When I moved to Toronto (Canada), I never thought it would be quite a challenging task to find myself an apartment. I had already lived out in multiple European and North American cities and wasn’t expecting any kind of issues finding an apartment. But to my surprise, finding an apartment is like looking for a job in this city!
While I knew that housing in Toronto was expensive, I wasn’t completely aware of the housing shortage in the city. What that means for you as a Tenant is that the landlords gets a ton of applications and can get extremely picky (sometimes discriminatory).
It would be handy for you to keep certain documents with you that will make it easier for you to apply for housing and get accepted.
When you apply for housing you will be asked for the following –
You can use Padmapper.com to find apartments in Toronto however to apply for an apartment you might need to go through a real estate agent. Usually when you send an email for a viewing, an agent will contact you.
How to use Padmapper
Alternatively you can also use Google Maps for finding apartments in the region.
A real estate agent can also help you in your search as they have access to the apartment listings in the city and can recommend you units based on your budget, and preference.
Unlike many American cities where you can look up and even rent apartments online, Toronto still lags behind, and you might be able to find only limited places which will allow you to rent the unit through a website and make payments online.
Instead, you will need to view the unit first and then fill in an application each time you have to apply for a condo. Agents might accept the form through email.
Usually when you contact for rental listings, you will find that many are represented by realtors. You can always ask them to show you more listings around the area.
A good real estate agent would usually do the following
If an agent insists you to bid up on your application or have an earlier move-in date than what you want, they might not be working in your best interests, and it is recommended that you look for another agent.
For payments, you will need to hand out a cheque or certified cheque or bank draft. You can always inquire if the agent/landlord would be willing to accept Electronic Fund Transfer (also called as Interac) instead of cheque.
Avoid paying in cash unless you already have a good relationship with the landlord and make sure to ask for receipts for payments made in such case.
Having a job is not a requirement for housing however can make your application look strong. In case you don’t have a job offer, you can rely on your bank statements as proof of funds.
Make sure you view the apartment before you put in your application. Some apartments can be really messy, in need of repairs or smell of smoke all the time.
If the apartments need repairs, do let the landlord know about it in written as they might be required by law to get those repairs done.
Don’t be surprised if your application gets rejected even if you have a job offer and good credit score. While laws against discrimination exist in Toronto (Ontario), they are not properly enforced and you will often end up getting discriminated directly or indirectly by landlords who own properties in Toronto.
If you get rejected, just move on and submit your application for another property.
Complaints for discrimination can be made through Tribunals Ontario.
If you find a deal too good to be true, it might be a scam. Make sure to check the apartment beforehand, Avoid paying for anything in advance and make sure that the person you are dealing with is legit. You can search for them on Google/Facebook and see their reviews.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
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