Is SQRFT a rental platform, or does it also list homes for sale?

SQRFT is a rental-only platform. Searches like "townhouses for sale Surrey" or "condos for sale Surrey" describe buying a home, which is a different market with different listings, financing, and legal process than renting. Every listing on SQRFT is a rental unit. If you're looking to buy, you'll need a real estate agent and a separate resale listing service.

What's typically included in Surrey rent?

It varies by building type. Purpose-built rental apartments in City Centre and Guildford often include heat and hot water in the rent, with tenants paying their own electricity (BC Hydro) and internet. Newer condo and townhouse rentals are more mixed: some landlords absorb strata heating/water charges, others pass everything through. Basement (secondary) suites, common throughout Newton and Fleetwood, are usually all-inclusive since separate metering is rarely practical. Always confirm which utilities are included in writing before you sign.

What is BC's rent increase cap for 2026 and 2027?

British Columbia sets an annual maximum rent increase for existing tenancies. The cap is 2.3 percent for 2026 and 2.2 percent for 2027 (effective January 1, 2027), tied to inflation under the province's rent-increase formula. It applies once per 12-month period with proper written notice, and landlords cannot raise rent above the cap without a Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) order for specific, limited circumstances (such as major capital expenditures). The cap does not apply to a new tenancy's opening rent, only to increases on an existing tenancy.

How does a security deposit work in Surrey?

BC landlords can collect a security deposit of up to half a month's rent, separate and refundable, unlike Ontario's last-month-rent model. On top of that, if you have a pet, a landlord can also collect a separate pet damage deposit, also capped at half a month's rent. Both deposits must be returned within 15 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives your forwarding address, or the landlord must apply to the RTB to keep some or all of it. A written condition inspection report at move-in and move-out is the record the RTB relies on if a deposit dispute arises.

How do I dispute my landlord at BC's Residential Tenancy Branch?

The Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) is BC's tribunal for residential tenancy disputes, covering everything from illegal rent increases and repairs to eviction applications and deposit disputes. Most disputes go through the Dispute Resolution process, which can be a written hearing or a phone/video hearing depending on the issue. Bring your tenancy agreement, all written correspondence with your landlord, photos or your condition inspection report, and any notices you received or served. For deposit deductions specifically, BC landlords are required to use a specific RTB form; without one, their position is weak.

Can my landlord enter without notice?

No, with narrow exceptions. BC's Residential Tenancy Act requires landlords to give at least 24 hours' written notice before entering for a reasonable purpose (repairs, inspections, showings to prospective tenants or buyers), and the notice must specify the reason and the time of entry. Emergencies (fire, flood, gas leak, and similar) are the main exception where notice is not required. Repeated no-notice entries can be raised with the RTB as a breach of the tenancy.

What if my landlord wants to end my tenancy to sell or move in?

A sale alone does not end your tenancy; the new owner takes over the existing agreement on the same terms. If the landlord or a close family member intends to personally occupy the unit, or if the property is being sold and the purchaser wants to move in, the landlord can serve a notice to end tenancy for landlord's use, generally with two months' written notice and, in most cases, compensation equal to one month's rent. Fixed-term tenancies in Surrey typically require 30 days' notice to end at the term's expiry, shorter than Alberta's 60-day standard, so check your specific notice type and deadline carefully.

Surrey, British Columbia Canada

Rentals Surrey: Renting in Surrey in 2026

Real neighborhoods, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords in Metro Vancouver's fastest-growing city.

Browse Surrey rentals

Population

703,531

StatCan, Jul 2025

Universities

SFU Surrey, KPU

SkyTrain

Expo Line

Scott Rd to King George

Neighborhoods

Across 6 town centres

FFrancis, SQRFT TeamCanadian Rental Market Analysts, SQRFT Editorial Team Updated September 20, 2026 9 min read

Section 1

What we know (and don't) about Surrey rents

Surrey does not currently appear in CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report as its own market, nor is it named in Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report. Rather than estimate or borrow a number from a nearby market, we're telling you plainly: there is currently no verified average-rent or vacancy-rate figure we can cite for Surrey from either primary source.

The practical read

For a real sense of current asking rents, browse live SQRFT listings in Surrey directly. Expect competition to run highest near Surrey Central SkyTrain station and around SFU Surrey and KPU during the fall semester.

Section 2

Where Surrey renters live: the town centre guide

Surrey is organized around six town centres, each with its own character, density, and price profile. Here's how they break down.

City Centre / Whalley

Surrey's designated downtown and densifying high-rise core, anchored by Surrey Central SkyTrain station, SFU Surrey, and City Hall.

Cloverdale

Historic town centre in the southeast, home to the Cloverdale Rodeo grounds, mixing agricultural heritage with newer residential growth.

Fleetwood

Central Surrey residential area along the Fraser Highway corridor, future SkyTrain extension stop.

Guildford

Northeast Surrey around Guildford Town Centre mall, established suburban housing.

Newton

Large, diverse south-central district, one of Surrey's most populous residential areas.

South Surrey

Includes Ocean Park and Crescent Beach, the city's most affluent and coastal area, bordering White Rock.

Town Centre

City Centre

Renting in City Centre, Surrey.

Cloverdale

Renting in Cloverdale, Surrey.

Fleetwood

Renting in Fleetwood, Surrey.

Guildford

Renting in Guildford, Surrey.

Newton

Renting in Newton, Surrey.

South Surrey

Renting in South Surrey, Surrey.

Surrey

Whalley

Renting in Whalley, Surrey.

Bridgeview

Renting in Bridgeview, Surrey.

Crescent Beach

Renting in Crescent Beach, Surrey.

Douglas

Renting in Douglas, Surrey.

Fraser Heights

Renting in Fraser Heights, Surrey.

Grandview Heights

Renting in Grandview Heights, Surrey.

Ocean Park

Renting in Ocean Park, Surrey.

Port Kells

Renting in Port Kells, Surrey.

Port Mann

Renting in Port Mann, Surrey.

South Westminster

Renting in South Westminster, Surrey.

Sunnyside

Renting in Sunnyside, Surrey.

Panorama Ridge

Renting in Panorama Ridge, Surrey.

Hazelmere

Renting in Hazelmere, Surrey.

Tynehead

Renting in Tynehead, Surrey.

Colebrook

Renting in Colebrook, Surrey.

Anniedale

Renting in Anniedale, Surrey.

Rosemary Heights

Renting in Rosemary Heights, Surrey.

West Newton

Renting in West Newton, Surrey.

Clayton

Renting in Clayton, Surrey.

Section 3

Surrey schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend. This is one of the biggest reasons families move within Surrey.

The public board

Surrey School District 36

SD36

Serves families across the City of Surrey with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

How to find a school for your address

1
Use the board's school locator first.Enter the address on the Surrey Schools site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Check whether the school is capped.Fast-growing areas like Clayton and Grandview Heights regularly see designated schools close to non-catchment students.
3
Look up program options.French immersion and other specialized programs often draw from wider catchment zones with their own application process.
4
Confirm before you sign the lease.School-driven address decisions do not have a rewind button once you have committed to a lease term.

Public vs private

•
Public (SD36):free, catchment-based, Surrey's single public school board and the largest in BC by enrolment.
•
Private and independent schools:a growing presence across Surrey, with tuition typically ranging from several thousand dollars to $20,000+ per year depending on the school.

Section 4

Surrey universities and post-secondary

Where students live in Surrey is a defining feature of City Centre in particular. Landlords near these campuses see distinct fall-semester demand cycles.

Simon Fraser University Surrey Campus

~22,543 students

SFU Surrey

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the SFU Surrey campus.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

~20,000 students

KPU

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the KPU campus.

Timing tip

Rentals near SFU Surrey and KPU's Surrey campus, both steps from Surrey Central SkyTrain station, typically hit peak demand in August and early September as students sign leases for the fall semester. If you are a landlord targeting students, list early. If you are a student looking for the best selection, start hunting by July.

Section 5

Getting around Surrey

Surrey sits on the Expo Line, Metro Vancouver's oldest and busiest SkyTrain corridor, with a major extension under construction.

The essentials

•
SkyTrain Expo Line: Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, King George stations
•
Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension under construction

Car-optional zones

If you value a car-optional lifestyle, look at City Centre / Whalley, directly on the Expo Line around Surrey Central, Gateway, and King George stations. Much of South Surrey and Cloverdale, farther from the SkyTrain corridor, is more car-dependent.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Surrey in 2026

Rent is the biggest line, but not the only one. Here's how Surrey's fixed costs stack against the rest of BC.

Where Surrey wins

•
Generally more affordable than Vancouver proper.Surrey's town centres, particularly Newton, Guildford, and Fleetwood, typically offer more space per dollar than comparable units closer to Downtown Vancouver.
•
A mild, temperate climate.Similar to greater Vancouver, with mild winters and warm summers, keeping heating costs lower than in Alberta, Ontario, or the Prairies.
•
A separate, refundable security deposit.BC law allows a refundable deposit capped at half a month's rent, plus a separate pet deposit if applicable, unlike Ontario's last-month-rent-only model.

Where Surrey is expensive

•
Still a Metro Vancouver market.Surrey rents track the broader Metro Vancouver region, which remains among Canada's most expensive rental markets overall.
•
Commuting costs.Residents farther from a SkyTrain station often rely more on a car, adding fuel, insurance, and parking costs on top of rent.
•
GST only, no provincial sales tax on most goods.BC charges 5 percent GST versus Ontario's combined 13 percent HST, a partial offset to regional housing costs.

For live monthly cost-of-living data, Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index release publishes the Vancouver CMA component, which includes Surrey, broken down by category.

Section 7

Surrey events, culture, and why people love it here

The last section before we get to the practical answers. If you're deciding whether to move to Surrey in the first place, this is what tips the scale.

Surrey is Metro Vancouver's fastest-growing city, pairing a rich agricultural heritage in Cloverdale with a densifying, transit-oriented downtown in City Centre, and a coastal, affluent character in South Surrey along Ocean Park and Crescent Beach.

Major annual events

Vaisakhi Parade

April

A signature Surrey event drawing large crowds citywide.

Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair

May long weekend

A signature Surrey event drawing large crowds citywide.

Surrey WinterFest

February

A signature Surrey event drawing large crowds citywide.

Surrey's climate

Temperate oceanic climate similar to greater Vancouver. Mild winters (January average low around 0.9°C) and warm summers (July average high 23.1°C).

Surrey's professional sports

Surrey Eagles (BCHL)

Surrey's hometown junior hockey franchise.

Section 8

Renting in Surrey: BC tenancy law essentials

These rules apply to every Surrey rental, set out in BC's Residential Tenancy Act and enforced by the Residential Tenancy Branch. Bookmark this section.

The common rule of thumb is 30 percent of gross monthly income on housing (rent plus utilities). Neither CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report nor Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report currently publishes a standalone average rent figure for Surrey, so we won't estimate one. Check live listings on SQRFT for current asking rents in the area you're targeting, and use our affordability calculator once you have a real number to test.

Try the free rent affordability calculator →

Section 9

Live Surrey rentals on SQRFT

Browse listings across Surrey town centres. All listings verified. Free to list.

Browse Surrey listings

Pricing

What should Surrey rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

See a data-driven rent range for your Surrey property based on our Canadian rental market model.

Sources

Rentals Surrey: Renting in Surrey in 2026

What we know (and don't) about Surrey rents

Where Surrey renters live: the town centre guide

Town Centre

Surrey

Surrey schools and school boards

The public board

How to find a school for your address

Public vs private

Surrey universities and post-secondary

Getting around Surrey

The essentials

What it costs to live in Surrey in 2026

Where Surrey wins

Where Surrey is expensive

Surrey events, culture, and why people love it here

Major annual events

Surrey's climate

Surrey's professional sports

Renting in Surrey: BC tenancy law essentials

Live Surrey rentals on SQRFT

Related SQRFT content

What should Surrey rent cost?

Where this information comes from