Mansion living provides alternative to Vancouver's pricey condos

A group of roommates is thinking outside box to beat the cost of renting tiny condos in Vancouver by renting a mansion instead.

The 7,500-square foot Kerrisdale mansion has five bedrooms and four bathrooms and rents for $4,000.

The five roommates, who range in age from their late 20s to early 40s, pay an average of $750 per month.

Jeet-Kei Leung rents the master bedroom with his partner for $1,100 per month.

"it's just thinking a little outside the box," he says.

He says privacy is not really a concern in such a large house.

"The beautiful thing about living in a mansion is that there's quite a bit of space,"

He says he knows young families that are doing the same.

"I do know of situations of families and from what I've seen of it... it really works." he says.

There is a bylaw in Vancouver that allows no more than five unrelated adults to share a dwelling. But Leung and his roommates hope to see that bylaw changed in the future.