So you are moving to Canada. Congratulations! Whether you are coming to Canada to go to school, for work or to be close to family, there is a lot to learn about living in Canada. Check out this great Foreigners guide to renting an apartment in Canada.
When you are looking for a place to live in Canada, there are a number of different ways to find apartment listings. In larger cities such as Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver, you will find listings in the local newspaper. The listings will be broken down into subgroups such as one bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom or more. You can sometimes find duplexes to rent, and maybe even a condominium.
Another place you may look for rental information is at the store or laundromat. Check out the student housing office at the University or College and sometimes apartment buildings list their vacancies on a board outdoors. Try also online, where you can find apartment listings by city and even neighbourhood.
First you need to decide how many will be sharing the apartment. Your landlord will demand the names of all the people who will be living there, so be prepared to provide that information when you go see an apartment. There are limits as to how many people can live in a rental property, depending on the number of bedrooms. Find out what the limitations are in your community.
You will also need to determine what you can personally afford for your rent. When you are looking for an apartment, look at the amount that is listed as the rent. If it is unusually lower than the rest of the advertisements, it is probably because the heat and hydro costs are not included in the rent. As much as possible, try to find a place that includes heat and hydro in your rent.
When you are new to Canada, it can be difficult to find a place to rent. This is not because of your background, but because some landlords are concerned about being paid. With no background information on you, they may be reluctant to rent to you. Most landlords will run a credit check on you before they rent, so having a good credit history, wherever you may be from, can be very important. Alternately, it is important to have someone who has a good credit history, (a parent, sibling or cousin) available to co-sign for your lease. This will remove any concerns for your prospective landlord and should grease the wheels in your ability to get a good rental property.
Always ask, when looking for an apartment, what appliances are included on the property. Most will include a refrigerator or stove, most of the times both. Some may include a washing machine for your clothes and a clothes dryer. Some apartment buildings have a laundry room where tenants can wash their clothes on the premises. In smaller buildings and duplexes you may have to walk or drive to the closest laundromat to do your laundry.
When the landlord approves your application to rent their property, they will ask you for a security deposit. This deposit is usually the same value as your monthly rent, and is held by the landlord as your last month's rent. This amount earns interest throughout the year, and the landlord must pay you the interest on that amount at the end of your lease. Your lease will normally be for a period of one year, although some leases are for less time and some are for longer.
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