The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Ideal Apartment in Toronto

Apartment hunting is tough in Canada’s hottest rental market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the ideal apartment in Toronto. While it can take more time and effort than you might have hoped, there are still great places to be found and even the odd deal or two.

Follow this guide for all the advice and tips you need to find great apartments for rent in Toronto.

Explore the Neighbourhoods You Like

Toronto has hundreds of different neighbourhoods, many of them with their own unique character and amenities. The city has six boroughs and dozens of neighbourhoods in each of them, so you have some exploring to do.

Downtown, you can find a number of hot condo hubs that are likely to have an abundance of listings. Neighbourhoods like Liberty Village and CityPlace should have plenty of options if you’re looking for modern amenities, appliances, and finishes.

If quieter, older neighbourhoods are more to your liking, go east or west and start exploring neighbourhoods along Toronto’s streetcar lines like Little Italy and the Beaches. If it’s a better deal you’re after, there are still more affordable places to live if you search further out in boroughs like Etobicoke and Scarborough.

Check Out Units Rented Before 2018

Toronto and the rest of Ontario have a form of rent control that limits rent increases for tenants once they’ve moved in. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and not all units are rent controlled.

New buildings, new additions, and new basement units brought onto the market for the first time after November 15, 2018, are exempt from rent control.

Don’t hesitate to ask the landlord or property manager about the status of the unit. Rent control can make a huge difference in your future rent and provides more stability if you think you’re going to stay longer than a year.

If you prefer a newer building with all the best amenities, be prepared for an increase that may be more than others have to pay.

Consider Suburban Hubs

It’s no secret that rents in downtown Toronto are pretty out of control, and apartments in the inner ring neighbourhoods around downtown can be hard to come by. They’re high across the city, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t deals to be found.

Fortunately, you don’t have to live right in the core to enjoy the nightlife and amenities Toronto has to offer. Toronto has a number of transit-oriented suburban hubs with plenty of life and vibrancy, just a subway ride away from downtown.

Check out areas like Yonge and Finch, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, South Etobicoke, and other quickly-growing areas connected by transit.

Find a Roommate

Another way to save on rent is to find a roommate. Often splitting the rent on a bigger apartment is cheaper than getting a smaller unit on your own.

However, living with a roommate is not for everyone. You can increase your chances of having a successful roommate relationship by setting upclear systems for dealing with things like payments, cleaning, boundaries, and how you share common spaces.

Find your perfect Toronto apartment by exploring the city, finding out whether a unit is rent controlled, branching out to suburban hubs, or saving on rent by living with a roommate.