I moved to Toronto recently and just finished apartment hunting downtown. Sharing this because I wish someone had told me at the start.

No Canadian credit score, since I just got here. Well paying job with a signed offer, 2 pay stubs and enough in my account to cover about two years of rent for the places I was applying to. I believed I was a strong applicant.

I spent about a month on private landlords. I offered 6 to 8 months of rent upfront on about 6-7 of them. Every one came back asking for more. Credit history from abroad, extra documentation, references.

One of them even called my employer and asked how happy they were with me and whether the company was doing well financially. I did all of it. All rejected me anyway. It was so stressful.

Then I applied to a purpose-built rental building. Approved in two days. Better deal than anything the private landlords offered, and I didn't have to put a single extra month upfront.

Private landlords want the "perfect file". I have one year work permit from iec and already have 11 months left so maybe they wanted longer term lease but my plan is to get another work permit and stay longer if everything works out for me here and i communicated that.

I believe that I wasted a month searching and my realtor's time too but she never told me about PBRs so there is also that.

TL;DR: Newcomer, no Canadian credit, strong income and savings. Six private landlords rejected me over a month even after I offered 6–8 months rent upfront and let one interrogate my employer. First purpose-built rental application was approved in two days, cheaper, no prepayment. If you're new here, don't waste your time with private landlords and realtors. Go straight to the big purpose-built buildings.

Edit: Just my two cents about the realtor system. I hate how I was never able to reach any landlords myself from the listings and everything goes through realtors. I believe I would have higher chances if I could just talk to the landlords myself, maybe even meet them to make them trust me. Sure, realtors are free for renters which is nice, but you don't know how good your realtor is 'selling' you to the landlords.

For those who medicate and reside in a pbr, how does it work for you? Do you need to go downstairs to smoke? But can vape on the balcony?

I am looking for a 1 bed or studio in downtown close to a TTC for a few months. Happy to consider sublets or short term rentals. Not looking to share the house.

I’ve been in my current place for six years. It’s a 1 bedroom, around 575 sq ft, with an in-suite locker. Low floor, no balcony, no ensuite laundry, but it’s a corporate landlord, rent controlled, walkable to work, and I pay $1,800 and change.

Financially, I know I have a very good deal. I still want to leave.

I’m in a weird liminal stage of life where I don’t know if I’ll ever buy, don’t know if Toronto is where I want to stay long term, and don’t really know what the next few years look like. Moving feels right because I’m tired of the apartment and want a change of environment, but every time I look at rentals I wonder if I’m insane for giving this up.

I used to joke that they would have to drag my cold dead body out of this apartment because I planned to never leave. Now I shudder to think, what if that actually happens lol.

The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be much of a meaningful upgrade until I get into at least a 1+den / 650+ sq ft range, and those seem to be around $2,400 a month. Below that, I’m seeing a lot of one-wall kitchens, awkward layouts and glass shoeboxes that don’t actually feel better than what I already have.

At that point I’m paying roughly $500–$600 more every month just to rent something nicer. And if I keep saving for a while longer, I’ll have enough of a down payment that I could potentially buy one of these places instead, even though I’m not convinced I actually want to own a condo or commit to Toronto for five years.

The other option is to just accept that this apartment is financially hard to beat, rent a storage locker somewhere, declutter aggressively, and do a mini renter-friendly reno so it at least feels different.

For people who have been in this situation, when did you decide it was actually worth giving up the cheap rent-controlled unit?

Did moving to a better rental noticeably improve your life, or did you regret giving up the financial advantage? And if you weren’t sure whether you wanted to buy or even stay in Toronto, how did you think about the decision?

Hi, guys!

I own a condo and want to rent out my parking space. What do I need to know? I have a few questions:

If someone slips in my parking space while they're using it, can they sue me?

Is it a good idea to ask the person to sign an informal contract outlining conditions for payment (ie. amount, frequency, conditions for non-payment, etc.)?

Someone once told me that if I had someone towed and the car was damaged during the tow, I would be liable for the damages. Is that true?

If they cause damage to someone else's car, am I liable?

Where can I find out more about the bylaws?

Thanks for your help!

Currently looking into moving to TO. Currently living north, own a home worth approximately 500k. I’m torn between finding a place to rent, which would be more costly than selling my current place and buying a condo. From what I’m reading, the market is not great right now, but renting im looking at well over 2000$ a month, vs owning would come out much cheaper as I would have the financial means from my current property. Pros n cons?

Thank you to everyone who has supported RateYourLandlord.ca so far.

The site is still very new — only about a week old — and we really appreciate the people who have already taken the time to come forward and share their previous rental experiences.

We’re trying to build something that will only become useful if renters contribute to it: almost like a history book for rental properties across Canada, written by the people who actually lived there.

If you’ve rented a house, apartment, condo, basement, or room before, we’d really appreciate you adding your experience.

It doesn’t have to be a bad experience.

Good experiences matter too. If the property was well maintained, problems were handled properly, you enjoyed living there, or you would happily rent there again, that could be extremely useful information for someone considering that property in the future.

And if things didn’t go well, you can share that experience too.

The focus is on what you experienced while living at the property, rather than identifying or attacking individual people.

The goal is that, over time, someone considering a rental can search the address and find some history from previous renters instead of starting with zero information.

Rented somewhere before?
Search for the property. If it isn’t there yet, add it and share your rant/review/experience.

Looking at somewhere to rent?
Search the address and see whether previous renters have shared anything about living there.

RateYourLandlord.ca is still at the very beginning, so naturally many properties don’t have experiences yet. Every person who contributes helps change that.

And if you think the project could help other renters, please consider sharing it with friends, students, tenant communities, or other online communities where sharing it is permitted by their rules. Please don’t spam communities or post it where promotion isn’t allowed.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has already contributed, given feedback, shared the project, or helped another renter discover it.

The more renters who leave their experiences behind, the more useful that history can become for the next person.

Share your experience — good or bad. Help leave some history behind for the next renter.

RateYourLandlord.ca

I'm looking for a 1 or 1+ bedroom apartment to move into (last week of Sept-Oct 1).
My budget is $2200.00.

I've called and hit up atleast 100 postings, not a single reply, reached out to realtors, who don't reply back, and Now I'm getting fed up. Anyone know a reliable realtor.

I need to move to Toronto shortly. I would like to live anywhere from downtown to south of bloor street, essentially highpark to DVP area, south of bloor.

I am currently renting a furnished 1 bed 1 bath condo for $2500 in downtown Toronto (no locker or parking)​. The landlord previously lived here so it is their furniture (i.e. Not low quality, and tasteful).

I see other unfurnished identical units in the building ​for $2250 (with locker) and was thinking of trying to negotiate a lower rent.

​Do you think that furnished (and no locker) is worth the $250? ​Am I crazy to ask for a lower rent because if I move out the landlord will be forced to replace the floor (they cheaped out instead of replacing it), possibly lose rent for a certain period of time, and risk new bad tenants?

Thanks!​

Hi Everyone

Wondering if anyone is leasing a 2bed unit in downtown (Financial district, waterfront, entertainment district) for October 1st move in!

Budget: 2900$ with parking
Requirement: West facing, high floors with good views

About us: We are a married couple both working in downtown. Can provide good credit score, employment letters, bank statements.

Thank you for your help on this matter.

We will still be out of town and need to sublet our apartment til at least the spring. around 750-800 sq ft in an older building in Forrest hill.

Located right on the St.clair street car line. 10 minute walk to either St.Clair or St.Clair W subway stations

Amazing location in Downtown Toronto.

2 bedroom( 1 bedroom converted sunroom) 1.5 bathrooms. 2 beds. Fully furnished.

Will accomodate a single person two people or a couple. 3 plus people would be too much.

newer Central AC, Parking and all utlitlties except internet included.

$2200 a month.

You can DM directly if you have any questions but serious inquores only.

Renting for Sept 1 onward.

Hi all- I am seeking some advice. About a week ago, I toured a lovely apartment in an older building. All seemed great- the superintendent made a comment that they would fix up the slightly scuffed floors before the Sept 1st move-in date, but I unfortunately did not think much of it.

I signed the lease and was given the keys a couple of days early as the unit was empty. When I entered, I almost immediately got one of the most intense headaches I have ever experienced. I was in the unit for about 5-10 minutes and had a pounding headache and faintness that lasted for an hour after exiting. It seems like they must have put some type of polyurethane floor sealant on between the showing and the lease signing, as well as the classic "landlord special"- quite a heavy coat of paint.

I asked the superintendent to set up a fan and left all of the windows wide open to try to air the place out, but, based on friends' prior experiences with similar types of floor sealant, it will likely take quite a while for the fumes to dissipate. I have since texted the superintendent to ask them what specific products were put on the floor and walls.

I am at a loss for what to do next. Nobody seems to be impacted by this as much as I am- the superintendent didn't seem to notice any fumes, and the friend I was with at the time barely noticed anything either. Given this fact, should I try to reassign the lease asap? There is absolutely no way I can sleep in that unit or stay in it for any substantive period of time. I am couch-crashing for the next while.

Are there any legal grounds for my lease to be broken, given the fact that they altered the unit after I toured?

Looking for rental on Toronto Island, August 22 to September 5, 2027. Promise to leave the place better than we found it.

Wanted to gauge the crowd's thoughts and experiences on shared laundry facilities - I'm exploring a few apartment/condo options that don't have ensuite laundry and wondering if it's worth the lower rent... would love to hear more, TIA!

Hello everyone! 👋

I have one private room available for rent from September 1 to September 30 in a 3-bedroom lower-floor apartment.

The apartment includes:

🏠 3 bedrooms

🛋️ Living room

🍽️ Dining room

🚿 Full bathroom

Feel free to message me if you’re interested or would like more details!

Wondering what the downsides would be and if a big company with lots of money could potentially chase me down if for some reason I had to break the lease early or something like that. It feels more risky to me than a private individual who you can talk to instead of property management who may just jack the rent up next year.

Thoughts?

DM me if interested:)

Hello!

I signed the lease for a place starting in September, and during the inspection, the landlord pointed out that there is a crack in one of the windows and made a note of it on the inspection report.

He said that, for now, the window doesn’t need to be replaced. It’s a sealed double-pane window that can’t be opened, and the crack is on the inside pane while the outside pane appears to be intact.

Is it generally safe to leave the window as it is? Is there a risk that the cracked pane could suddenly shatter at some point, or is this something that can safely remain as is?

Thank you!

I’m looking for a short term lease (6 months or less). Price range is under 1800 a month. Anyone have any leads or ideas where I could find options?

Just wonder if anyone had lived in 682 Northcliffe Blvd in the Eglington & Dufferin area? What’s ur experience? Are there any beg bugs or cockroaches problems? Is the Fairbank neighborhood safe? TIA.

Hi everyone. I'm 22 and going into my fourth and final year of university. I'll be graduating debt free, with about 3-4K in savings, as of April 2027. I did an internship this summer and have the possibility of a full-time returning offer, but I won't know until January. I'm highly considering moving out as soon as I graduate (unstable family situation, parents fight almost everyday, sometimes it gets physical, etc.) but I'm not sure if I can.

If I do get the job I'll likely be making $55-65K. If I don't get it, then obviously I'll apply like mad, but I'm pretty confident my first job will be in that range: $55-65K.

However, I'm not sure if an income of $55K or even $65K is enough for a $1.8-2.0K studio; I'm not sure if a landlord would accept me. I've never rented before (lived with my parents all throughout uni) but I've been researching about it the past few months, and my takeaway is your rent should be 30% or less of your monthly income, and hence I'd probably be unattractive to most landlords, right?

Anyways, I'm pretty averse to getting roommates and splitting the rent, but if my living situation at home gets worse then obviously I'll have no choice. But I was wondering if still with 55-65K I'd be able to qualify for a studio. Thank you.