Vanmates

What Vanmates does

Vanmates is a privately held Canadian managed student housing and co-living company operating in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal. The company provides three core accommodation products — co-living rooms in managed shared homes ($850-$1,900 CAD/mo), homestays with vetted Canadian families ($1,200-$1,400 CAD/mo), and furnished private studios/suites near universities ($1,550-$1,720 CAD/mo) — plus ancillary services including end-to-end relocation packages (from $1,000 CAD) and a property management offering for landlords (15% management fee on master-leased properties). The platform is built on commodity SaaS infrastructure (Stripe for payments, Zoho CRM, Cloudflare, Google Workspace, n8n for workflow automation) with Maya, a multilingual WhatsApp AI assistant supporting six languages, as the primary resident-facing technology layer. The company is incorporated in British Columbia as Vanmates Accommodation Inc., was founded in 2016, and remains founder-operated with no disclosed institutional funding.

The business model is recurring-rent led, monetized through monthly subscription revenue from all-inclusive furnished rooms, a $295 one-time non-refundable membership fee at booking, a $500 refundable damage deposit, and fees on relocation and property management services. Vanmates serves international students aged 18-28 from 34+ countries (primary segment), younger students under 22 in homestays, corporate and employee relocations, and education agency partners that earn referral commissions on the supply side. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer booking through vanmates.com and WhatsApp, a network of 140+ education agency partners across Latin America, Asia, and Europe, and outbound field sales to property owners for master lease conversions. The company has welcomed 1,200+ students since founding, manages 30+ co-living homes and 45+ host families, and reports 96-97% occupancy and a 4.93-4.96★ average resident rating. Guadalajara is announced as a coming-soon international market.

Name

Vanmates

Legal name

Vanmates Accommodation Inc.

Website

https://vanmates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vanmates is a Canadian managed student housing platform offering co-living, homestays, and furnished studios across Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal. It serves international students from 34+ countries through direct booking, 140+ agency partners, and corporate relocation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Managed Student Housing and Co-living

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

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 industries

Hosted Private Rooms (On-Site Host) (THAMABAB), Shared Rooms & Dorm-Style in Homes (THAMABAD)

Keywords

• Student housing
• Co-living spaces
• Homestay accommodation
• Managed rentals
• Relocation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monthly Room Rent (Co-living, Homestay, Student Housing): Recurring monthly revenue from furnished private rooms in managed shared homes, homestays with host families, and private studios/suites. Rent collected at move-in, then monthly on the 1st. All-in pricing includes Wi-Fi, utilities, weekly cleaning, and 24/7 support.
2. One-time Membership Fee: $295 one-time non-refundable membership charged at booking, covering matching, verification, and onboarding support. Refunded for visa refusals and documented emergencies.
3. Refundable Damage Deposit: $500 refundable damage deposit held at booking. Returned within 10 business days of clean move-out inspection.
4. Relocation Services: End-to-end relocation packages for employees, families, and corporates moving to Canada. Starts at $1,000 CAD + GST for property scouting, viewings, and lease negotiation. Add-ons include airport pickup ($65), utility setup, furniture sourcing, and bank-account setup priced separately.
5. Agency Partner Referral Commissions: Commissions paid to education agency partners for referring students who book and move in. $150 CAD for co-living bookings, $200 CAD for homestay placements, +$75 CAD bonus for 6+ month stays, +10% quarterly volume bonus.
6. Property Management Fees (Real Estate Partners): 15% management fee on gross rental income from managed co-living properties. Vanmates signs master lease with property owners, sublets to students, and handles all operations including maintenance, cleaning, and vacancy guarantee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Vanmates is a managed student housing operator that rents furnished private bedrooms in shared homes, private rooms with vetted Canadian host families (homestays), and private studios/suites near universities across Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal. All stays are all-inclusive (Wi-Fi, utilities, weekly cleaning, 24/7 WhatsApp support) and require a $500 refundable damage deposit plus a $295 one-time membership fee, with monthly rent collected from move-in.

Product overview

Vanmates is a student housing and co-living platform offering three core accommodation products: Co-living (private rooms in managed shared homes), Homestays (rooms with vetted Canadian host families including meals), and Student Housing (private studios/suites). The platform operates a managed marketplace model in three Canadian cities (Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal), supported by auxiliary services including Relocation Services (end-to-end move support), an Agency Partner Program (referral commissions), House Manager Program (on-site property management), Real Estate Partner Program (landlord property management), and Host Family Program (homestay family matching). All core products include all-inclusive pricing (Wi-Fi, utilities, cleaning) with 3-month minimum stays. The platform is primarily operated via a website and WhatsApp, with no public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maya: WhatsApp assistant for booking inquiries and customer support, available in multiple languages
• Relocation Services

Products and services

• Co-living Private bedroom in a managed shared home with 4-6 internationally diverse housemates. Includes furnished room, shared kitchen and living room, weekly common-area cleaning, utilities, Wi-Fi (200 Mbps), and 24/7 WhatsApp support. Minimum 3-month stay. Vancouver from $850/mo, Toronto from $950/mo, Montréal from $1,000/mo. For international students aged 18-28 arriving in Canada.
• Homestays Private bedroom in a vetted Canadian host family's home with two meals daily (breakfast and dinner), full cultural immersion, and 24/7 family support. Includes airport welcome, fast Wi-Fi, utilities, and laundry access. Vancouver from $1,200/mo, Toronto from $1,300/mo, Montréal from $1,200/mo. For younger international students (typically 16-19) and those seeking maximum cultural immersion.
• Student Housing (Private Studios/Suites) Fully furnished studios and private one-bedroom suites near major universities (UBC, SFU, BCIT, U of T, TMU, McGill, Concordia). Lease by the semester or month-to-month with all-inclusive pricing (Wi-Fi, utilities, weekly cleaning). Vancouver from $1,550/mo (Coal Harbour premium suites from $1,720/mo). For international and domestic students seeking independent living.
• Relocation Services End-to-end relocation support for employees, families, and corporates moving to Canada. Includes housing search, lease review, utility setup, SIN/banking/SIM assistance, airport pickup, and immigration support. Packages start at $1,000 CAD + GST with separately priced add-ons (airport pickup $65, utility setup, furniture sourcing, bank-account setup). Available in Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Ottawa, and Winnipeg.
• Agency Partner Program Referral program for education agents, language schools, and international student recruiters worldwide. Partners earn $150 CAD for co-living bookings, $200 CAD for homestay placements, a +$75 CAD bonus for 6+ month stays, and a +10% quarterly volume bonus. Includes access to live inventory portal, branded brochures in English/Spanish/Portuguese/French, and co-marketing materials. Commission paid 30 days after student move-in via wire or PayPal.
• Real Estate Partner Program Property management and co-living conversion service for landlords and real estate investors. Vanmates signs a master lease, manages tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance, and cleaning. Property owners receive 30-50% above market rent with a vacancy guarantee, paid out via a 15% management fee on gross rental income.
• Host Family Program Matching service for Canadian families to host international students. Families provide a private room and meals; Vanmates handles screening, matching, and ongoing support. Hosts earn CAD$800-1,400/month per student. Includes in-person visits and criminal background checks for vetting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% annualized occupancy rate for partner properties
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Education Agency Partners (140+ agencies)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 April 2026140+ active agency partners across 34 countries (Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, India, Turkey, and 15 more). Partners refer international students to Vanmates accommodation and earn commission ($150 CAD co-living, $200 CAD homestay, plus bonuses). Partners get unique referral codes, live inventory portal access, and branded materials in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
• n8ncoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2024Workflow automation platform for internal operational processes including booking confirmations, house manager assignments, and maintenance ticket routing.
• StripecoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2016Payment processing partner for all bookings. Handles $500 damage deposit and $295 membership charges at booking, plus monthly rent collection. Vanmates sees masked card descriptors and amounts; Stripe never shares full card numbers.
• CloudflarecoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2016CDN and security provider for vanmates.com website hosting.
• Google WorkspacecoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2016Email infrastructure for team communications and student correspondence.
• Zoho CRMcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2016Customer relationship management for lead records, partner tracking, and student onboarding.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vanmatescanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/vanmates
• TikToktiktok.com/@vanmateslatinoamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/Vanmates.vancity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vanmates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Vanmates