Home-sharing platform co-founded by U of T alumni helps expand housing options for tri-campus students

From left: Jackie Tanner, SpacesShared’s chief experience officer, Rylan Kinnon, SpacesShared’s CEO, and Arlene Clement, U of T’s director, Housing and TCard services. Photo by Sydney Maddock.

As part of its efforts to provide more access to student housing, the University of Toronto has added a unique option that also helps address a community need near its three campuses: matching students in need of housing with older adults who have extra space in their homes.

The innovative offering is the result of a partnership between U of T and SpacesShared, an online platform that facilitates home-sharing agreements using a combination of algorithms and dedicated support staff. 

Based in Toronto, SpacesShared was co-founded by U of T alumni and helps with every stage of the home-sharing process – from matching students and hosts to providing a platform for secure communication, carrying out background checks and processing rent payments

The partnership will enable U of T students to use SpacesShared to search for housing options near all three campuses, with U of T Housing Services encouraging homeowners in the Toronto area to sign up and help students secure a comfortable living environment – all while earning rental income for themselves.

“We’re excited to partner with SpacesShared and expand affordable housing options for students as well as offer older adults a way to leverage a spare bedroom for some extra income, company and companionship,” said Arlene Clement, director of Housing and TCard services at U of T Student Life. “This is addressing a need that we see in terms of affordable, safe housing and community connection.”

She added that homeowners and students interested in signing up for the platform can do so on the SpacesShared website or contact U of T Housing Services for guidance.

The partnership comes as U of T continues to seek out new ways to help students find suitable housing. In February, U of T announced that it acquired a 20-per-cent stake in the CampusOne residence building located near the St. George campus in a deal that gives the university preferential access to as many as 890 beds.

The university has also made headway on a number of new student residence buildings including Harmony Commons, which opened at U of T Scarborough last fall; the Oak House residence on Spadina Avenue, which is currently under construction; and the Phase IX Residence at U of T Mississauga, which is expected to be open in summer 2026.

As for SpacesShared, the platform provides yet another housing option for students while fostering mutually beneficial intergenerational interactions. SpacesShared also offers students the option of receiving discounts on their rent in exchange for helping with specific household tasks and chores.

“Home-sharing allows us to use the capacity that already exists in the community,” said Jackie Tanner (MSW 2019 INNIS), co-founder and chief experience officer at SpacesShared, who earned her master’s degree at U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “Older adults get to put their spare bedrooms toward earning extra income and getting a little bit of extra help around the house, and students get to find safe housing close to campus.”

After being vetted, both students and potential hosts set up a profile sharing information about themselves, including interests, hobbies and expectations around use of shared spaces in the home, guests, dietary restrictions and other lifestyle preferences. When a student reaches out to a prospective host, the pair can exchange messages and have video chats on the platform, with SpacesShared providing a comprehensive discussion guide to help determine the best fit. If the pair agree on a home-sharing arrangement, SpacesShared drafts an agreement for both parties to sign. Students then pay first and last months’ rent as a deposit – with the amount only forwarded to the host after the student confirms move-in.

SpacesShared then follows up with regular check-ins, with both hosts and students able to contact customer service for support.

“By pairing up these two demographics who have so much to offer one another, our aim is to provide a new way to facilitate a very old concept – home-sharing,” said co-founder and CEO Rylan Kinnon (BA 2010 VIC), who earned an honours bachelor of arts with a political science specialist and a minor in philosophy and history at U of T.

“We’re excited to be working with U of T to create housing relationships that are beneficial to both students and older adults.”

Originally published by University of Toronto News