Off-Campus Accommodation Listing which is a free resource for the community. The coordinator ensures a smooth operation of this free resource that can be used by newcomers as well as property owners/managers in the community.

Students are most welcome to reach out to the coordinator but depending on the email traffic, you may or may not hear back in time and rental listings can get sold out quickly. Hence, students are encouraged to follow the contact instructions on the listing to secure it.

Students are encouraged to reach out to the listing’s point of contact directly and be mindful that the property owners/managers do not work for CBU and will answer on their own accord.

Rental/Property listings take place approximately 2 months prior to an intake. If you start searching too early or too late in relation to your intake, you may not find the right option for you. Starting your search early is definitely the key and we encourage future students to use this resource as early in their journey as possible.

 The prices displayed on listings can vary since some of them are room leases, some apartments and some are for houses. The pricing may seem high because it is for a whole house that can be leased.

Listings posted on third-party platforms and social media websites can be fake/scams and it is very important to be mindful of the same. The Off-Campus living page is maintained and updated by the Off-Campus housing coordinator and not through user-generated content.

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