About Us
Varsity Properties is Kingston Premiere Student Housing Company. 
Our job is to make our Resident's lives easier, so they can focus on achieving academic excellence. We take care of housing details, so they don't have to.
We design, build, renovate, own and manage our properties. We work hard to ensure the comfort of our residents and to provide them convenient living environments for learning. We buy and build close to campus and amenities like grocery, coffee shops, drug stores, restaurants, and night life. Every Varsity Property is a maximum 15 minute walk to the heart of Queen's University’s Main Campus (Union & University Streets), allowing all Varsity Residents the convenience of short walks between home and school.
Our services are second to none. In suite housekeeping services are included within our rents. We shovel and sand walkways and plow driveways to make our residents life easier. We send weekly reminder emails for garbage and recycling collection days. We closely monitor our properties to pro-actively maintain them to the highest standard. If something breaks, our residents use our online work request platform to summon our fast and friendly service team and to track the status of their work request through to completion. We provide a constant flow of communication to our residents to keep them in the loop and follow up to assess their satisfaction with our work. We care to ask because we feel we're not done any work request until our residents are satsified.
Our Mission
Varsity Properties shall become the nationally recognized premium provider of homes and services that support Student Residents in their pursuit of academic excellence.
Our Vision
We shall redefine the highest standards for quality and service in the Canadian student housing industry from coast to coast.
Our History
Varsity Properties was founded in 2003 by A.J. Keilty, a native of Kingston, Ontario who grew up in the hotel business. His parents still own and operate one of Ontario’s Fines Inns, The Gananoque Inn & Spa. It was while earning his Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Queen’s University’s School of Business that Mr. Keilty and several friends leased a typical 7 bedroom house in the Queen’s Student Village. To be blunt, the place was a dump, the Landlord lived in 3 hours away and was very slow to make repairs. Each January he looked for another home to move to, but each year was unable to find a suitably affordable, clean and well maintained properly close enough to campus.
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He thought, “Why aren’t their better housing options for students?”
These frustrating experiences lead him to recognize an opportunity in the housing market. He decided to bring his understanding of the hospitality business to the student housing industry by founding Kingston's first rental property company that focused on providing resident services, rather than property management. Whereas a Property Management Company focuses on the needs of the owner, Varsity Properties provides services that focus on the needs of its residents.
7 years later Varsity Properties has grown its portfolio of Premium Student Homes to provide housing services to 180 residents. The company has grown every year since it's founding by adding new high quality properties in premium locations through acquisitions and new developments.
In 2009 Varsity Properties completed Liberty Terrace, a 3-storey building consisting of 12 luxury 1-bedroomsuites, 2-bedroom suites and a spectacular roof top terrace. Varsity Properties also relocated it’s leasing and administrative offices to the ground floor of Liberty Terrace to provide residents easier access to services. It was a happy day for the Varsity team when their new logo and signage were first unveiled on the new store front leasing office.
Most recently, in April 2010 Varsity Properties completed the total renovation of 311 Queen Street, a 4 storey, 14-suite building between Division & Barrie Streets. Starting in December 2009 the Varsity Properties team replaced lighting, carpet and repinted all common areas. Each of the 14 suites were upgraded with new building finishes to meet the Varsity standard for style and quality. Each suite features 2 large soaker tubs, stainless appliances, dishwasher, graniate couter tops, new light fixtures, dark wood floors and insuite washer and dryer. This building was pre-leased to new Varsity Residents 4 month's prior to completion and occupancy. 311 Queen Street was the13th consecutive new Varsity Properties development or renovation that was delivered to our residents on time or ahead of schedule.
Our Future
2011 is an exciting year for Varsity Properties as plans are in the works to construct a brand new 16-suite townhouse development in Kingston for occupancy September 1st, 2011. To be updated on new developments or apartment availablities or sublets visit www.VarsityVIP.com to create your own vip profile.
