rent smart

A lifeskills approach to tenant education.

 
Rent Smart Education builds confidence and empowers participants to find + sustain successful tenancies.

Rent Smart

Overview

Rent Smart provides education and supports to tenants, housing providers and community organizations with one goal: successful tenancies.

Successful tenancies is the key to building strong communities through increasing housing stability and preventing homelessness.

The Rent Smart model has three main objectives:

  1. To provide tenants with the knowledge, skills and confidence to find and maintain good housing.
  2. To deliver a high quality educational experience that is relevant and practical.
  3. Utilize a Train the Trainer approach to expand partner organizations capacity to deliver tenant education.

We believe that education is transformative and a key component in developing the tools and knowledge to have a successful tenancy and secure housing.

Tenants want a safe, suitable, affordable home to rent; housing providers want tenants to pay rent on time and take care of their property.

Being a good tenant is not an innate skill.

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 program 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 people to find and stay in appropriate housing.

RentSmart© education includes two distinct courses for tenants:
RentSmart Certificate course, and RentSmart Basics.

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.

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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: 4-days
Cost: $650

Location: Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all RSE training is virtual.

* Includes:

– RentSmart Educator Manual/Curriculum

* Successful completion includes:

– Full access to an Essentials Rent Smart Subscription account for administering courses and student records. It also includes a resource library of templates, various course aids, reference materials, coaching and support – with New Educator discount on manual orders.

The RentSmart© Education program’s two distinct courses:

1. RentSmart Certificate

This course is designed to help tenants succeed in their tenancy. It teaches important skills to build tenancy knowledge and confidence to find and keep housing.

The Benefits: Empowered tenants who understand their rights and responsibilities, communicate effectively with landlords, neighbours and roommates, budget to maintain their housing and look after their home.

Course Length: Usually 12-hours, in-person, however length will vary depending on group or whether it’s in-person or virtual sessions with an online facilitator.

On course completion, participants will receive a verified certificate, with ID #, that’s recognized by many housing providers.

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. 

 

  1. Traditional: In-person
  2. Virtual: Online group sessions
  3. Virtual Hybrid: Using both facilitator-led sessions and the RentSmart Online platform. 
  4. 1:1 Private Sessions

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.

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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.

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5. Communication

Effective communication skills to help your tenancy be conflict-free

6. Household Maintenance

Learn common maintenance skills to help you look after your home.

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

The course includes a handbook and is very interactive. Tenants who take RentSmart Basics do not receive the RentSmart Certificate but they do learn the foundational basics of renting.

RentSmart Basics

There are three ways to deliver this course:
The standardized learning objectives are the same but this is where your knowledge of community meets the flexibility of the Rent Smart curriculum.

  1. Traditional: In-person
  2. Virtual: Online group sessions
  3. 1:1 Private Sessions

RentSmart Online 

This is a virtual, online RentSmart Certificate Course.

It’s a full 6-module course that will cover everything listed in the above RentSmart Certificate section.

  • Tenant rights and responsibilities
  • Landlord expectations and responsibilities
  • Effective communication skills
  • Budgeting and planning for housing expenses
  • Maintenance do’s and don’t’s
  • Safety and pests
View course

Please Note: While participants can complete this individually and receive a certificate once completed. However, it is recommended to complete this course guided by a RentSmart educated facilitator through all 6 modules. The virtual sessions are important to check for understanding, troubleshoot scenarios and general Q+A.

The RSO modules also do not contain COVID-19 tenancy information, which will be important to cover in virtual sessions.

Successful tenancies are key to building strong communities, increasing housing stability, improving tenant wellness, and strengthening landlord and tenant relationships.

"RentSmart education has helped landlords and future tenants have more knowledge and understanding.

It allows them to give those a chance to be housed and stay housed. It gives my clients hope.”

– RentSmart Educator

"It helped me get a home to rent.

I learned so much in such little time. I learned how to be a great tenant. I liked that there was a checklist for before you move in and before you move out it was very helpful. Thank you.”

– RentSmart Certificate Graduate

#211-611 Discovery Street
Victoria, BC V8T 5G4 

 

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