GEC Living

What GEC Living does

GEC Living, operated by GEC Management Ltd., is the largest off-campus student housing provider in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Vancouver, the company runs six student residence properties - GEC Kingsway, GEC King Edward, GEC Pearson, GEC Marine Gateway, GEC Burnaby Heights, and GEC Viva Tower - offering over 1,000 fully furnished beds across shared and private room configurations. Each residence ships with included utilities, unlimited fiber optic Wi-Fi, in-suite laundry, bi-weekly housekeeping (except Marine Gateway), on-site management, and 24/7 centralized security, with nightly residential pricing published in CAD per bed per month.

The business generates recurring rental revenue from short- and multi-month leases aimed primarily at international and domestic students attending UBC, SFU, BCIT, Langara College, KPU, Emily Carr University, VCC, Capilano University, Douglas College, and language schools including ILAC, ILSC, Greystone College, EC, EF, Kaplan, and VGC. Distribution runs through a direct website with inquiry and waitlist forms, telephone sales, referral agreements with 70+ educational institutions, organic content marketing via blog and WeChat, and listings on third-party rental platforms liv.rent and Places4students. GEC Living is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Education Communities Corp., and its forward pipeline includes GEC Oakridge (Summer 2027), GEC Langara, GEC Cyber City, and the GEC Education Mega Center, signaling a transition from pure student housing into mixed-use and education-anchored real estate.

Under the hood, GEC relies on a centralized property management and security platform to operate multiple buildings concurrently, with Google Analytics as the only disclosed external integration. No mobile app, public API, or AI/ML capabilities are documented. Reported scale signals include 5,000+ students served annually, 10,000+ lifetime residents from 70+ countries since inception, and a $7M renovation of GEC Viva Tower in 2020.

Name

GEC Living

Legal name

GEC Management Ltd.

Website

https://gecliving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GEC Living operates Metro Vancouver's largest off-campus student housing portfolio, running six furnished residences with 1,000+ beds serving international and domestic students from 70+ countries on monthly subscription leases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (62399)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Off-Campus Shared Student Houses (Room-by-Room) (THAMAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student-Focused Co-Living (Flexible, Community-Led) (THAMAGAI)

Keywords

• Student housing services
• Off-campus housing
• Furnished apartments
• Student residences
• Accommodation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Student Housing Rent: Monthly rental payments from students occupying shared or private bedrooms in furnished apartment units. Revenue is recurring based on flexible lease terms ranging from monthly to multi-month arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GEC Living provides fully furnished off-campus student housing residences across six Metro Vancouver properties. Each residence includes all-inclusive amenities such as utilities, unlimited fiber optic WiFi, in-suite laundry, bi-weekly housekeeping, and 24/7 centralized security. The offering is targeted at students enrolled at nearby educational institutions who require turn-key accommodation near campus.

Product overview

GEC Living operates as a unified platform offering off-campus student housing across Metro Vancouver. The portfolio consists of six active student residence properties (GEC Kingsway, GEC King Edward, GEC Pearson, GEC Marine Gateway, GEC Burnaby Heights, and GEC Viva Tower) plus four upcoming developments (GEC Oakridge, GEC Langara, GEC Cyber City, and GEC Education Mega Center). All residences provide fully furnished apartments with all-inclusive amenities including utilities, fiber optic Wi-Fi, in-suite laundry, on-site management, 24/7 security, and flexible lease terms. The properties are strategically located near major transit routes and universities including UBC, SFU, BCIT, Langara College, and others. Additional upcoming projects include GEC Oakridge (opening Summer 2027), GEC Langara, GEC Cyber City, and GEC Education Mega Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GEC Kingsway Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC King Edward Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC Pearson Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC Marine Gateway Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC Burnaby Heights Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC Viva Tower Fully furnished off-campus student housing residence in Metro Vancouver with all-inclusive amenities (utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, housekeeping, 24/7 security) for students at nearby schools.
• GEC Living Furnished Housing Services All-inclusive furnished housing service package that bundles rent, utilities, WiFi, in-suite laundry, bi-weekly housekeeping, and 24/7 security into a single monthly subscription. Targeted at students seeking turn-key accommodation across the GEC Living portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 beds available across Metro Vancouver within 20-minute commute to most schools
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ILAC (International Language Academy of Canada)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerILAC is a partner school that recommends GEC Living accommodations to their international students. GEC may share student information with ILAC for housing purposes.
• ILSC (International Language Schools of Canada)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerILSC is a partner school that recommends GEC Living accommodations to their students. GEC may share student information with ILSC for housing coordination.
• Greystone CollegecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner educational institution that refers students to GEC for off-campus housing options.
• EC English Language SchoolscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEC is a partner school that recommends GEC Living accommodations to their international students.
• EF Education FirstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEF is a global education company that partners with GEC to provide student housing options for their students in Vancouver.
• Kaplan InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKaplan International is a partner educational institution that refers students to GEC Living for housing.
• VGC (Vancouver Global Cultural Academy)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerVGC is a partner school that works with GEC to provide student housing options.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: World's largest student housing operator and largest multifamily property manager in the U.S., with significant international expansion including student housing assets. Comparable as a broad incumbent in student accommodation with overlapping all-inclusive, fully furnished operating model at much larger scale.
• American Campus Communities (Blackstone): One of the largest publicly-traded purpose-built student housing REITs before being acquired by Blackstone; operates as the largest owner/manager of student housing in the U.S. Comparable as the dominant U.S. PBSA incumbent offering fully furnished, amenitized off-campus student residences.

Regional players

• Hazelview Properties: Toronto-based global real estate investment manager with significant Canadian multifamily and student housing holdings. Comparable as a Canadian residential operator with student housing exposure and a similar focus on purpose-built, professionally managed rental communities.
• Killam Apartment REIT: Canadian residential REIT owning and operating apartments and student housing properties across Canada, including in major university cities. Comparable as a publicly-traded Canadian multifamily/student housing owner-operator competing for similar tenants in similar markets.
• iQ Student Accommodation: One of the UK's largest student housing operators with ~70 properties primarily in major UK university cities. Comparable as a large-scale student accommodation specialist offering fully furnished studios and shared flats with all-inclusive bills, targeting the same student demographic.
• Unite Students: Leading UK-based purpose-built student accommodation provider listed on the London Stock Exchange. Comparable as a dedicated student housing REIT/operator with a comparable all-inclusive, fully furnished value proposition for university students.

Direct peers

• Yugo (formerly Uninest / UAL): Global operator of purpose-built student accommodation with thousands of beds across the U.S., UK, Europe, and Australia. Directly comparable as a student housing specialist with fully furnished, all-inclusive units targeting similar international and domestic student demographics.
• Campus Living Centres: Canadian-based student housing management and development company that partners with universities and colleges across North America. Directly comparable as a student housing operator focused on campus-adjacent and off-campus furnished accommodation with similar institutional relationships.

Emerging players

• AmberStudent: Global student housing marketplace that aggregates verified student accommodation listings. Comparable as an emerging player addressing the same student housing discovery and booking problem, though GEC operates owned inventory while Amber is primarily a discovery/booking layer.
• University Living: Global student housing aggregation platform with operations in 265+ cities, helping students find verified off-campus accommodation. Comparable as an emerging player in the same off-campus student housing discovery and booking space, targeting international students in particular.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GECLiving
• Facebookfacebook.com/GECLiving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gecliving

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GEC Living