VanmatesReviews of vanmates.com

Very disappointing experience with payment. I hosted 3 students through VanMates from November 30, 2025 to May 9, 2026, and I still have not received my homestay payments. I have followed up many times, but I keep getting promises that the coordinator will check with accounting. Months have passed, and there is still no payment. The students paid their homestay fees on time, so it is very frustrating that the host has to keep chasing the company for payment. This has been extremely stressful and disappointing. I have already sent a formal demand letter, and if I do not receive my payment, I will proceed with a claim through the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal. Hosts deserve to be paid on time for the services and accommodation they provide.

Very Disappointing Experience with Vanmates.com I had a very disappointing experience with Vanmates.com. One of the biggest issues I encountered was the delay in payments to host families. Payments that should be made in a reasonable and timely manner can take weeks or even months to be received. This creates unnecessary stress and financial uncertainty for host families who are providing a service and deserve to be paid on time. Communication and payment processing need significant improvement. Based on my experience, I would not use Vanmates.com again, and I would strongly encourage others to carefully consider the payment process and potential delays before working with them.

The room I had was in was good, all in all a good experience with the accommodation. But I still haven’t received deposit, it has been 8 months and they won’t give me my deposit back

Terrible. They never take you on an inspection walk through of the place, the rooms are infested with silverfish and bugs and the customer service is a joke. They don’t care about you, they only want your money. Terrible company! It is a scam!

They are not bad at all. They have some nice workers in the company. But, Vanmates have a serious problem with the deposit refund. I have rented a room with them twice. In their contract, they say they will pay your deposit back 15 days after you leave the house. That is a lie. They paid me back after more than 45 days. Both times. And this same issue happened to some of my friends too, so it is something they normally do by system. They will give you the refund, but you must be very very patience. Whit that said, it is OK if it is your first time in Canada and you need help and something safe (not a scam), but you must know that.

The biggest advantage is that you can search for a home even before arriving in Canada. The Vanmate team visited many of the properties we were interested in on our behalf,sent us detailed video tours,and took the time to answer every question and concern we had with sincerity and patience. In the end,we were able to secure the home we had hoped for,which gave us a wonderful start to our new life in Canada. We are especially grateful to our main representative,Yuhei,for all of his support. Thank you so much for your dedication over such a long period of time,and for always being available to help us from early in the morning until late at night.

The worst experience for an international student! I rented an apartment before arriving, and it was the worst experience of my life; the apartment was in deplorable condition, and the building was filthy and old. I tried to get them to resolve the issues, but someone only came to clean two days later—by which time I had already done most of the cleaning by myself. They took advantage of the fact that I knew nothing about tenant laws in Canada; when I wanted to shorten or terminate the lease, they threatened me, claiming it would negatively affect my long-term standing in Canada and that filing a dispute would take up to two years and be a waste of time. Clearly, none of that is true; they only say it to keep you in their disgusting apartment. If I were to study in Canada again, I certainly wouldn't rent an apartment with Vanmates. I hope this experience helps anyone considering renting from them; this happened to me two years ago, but I doubt they’ve changed.

Had a really great experience with this company! Their responses were always quick, which made the whole process much smoother. They explained each property and the details after viewings very clearly, so it was easy to understand everything. There were some stressful moments (like delays from the owner), but they supported me all the way through and never left me uncertain. They also shared a lot of helpful information beyond just the rental itself, which made my move much easier. Highly recommend!