rent smart
A lifeskills approach to tenant education.Rent Smart Education builds confidence and empowers participants to maintain successful tenancies.
Rent Smart
Overview
Successful tenancies are key to building strong communities through increasing housing stability and preventing homelessness. Tenants want a safe, suitable, affordable home to rent; housing providers want tenants to pay rent on time and take care of their property.
We believe that education is transformative and a key component in developing the tools and knowledge to have a successful tenancy and secure housing.
The Rent Smart model has three main objectives:
- To provide tenants with the knowledge, skills and confidence to maintain safe, stable housing.
- To deliver a high quality educational experience that is relevant and practical.
- Utilize a Train the Trainer approach to expand partner organizations capacity to deliver tenant education.
Rent Smart helps people keep housing through a combined model that provides comprehensive housing and life skills education with a graduation certificate that may-be-recognized as a reference on housing applications.
Rent Smart opens doors to housing through education.
Rent Smart Programs + Courses
Designed for individuals to be knowledgeable + confident with their tenancy
RentSmart Educator
The RentSmart Educator training certifies individuals and community organizations to deliver Rent Smart courses, such as RentSmart Certificate and RentSmart Basics, to unique populations and community members.
It’s an ideal program for any social service provider or non-profit organization who work with individuals that provide housing support + guidance.
Who is a Community Educator?
Individuals who are trained to deliver RentSmart© Education.
Community Educators tend to be staff of organizations, government and housing providers (community partners) who are helping individuals to establish and maintain housing stability.
Rent Smart Certified Community
Educator Benefits
Support Tools
We have all the tools you need to support your process through our new subscription framework.
Resources
We have “how to” resources to support your course delivery.
Certification
You’ll receive certification to deliver Rent Smart courses, and participants will also receive official certification.
Curriculum
Relevant in-person + online curriculum focused on building the knowledge, skills + confidence to help people prepare for + keep their housing.
Community
Connection to a growing network of community partners.
Data
Regularly updated data that can be shared with funders and community.
RentSmart Educator Training Program Details
Duration (virtual): 3 days
Cost: $650 + applicable taxes
* Includes:
– RentSmart Educator Manual + Curriculum
* Successful completion includes:
With an active Rent Smart Subscription, Certified Educators have access to a Dashboard where they can administer courses, track student records, course curriculum, marketing materials, teaching resources, and much more.
RentSmart© Education provides two distinct tenant courses:
1. RentSmart Certificate
This course is designed to teach important life skills to individuals, build tenancy knowledge, and help to increase confidence while providing tools to prepare for and maintain stable housing.
The Benefits: Empowers tenants to understand their rights and responsibilities, communicate effectively with landlords, neighbours and roommates, a budget to maintain their housing, and an understanding of how to look after their home.
Course Length: This course is typically 12 hours in length, but time may vary depending on group needs and delivery method (virtual or in-person).
Upon course completion, participants will receive a certificate, with ID #, that landlords may verify on our website.
Various ways to deliver:
The standardized learning objectives are the same but this is where your knowledge of community meets the flexibility of the Rent Smart curriculum. There are several customized activities that are included as options to enhance learning depending on your participant group (group size, technical abilities etc), and how you plan to deliver the course. Course delivery options can include in-person, virtual and one-on-one.
Over 6 modules, participants will learn:
1. Housing needs
What your housing wants and needs are, and how to find a home that meets your needs.
2. Getting Application-Ready
We help you to become housing ‘application-ready’.
3. Your Rights + Responsibilities
You’ll learn your legal rights and responsibilities, and your landlord’s – and how the law protects both tenants and landlords.
4. Budgeting Your Finances
How to manage your money in order to afford housing and pay your rent on time.
5. Communication
6. Household Maintenance
2. RentSmart Basics
This 3-hour session covers the ‘3 Keys to Successful Tenancies’ to help participants learn important tools to understand what it means to have a successful tenancy: Paying Your Rent, Peaceful Enjoyment, and Looking After Your Home.
The curriculum has specific adaptations to meet the needs of:
- Youth
- Immigrants and refugees
- People experiencing mental health and addictions
- Seniors
This course includes a handbook and a letter of completion.
Various ways to deliver:
The standardized learning objectives are the same but this is where your knowledge of community meets the flexibility of the Rent Smart curriculum. Course delivery options can include in-person, virtual and one-on-one.
RentSmart Certificate Online (RSCO)
This online course offers a combination of videos, quizzes and interactive reading that is self-paced.
It’s a full 6-module course that covers everything listed above in the RentSmart Certificate section, including:
- Tenant and Landlord rights and responsibilities
- Applying for rental housing
- Effective communication skills
- Budgeting and planning for housing expenses
- Maintenance dos and don’ts
- Safety and pests
*Due to funding, BC RentSmart Certificate is currently the only self-led, online course publicly available.