³ÉÈË´óƬ John Orr Tower
John Orr Tower is a 16 story apartment building containing 123 one bedroom apartments, each with a balcony. The apartments are designed to minimize the financial outlay for furnishing and maintenance while providing an attractive and comfortable atmosphere. Unfurnished apartments are equipped with refrigerators and stoves; there are also furnished units available complete with furniture.
John Orr is mainly populated by student couples and single students. Please note these units may pose a risk for children. This building is compliant with all standards and codes, but is 16 stories high, has balconies and windows which are accessible to children. There are no public play areas available.
John Orr Tower is located off of Hargreaves Way and is a prominent feature of Queen’s west campus. Tenants may take advantage of the many west-campus recreational facilities such as tennis courts, track, gym. It is approximately a 20 minute walk from main campus.
John Orr Tower is classified as a student residence. Therefore, for income tax purposes, a maximum of $25 per year may be claimed for rent.
Current tenants who wish to be considered for a new lease MUST submit an application each year.
Please note that John Orr Tower is a high rise apartment building with balconies and as such is not very well suited to accommodating children.
One Bedroom Apartment
- Main floor Laundry Room
- Close to schools, grocery stores, & shopping
- Close to public transit
- All utilities included (heat, water, electricity)
- Private balconies
- Bright spacious units with basement storage lockers
- Fridge and stove included
- Limited furnished units available
- Fridge
- Stove
- 1 Double size bed and mattress
- 1 Bookcase
- 1 Desk
- 1 Desk chair
- 1 Three-seat couch
- 1 Arm chair
- 1 Coffee table
- 2 Stools
- 1 Microwave
- Curtain rods & drapery for all windows
How to Apply/Eligibility
Applications for John Orr Tower are available subject to apartment availability. Most leases have annual start dates of September 1. There may be a limited number of leases with January 1 or May 1 starts. Leases are typically for 12 months. Furnished units may be available for shorter lease terms (subject to availability).
Priority for apartments is given to registered Queen’s students in good standing with the University. Please be sure to include your Queen’s student number and a current email address (preferably your @queensu.ca account) on your application. We will send you an email to let you know that your application has been received. Successful applicants will be notified by email of rental offers as they are available; please be sure to check your email regularly as there is a limited timeframe in which to respond. If you have email filtering activated, please be sure to add community.housing@queensu.ca to your safe list.
Occupancy limits apply per section 3.1.17.1.(1) (c) of the Ontario Building Code are two persons per sleeping room or sleeping area in a dwelling unit or suite.
Queen’s Community Housing strives to provide the best possible environment for students to achieve their academic goals. The residential rental properties owned by Queen’s University and managed by Community Housing are not handicapped accessible housing. Tenants/occupants have the opportunity to view the unit personally or have an agent view the unit prior to signing a lease and should be able to make an informed decision if the unit meets their individual needs as the unit is presented. However, there may be unique circumstances where a tenant/occupant may request special consideration. Community Housing cannot guarantee to accommodate all requests for special consideration.
Not all disabilities or medical conditions require special assignment or considerations. The documentation completed by the medical professional must verify the tenant has a disability or medical condition but not the specific diagnosis, and identify the functional limitation (if any) related to the disability or medical condition.
Should you have questions regarding this or would like to make a request for consideration, please contact Community Housing by emailing community.housing@queensu.ca.
Applications for both An Clachan and John Orr Tower for leases beginning September 1, 2023, will be accepted on May 17th 2023, between 10AM-NOON, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Applications will be processed in order of receipt.
The process has changed this year to facilitate the procedure for our applicants and to manage the volume of applications more efficiently. You will submit an application form online as outlined below, providing the basic information required. The application form should take you just a few minutes to complete. You can access the Application Form by clicking the button below starting at 10AM on May 17th. Application forms from prior years submitted to our office via email during the application period will not be accepted. You must be a current registered Queen’s student in good standing with the University to be eligible.
We anticipate under 40 units between both John Orr Tower and An Clachan will be available for September. Applications will be processed in order of receipt, and once we receive enough applications as we have units available, we will only maintain a Standby List of 25 applicants in case of cancellations. The Standby List is dissolved as of June 30th.
Within 3-4 business days, all applicants will receive a communication from our office. The first 65 applicants will be notified that either they may be eligible to explore a lease opportunity, or they have made the Standby List. All other applicants will be informed to seek alternative living accommodations having not been identified as one of the first 65 applicants.
We understand that there is a high demand for Queen’s-owned housing and that you may be disappointed should you not receive a lease offer. For assistance and guidance on finding alternative housing in Kingston, please reach out to the Off-Campus Living Advisor, and be sure to check listings on the frequently for available rentals from local landlords.
Only one application is to be filled out for your family/group. Information for all intended occupants must be included.
To prepare for submitting your application, have the following information ready (all fields are mandatory):
- Full legal name
- Student Number
- Student Status (Undergrad, Grad)
- Expected graduation date
- Queen’s email address (or personal email if you do not have your QueensU email yet)
- Birthdate
- Current living address and contact phone number
- Name and birthdate of each individual that will be living in the apartment (roommates, spouse, children/dependents included).
Rates:
Effective September 1, 2024
Utilities (Heat, water, electricity) included.
# of Bedrooms | Furnished? | Lease term | Monthly Rent |
---|---|---|---|
1 | No | 12 | $925.00 |
1 | Yes | 12 | $1,117.00 |
1 | Yes | 8 | Not Available – Please contact Community Housing |
Services, Amenities and Resources
- This storage locker area is checked on a regular basis. Items are permitted to be stored within the caged locker itself not in the common area outside of the locker (walkway) and/or locker room (basement hallway).
- Tenants are not permitted to change the locks. Locks are issued by Community Housing.
- Parking is not included in rent.
- There is limited active parking available for Tenants. A parking space is not guaranteed from year-to-year, even for current tenants.
- Tenants must register their vehicle with Community Housing to receive a parking hang tag which permits the tenant to park in any of the John Orr Tower parking spaces except those designated Service Vehicle Parking.
- At this time, Community Housing is not charging an additional parking fee for these spaces. Parking fees may be subject to change at a later date.
- Unregistered vehicles parked in tenant parking areas are subject to municipal tickets and towing of said vehicle at the owner’s risk and expense.
If you are unsuccessful in obtaining a new permit, you will need to purchase a West-Campus Surface Permit from Queen's Parking for behind Jean Royce/Duncan McArthur Hall or find off-site.
Parking Permits
- You will need to show the ownership of your vehicle to receive a parking permit.
- The ownership must be in the tenants’ name or a family member with the same last name.
- As there are limited spaces available in this lot, parking permits will be issued on a first come first served basis.
- A John Orr Tower parking permit is only valid in the parking lot beside the building and for one lease term.
- There is no visitor parking. Pay and display parking is available in front of Duncan McArthur Hall.
- John Orr Tower has a central laundry facility on the first floor. All University laundry rooms are managed by .
- Please visit Coinamatic for or for . All tenants are required to the Coinamatic CP mobile app from Apple Store or Google Play to pay for their washing and drying.
- For those without a smartphone, you will be able to purchase a new laundry card directly from a Card Reload Kiosk.
Card Reload Kiosk Locations:
- An Clachan – 47 Van Order Drive, in the lobby of Building 5
- Victoria Hall on campus
Laundry Room Hours: The laundry rooms are locked 24/7 and accessible by using your building key. Tenants are asked to be considerate of others by using the laundry rooms between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 pm only (last load should be in a machine no later than 9:30 pm).
Laundry left in machines: Please ensure prompt removal of your clothing from the machines so other tenants may use them. Items left in the laundry room are left at the tenant’s own risk.
Questions about the machines or defective smart cards should be directed to Coinamatic at 1-800-561-1972 or by using their online Service Request Form at
Domestic garbage, cardboard and other recyclable items should be deposited in the designated bins provided in the basement of John Orr Tower
The best way to learn how to protect yourself and those around you is by reading our fire safety document. In it you will find information about what to do in case of a fire or fire alarm. Each of our units and our buildings are equipped with fire detection devices. To learn more: John Orr Tower fire devices
Kingston Transit provides service to other areas of the city that tenants may wish to visit. For tenants, there are bus stops within walking distance from John Orr Tower. For those wishing to access other areas of the city there are many routes and schedules accessible to tenants. Visit the for details.
How To Find John Orr Tower:
Address
244 Hargreaves Way,
Kingston, ON, K7M 5W9