How To Find A Home In Canada As A New Comer – For most immigrants, finding a good place to live in Canada is often a top priority. Usually, newcomers choose to rent or lease their first apartment rather than buy it.
The price or time required to find a new apartment can vary. The city of your choice and the demand and supply of available apartments in that city are some factors that play a role. While it can be difficult for newcomers to find housing in large cities like Toronto because they need to show proof of employment or credit, it is relatively easy for others to find employment in smaller cities.
In this article, we explain all the necessary requirements to help you find housing.
Short-Term Accommodation In Canada
When preparing to move to Canada, it is usually advisable to delay your search for rental housing until you are actually in the country. This prevents you from being scammed and also gives you the opportunity to view the apartment beforehand.
Most people prefer to look for temporary housing first for these reasons.
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Pro-tip: Do not wait until the last minute to find and rent temporary housing. The longer you wait, the cheaper the places will be rented. You can either book a room or space through Airbnb for cheaper rates or book a hotel room through booking.com, where you can compare prices and search for available hotels.
Where Can You Search For An Apartment?
You can start your search in newspapers, on websites like Craigslist and Kijiji, and on Facebook pages on the subject. Professional websites like Rentfaster and Renthello can also be used.
What To Expect When Renting An Home
Typically, the homeowner will have a set of requirements that you must meet before they will rent their apartment to you. The main purpose of this information is to prove that you have the means to pay the rent. Some of these requirements may include;
- Bank statements to prove sufficient funds
- Pay stubs or other documents to prove income
- Letters of recommendation from friends, relatives, or your previous landlord to prove you are hired
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For most newcomers, the lack of a credit score often presents a challenge, as most landlords do not want to rent their apartments to people with no credit score. In this case, your bank statements are important as proof of funds availability. Your landlord will want to know that you are able to pay a few months in advance if needed. Another option would be to provide a local guarantor or co-signer for the property.
In Canada, some homes are available for rent from the 1st of each month, while others are not available until the 15th of the month. It is important to plan your move to fit within these time frames.
Most rental properties and apartments require you to pay up to half of the rent as a security deposit, and in many provinces, the property owner reserves the right to increase the rent after 12 months. However, he is required to inform you of such an increase within 90 days.
Since provinces vary, rental laws also vary. Therefore, find out the rental laws of the province you want to move to.
Budgeting For Rent In Canada
The rent you pay will depend on a number of factors. These include the area where the apartment is located, the type of apartment (one-bedroom, studio apartment, etc.), utilities and amenities, the size of the apartment, and the supply/demand ratio. Websites like condos.ca and view it or apps like pad mapper will give you an idea of what to expect.
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Generally, heating and AC make up the bulk of the cost, water costs about $20-40 CAD, internet and cable TV combined $100 CAD, while water costs average $60-80 CAD per month. Some condominium units may have fees for garbage collection and waste disposal.
On average, a two-bedroom condo costs $2,476 CAD in Toronto, $2,045 CAD in Vancouver, and $1,896 CAD in Hamilton.
Pro-Tip: When calculating the cost of a condo, be sure to calculate both rent and other utilities such as water, lights, parking, internet cable, etc. This will show you the true value of the apartment.