Cancellation policy

Cancelling before move-in

You can cancel your booking at any time before your scheduled move-in date by writing to us. Your $295 membership is non-refundable, though we make exceptions and refund it in full for visa refusal, medical emergencies, bereavement, and program cancellation (see below).

Your damage deposit — equal to half your monthly rent — is handled case-by-case, based on how far ahead you cancel:

30 or more days before move-in: your deposit is returned in full.
Less than 30 days before move-in: the deposit is not returned — unless you're cancelling for a reason beyond your control (visa refusal, medical emergency, bereavement, or program cancellation, with documentation), in which case we refund it in full.

Why the 30-day line? Once you book, we take the room off the market and turn away other applicants. A cancellation inside 30 days usually means we can't re-fill the room in time — so the deposit covers that held month.

Because rent is collected at move-in rather than at booking, there is no rent to refund if you cancel before your move-in date.

Changed your mind? If you just want to switch to a different room with Vanmates, don't cancel — message us and we'll move your deposit and membership over to the new room, no fees.

Cancelling after move-in (ending your stay early)

Once you've moved in, we ask for 30 days' written notice before your planned move-out date. That gives us time to find a good next resident and keeps the house running smoothly for your roommates.

Notice given 30+ days in advance

You pay rent normally through your move-out date.
Damage deposit returned within 10 business days of your move-out inspection. The exact amount is reviewed case-by-case against the room's condition, and refunded to your original payment method — or another method you specify on the check-out form.

Notice shorter than 30 days

You're responsible for rent up to whichever is sooner: (a) the 30-day notice period, or (b) the day a replacement resident moves in — at which point your rent obligation stops.
Damage deposit still returned per the inspection.

If you break a fixed-term agreement

Fixed-term leases (e.g., a 6-month lease signed at move-in) follow the terms of that agreement. We always try to find a replacement quickly so the charge is limited to the overlap period only.

What's refundable at a glance

Item Refund Notes

Damage deposit (½ month's rent) Case-by-case Before move-in: returned in full with 30+ days' notice; a later cancellation is only refunded for reasons beyond your control. After move-in: returned with 30 days' notice, subject to inspection. Refunded to your original method, or one you specify on the check-out form.

Membership ($295) Non-refundable Covers matching, verification, and onboarding work. Refunded in full only for the exceptions described below.

Rent paid at move-in Pro-rated Any unused days inside the 30-day notice window that overlap with a new resident's move-in are refunded pro-rata.

Add-ons (airport pickup, extra cleaning, etc.) Full if unused Refunded as long as the service hasn't been delivered yet.

Stripe / bank processing fees None Payment-provider fees are not refunded — they're charged to us on the original payment and aren't recoverable.

When we refund the membership

The $295 membership is otherwise non-refundable, but we refund it in full (in addition to your deposit) in these specific situations — provided you send us reasonable supporting documentation:

Visa or study-permit refusal — upload the refusal letter from IRCC (or the relevant embassy). We process these within 3 business days of receiving it.
Medical emergency affecting the applicant or an immediate family member — hospital discharge summary, doctor's note, or similar.
Bereavement in the immediate family — no documentation required beyond your written message.
Program cancellation by your school or sponsor before you arrive — an email from the school is enough.
Double-booking on our end — if we can't deliver the exact room you booked and the replacements we offer don't work for you, the full amount (deposit + membership + any add-ons) is refunded, automatically.

Good-faith rule. If your situation isn't on this list but is genuinely beyond your control, write to us anyway — [email protected]. We're a small human team and we'd rather do right by someone in a tough spot than hide behind a policy.

How to cancel

Send us a note

Email [email protected] or message your house manager on WhatsApp. Include your full name, the room name, and your move-in date.

Tell us the reason (briefly)

A one-line reason helps us route your request correctly and review it fairly. If you're cancelling because of a visa refusal, attach the refusal letter. You don't owe us a long explanation.

We reply within 24 hours

You'll get a confirmation with the refund amount, the method, and the expected timing — usually the same or next business day.

Refund lands in your account

By default we refund to the original payment method, or to another method you specify on the check-out form. Stripe card refunds take 5–10 business days to show up, depending on your issuer. International bank transfers can take up to 10 business days.

When you'll actually see the money

Card (Visa / Mastercard / Amex): 5–10 business days after we initiate the refund, depending on your bank.
Interac e-Transfer: Same day, usually within a few hours.
International bank transfer: 3–10 business days depending on the corridor.
Damage deposit after move-out: We aim to initiate within 10 business days of the move-out inspection, to your original payment method or the one you chose on the check-out form. You'll get the same timing above on top of that.

If something's taking longer than we said, write to us — usually it's a missed message or a bank reference number we need to re-send.

Still have questions?

Every situation is a bit different. If anything on this page is unclear, or if you're weighing a booking and want to know how cancellation would work in your specific case, just ask. We'd rather answer up front than have anyone feel surprised later.

Email [email protected], message us on WhatsApp, or use the contact form.

Cancellation policy.

At a glance