Finding a House to stay immediately after arriving in Canada

Most people try to stay with friends or relatives in initial few days of their stay. Okay, if you have someone that is willing to help you, good enough. But such stays are for very short-lived duration and not generally very healthy.

The best and most practical idea is to get into your own accommodation as fast as you can. Before coming in Canada, you can search the net for various accommodation, transit houses, bed-n-breakfast accommodation, or tourism offices etc for locating an accommodation that suits your budget.

If you arrive at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto without a place to stay, look for the Immigrant Reception and Information Services (IRIS) sign or phone 905-672-3660. They also have information about hotels and places to stay near the airport. The hotels near the airport are expensive, so try to find hotels closer to the city.

Many homes in Ontario are expensive. Your first home may not be the one you want. You need time to understand the rental market and to know which neighborhoods you want to live in. Try not to spend a lot of your money on housing. Most newcomers do not find a job for many months. Do not spend more than one-third (33.3%) of your total income before taxes on a place to live.

Questions to ask before you rent:
• Is the apartment close to buses or subways?
• What other services are close? (Schools, stores, Laundromats, parks, playgrounds, community centers, medical clinics, places of worship)
• Is the apartment quiet?
• What are the other tenants like?
• If you have a car, is there a place to park?
• Is the neighborhood safe?
• If you have children, is it close to a school?
• Do you pay extra for heat and electricity?

You can also seek assistance of Real Estate Rental Services. They are companies that help landlords find new tenants. You can contact them to help you find a place to live - for a fee.

Classified Advertisements: Most newspapers in Canada have a Classifieds section where many landlords list places for rent or lease. The landlords usually list their apartments one month before they want someone to move in. Reading these ads will help you learn about the cost and availability of the type of home you want. You can find these housing classified ads on many Ontario newspaper websites.

Most landlords want to meet you in person before they rent their apartment or house to you.

Many communities have Housing Help Centres to help people find low cost housing.

You may need to provide these documents with a rental application:
• a letter from your employer stating your income
• a bank statement showing that you have enough money
• a credit check
• a guarantor or co-signer (a person who promises to pay your rent if you cannot pay it), if your income is low, or if you do not have an income
• Personal references, such as previous landlords, friends, settlement worker or language instructor
Some new immigrants and refugees have little money, no job and they know very few people in Ontario. They cannot provide all these documents.

DEPOSITS
You usually have to pay a deposit for the last month’s rent before you move in. Do not pay more than first and last month’s rent for a deposit.