Finding a place to call home is one of the first tasks you will have to do when landing in Canada. Depending on your own situation (having a place to crash, having family or friends), you might consider renting an apartment or a hotel room short-term while looking for a long-term solution. This article will give you tips and an overview of how renting in Canada works.
Short-term Accommodation in Canada
If you don’t have a place to crash when you land in Canada, you need to find a place to rent temporarily. Do not wait last minute to do this, as the longer you wait the higher the prices, as most of the cheaper accommodation will have already been booked.
You can either:
- Book a hotel room, best through a reservation website, such as Booking, where you can find better prices and do research on the hotel, or
- Book an apartment or a room through Airbnb for cheaper rates.
You will not be able and it is not advisable to rent an apartment long-term before landing (except if you find a nice landlord and you want to take the risk of not verifying that the place really does exist, beware of scams).
Where to Look for an Apartment?
You can also use professional renting websites such as RentHello, or RentFaster.
Beware of scams in case you want to rent a house or apartment before landing, it is highly unadvisable.
Another option you have is to go to the neighbourhood you are interested in and look for signs and postings of available apartment or rooms.
What to Expect when Renting in Canada
- Pay-slips, or any document proving income.
- Bank statements with proof of enough money to pay for the first few months of rent.
- Letter of reference from a previous landlord, saying you are good tenant that paid rent on time .
If you do not have a credit history and have not worked yet, many landlords will be apprehensive to lending you their apartment, and this can be quite inconvenient for newcomers. However, you should keep looking until you find an understanding landlord (but you need to at least show that you have enough money on your bank account, or you can offer to pay the first few months in advance).
Apartments for rent usually start on the 1st of the month (sometimes some rentals are available on the 15th). You should land around two weeks before the end of the month, so you have time to look around and find the perfect apartment for you .
You need to advance at least half of the monthly rent as security deposit for most apartment and house rentals in Canada.
Most rentals in Canada are not furnished. To get the best deals on furniture (second-hand), wait until the end of June. In Quebec for example, it is the tradition that leases begin the 1st of July and end the 30th of June. Beware of that when choosing your moving date.
Landlords, in most provinces/territories, have the right to increase the rent every 12 months, but they have to advise you usually 90 days prior to the increase and the increase is limited by the government.
Be sure to know your tenant rights and obligations. They depend on the province you plan to move to. For more information, visit the following links for Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Which City Should you Live in?
Interested in:
For more information on the biggest cities in Canada, you should check our guide here.
