Student Family Housing

A Residence Life Grad Don is a graduate student who lives and works in CLV. Your Grad Don can help with questions or concerns, provide general support, and help you build connections with others also living in the Graduate & Student Family Community 

Grad Dons also help organize fun and engaging events that can help you connect with your peers and build useful skills. They provide residents in the community with opportunities to learn about valuable campus resources and how to access them.  

To learn more about CLV Grad Dons or to contact your Grad Don, please visit our Jobs & Leadership page or reach out to reslife@uwaterloo.ca 

Students living in a family unit pay the rent monthly. Payments may be made online or at the Columbia Lake Village Community Centre front desk. 

Monthly rent payments are to be made no later than 4:30 pm on the first business day of the month, in one (1) single transaction by the main tenant (pay by either certified cheque, OR online). If you go to pay your rent online and are unable to, please email Campus Housing for assistance.

To make your payment by certified cheque or money order/bank draft, please ensure your payment:

1. is dated before the deadline listed
2. is made payable to University of Waterloo - Campus Housing
3. has your full name and your 8-digit Waterloo ID number written on the back
4. is signed in the appropriate area
5. is in Canadian dollars

Please send your payment via delivery to the address below:

Campus Housing - Attention CLV Finance
Columbia Lake Village Community Centre 
University of Waterloo
350 Columbia St. West
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 6G8

The purpose of this procedure is to formally communicate Campus Housing’s expectations regarding rent payments, and to share the procedure Campus Housing is expected to follow when rent payments are in arrears (when rent is not paid on time and/or on a prescribed due date by tenants).

1. Normally rent (rent payment) is due on the first day of the month between the hours of 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. If the rent payment date falls on a weekend or a statutory holiday, then payment is due the next business day. 
2. If rent payment is not received, Campus Housing issues a courtesy Rent reminder – first notice by e-mail communication. The tenant is notified of dollar amount of rent arrears and deadline to remit. Normally the tenant is required to remit arrears before 4:30pm on the following business day. 
3. If rent payment is still not received, a second Rent reminder (final notice) is e-mailed. The tenant is reminded of dollar amount of rent arrears and deadline to remit. The tenant is required to remit arrears before 4:30pm on the following business day. NOTE: failure to settle the rent arrears after a second reminder will result in Campus Housing initiating a Form N4 – Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent. 
4. If rent payment is still not received at the end of the business day following the second/final reminder, a “FormN4 – Notice to End Your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent” is initiated and prepared. An e-mail communication to the tenant is prepared by the Manager, Graduate & Student Family Housing reminding the tenant of the amount of rent in arrears, that 2 previous reminders have been sent, and that a Form N4 has been prepared and mailed to the tenant. The Form N4 includes a termination of tenancy date. The tenant will be offered the opportunity to meet with Campus Housing staff before the termination date. 
5. If rent is still not received before the termination date, or if the tenant fails to contact or meet with Campus Housing staff before the termination date, an application to the Ontario Landlord & Tenant Board “Form L1 - Application to Evict a Tenant for Non-payment of Rent and to Collect Rent the Tenant Owes” is prepared. A copy is provided (either mailed through Canada Post or hand delivered) to the tenant. 

Additionally, please note that additional actions (such as Quest hold on marks/transcripts) may be required in certain cases, such as when a unit is vacated with pending overdue rent payment charges still active. 

Example: February 2021 

Visit the Landlord & Tenant Board website for more information – including details on the N4 and L1 processes, descriptions of landlord responsibilities, and description of tenant responsibilities.  

Couples without children are permitted to have one boarder. The boarder must be a full-time University of Waterloo student. The primary resident must fill out a Request for a Boarder application form and submit it to the Campus Housing office. 

• Request for a Boarder form

If you have questions about Boarders, please contact housing@uwaterloo.ca.

Please be aware that CLV-North units are designed to safely and comfortably accommodate up to a maximum of four (4) occupants.  

If the number of individuals living in your unit changes while living with us, you are required to notify Campus Housing by completing all the following steps: 

1.  Reach out to your RLC, 

2. Email housing@uwaterloo.ca, and 

3. Update your profile in our system. 

Changes to the number of occupants in a unit may result in families becoming ineligible to receive future tenancy offers and/or remain in their units. Refer to the family terms and conditions for specific occupancy limits and other relevant information. 

You must be registered as a full-time student to apply for family housing in Columbia Lake Village, and to remain in the family housing community. 

If you become inactive once you are already living in the community; you may be permitted to remain in residence for as long as your inactive status is approved by the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs office or your Faculty (e.g. parental leave, medical leave, etc.). You are required to inform us of your situation and submit documentation to verify your circumstances. If you are not able to submit appropriate documentation to verify your inactive status is approved by the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs office or your Faculty, then you will not be permitted to remain in residence. Contact your RLC immediately to discuss next steps and what verification needs to look like. 

If you become enrolled part-time once you are already living in the community; you will be required to submit documentation from your faculty confirming an intent to become full-time enrolled again the following term. If you continue to be enrolled part-time for more than one consecutive term, you will not be permitted to remain in residence. Contact your RLC immediately to discuss next steps 

Upon termination of your tenancy agreement, you are required to vacate the unit and return your assigned keys no later than 12 noon on the date of the termination. 

A move-out inspection will take place to assess standards of cleanliness. 

Any damage beyond normal wear and tear or any excess cleaning required by Housing Staff will be billed to the primary tenant. 

Address changes must be done through Canada Post prior to your moving date. Columbia Lake Village will not forward or hold onto any mail for students not in residence. 

Any mail received will be returned to sender.  

If you have school-aged children, you are strongly advised to contact the Waterloo Region District School Board  or the Waterloo District Catholic School Board, at your earliest convenience, for information regarding school tuition. The school board may require that you pay a fee for your child (children) to attend school.  

All permanent residents between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school, as stipulated in the Ontario Education Act, which can be accessed through the Government of Ontario's website.  CLV is on tax-exempt land and does not pay school taxes. As such, families must coordinate directly with school boards to pay the monthly or annual costs associated with enrolling children.

There are also several private schools and daycare facilities nearby, for your convenience.  

Air-conditioning units are are only permitted in CLV-North townhouses. Air-conditioning units are not permitted in CLV-South townhouses. 

Within CLV-North townhouses, air-conditioning restrictions are:   

• One (1) air conditioner is permitted per townhouse.   

• Must be CSA approved and operate on 115 volts.   

• Portable, free-standing units only; window mounted air conditioner units are not permitted.   

Refer to your Terms & Conditions for more information on air conditioners, or reach out to CLV-North Maintenance (clvmaint@uwaterloo.ca) if you have any questions about your CLV unit. 

Residents should note that CLV is surrounded by greenspace as well a protected wet area.  This makes the community beautiful. However with greenspace there are also common household bugs for which we do not provide pest control. Examples include: flies, spiders, earwigs, silverfish, etc.   

Pest control is provided for bedbugs and cockroaches. For more information please refer to your residence contract, or reach out to CLV-North Maintenance (clvmaint@uwaterloo.ca) if you have any questions about your CLV unit. 

CLV North townhouses are equipped with forced air gas furnaces.  The furnace heats the air and then uses a fan to blow it into duct systems and distribute it throughout the house. The air flows through the ducts and is expelled out of the ducts through vents located in different rooms around the building.  

You can feel a flow of air coming out of these vents when the furnace fan is going. You will note that the air coming out of the vent will feel cool regardless of the heat setting – this is normal.  Once the set temperature in the unit is reached the furnace will turn off until the temperature drops below the setting at which time the furnace will turn back on.  

Reach out to CLV-North Maintenance (clvmaint@uwaterloo.ca) if you have any questions about your CLV unit.