The Student Housing and Community Services office was recently informed that there was a sudden rise in Airbnb properties listed on campus over reading break. At first glance, Student Housing and Community Services expressed little concern about the sharp uptick, assuming it could be attributed to those wealthy students with private apartments in Wesbrook Village looking to make a quick buck. This, however, is not another capitalizing-on-daddy’s-assets-for-a-little-extra-drinking-money-scheme. Instead, these listings are calculated, strategic financial moves by students trying to afford textbooks.
Airbnb currently has no specific regulations stating that listed properties cannot be located on a university campus, nor do they have rules for properties that are. UBC students have been taking full advantage of this policy oversight and have been listing their dorms on the short-term accommodation platform, regardless of their dormitories’ “special quirks.”
An average double room in the Totem Park residence is listed at $100 per night as of Feb. 21 and in some cases, only one student in the shared space decides to rent out their room. Most listings with this particular issue assure those seeking accommodations not to worry — one Airbnb listing promises “their roommates are very chill” in the listing description. In a recent review of this property, one patron provided an insightful description of their stay at the Totem Park double occupancy room.
“Not only was this not a private accommodation, but the roommate was most definitely not ‘very chill.’ He left the residence for what couldn’t have been longer than an hour and returned reeking of Fireball. That wasn’t even the worst part; he threw up all over me and the bed I had to sleep in. Not only did I have to go to my big meeting downtown that I flew all the way to Vancouver for smelling like I’d just pounded a fifth of vodka and two handfuls of cinnamon hearts, but right before I walked into the meeting room, I was hit with a notification from Airbnb. Dude had the nerve to charge me a cleaning fee for his roommate’s vomit. If I could give less than 0 stars, I would. This was not the ‘college experience’ I signed up for.”
When the owner of the accommodation was questioned, he explained that the Airbnb tenant’s review was all a big misunderstanding.
“My roommate is ‘very chill,’ and I didn’t appreciate this old lady staying in my place and then criticizing our humble abode. She ruined the vibe. I talked to my roommate, and it turns out she was anxiously practicing her ‘keynote speech’ all evening. Talk about annoying. The only thing he could do to drown out her noise was to skull a bottle of Fireball. Surprisingly, even through the blackout, he could hear her constant ‘umms’ while practicing, which is why he needed to vomit on her and the bed. He obviously didn’t want to, but she left my guy no other choice.”
When asked for further comments, the dorm lister simply said, “Old people are sickening.”
This isn’t the first incident arising from these UBC Airbnb properties. Another review from a single room in the Vanier residence detailed an equally disturbing experience.
“My stay was going fine … The room was small and smelled like mold … But the bed had a decent mattress topper, and I could tell this kid made an effort to make this a comfortable accommodation. I was almost beginning to forgive her for charging me $150 a night, until around midnight, when I was struck by a sudden gurgle in my stomach. With the accommodations came access to the residence’s all-access dining, and I never shy away from a buffet; they shy away from me. Though tonight, after scarfing down multiple plates of butter chicken, it felt like my stomach was trying to hide within itself. At that very moment, I realized there is no bathroom in my room. I burst out into the hall — it felt like one of those hydraulic press videos – except my body was trying to press everything out of me. I managed to find the bathroom with six shared stalls – all covered in hair, all without toilet paper, and best of all, they were all clogged. At this point, I had no choice but to add to the clog and use these shared showers as a makeshift bidet. How is this even a legal listing on Airbnb? How do people live like this?”
The Ubyssey investigated the review’s claims, following a number of alleged safety violations over the past few years related to UBC’s residence dining halls. After contacting a number of offices, we were soon put in touch with Feast at Totem Park head chef, an 18-year-old first-year named Kyle. He declined to provide a last name, because “it’s just Kyle, like how Beyoncé is just Beyoncé.”
“The kitchen is all about experimenting. When you’re making waves in any scene, there will always be naysayers and downers. If you don’t like my medium-rare chicken, don’t eat it. Your unsophisticated paletes won’t dull my whimsy,” he said.
With Vancouver set as a host city for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, Totem double rooms are estimated to climb to an average of $400 a night. With these highly anticipated events in mind, the Student Housing and Community Services Office is partnering with Airbnb to find a way to better serve Airbnb tenants during their stay. To take advantage of this promising financial opportunity UBC Student Housing and Community Services will be evicting all student residents this summer and hiring cleaners and competent maintenance workers for the duration of the Airbnb agreement.
“Students deserve the right to make money on their semi-biohazardous spaces, but Airbnb guests have more rights because they pay us more. Students may not deserve access to consistently working heat or piss-free floors, but our Airbnb guests sure do!”
