Affordable apartments in Toronto

[DaviSP]

Howdy all,

We will be moving to Toronto next year. I have heard that Toronto is a somewhat expensive place to stay, is that true? Can you suggest me some some affordable apartments in Toronto? Both me and husband have got jobs there but we don't want to spend all of our salary into apartment rent. Please help.

 

[steaky]

Have you look at websites such as padmapper.com to see if you can afford?

 

[canuck78]

More affordable apartment often mean less safe neighbourhoods or neighbourhoods not/poorly accessible by public transportation. Toronto is a relatively large city. Really depends on where you live and where you work. Transportation is also no cheap so can often be better to pay a bit more to save time and cost of transportation.

 

[Ansh80can]

Hi All,

I would be arriving in Toronto in Feb end.
Wanted to understand how the market works there.

Planning to book a hotel for initial 4-5 days and look for long term accommodation in that time.

• If we engage some real estate broker, how much do they charge for showing around the properties?
• Is there some fixed fee or we pay only if we finalize to stay in the property shown by them?
• Can we engage more than 1 Real Estate agent and check the properties on their list and finalize the property as per our convenience?
• Are there any Government sponsored agencies helping in this regard?

Thanks in advance !!

 

[canuck78]

Hi All,

I would be arriving in Toronto in Feb end.
Wanted to understand how the market works there.

Planning to book a hotel for initial 4-5 days and look for long term accommodation in that time.

• If we engage some real estate broker, how much do they charge for showing around the properties?
• Is there some fixed fee or we pay only if we finalize to stay in the property shown by them?
• Can we engage more than 1 Real Estate agent and check the properties on their list and finalize the property as per our convenience?
• Are there any Government sponsored agencies helping in this regard?

Thanks in advance !!

Most real estate agents are usually paid by the landlords if they find a tenant for their property. Most rental properties will not be listed by a real estate agent. It will be mostly larger properties and high end properties. Depending on your situation you may have to arrange your own showings. I would suggest looking at the website viewit.ca as well and kijiji and Craigslist.

The rental market in Canada often works in a 60 day rental cycle because most people have to give 2 months notice before they move out. You will also have to pay first and last months rent when you rent a property.

There are no government agencies that will help you to find rental accommodations. Those services are only for asylum seekers who have not been sponsored privately.

 

[canuck78]

The rental market is very competitive in Toronto due to the low vacancy rate so don't wait to long to apply for a property if you are interested.

 

[aircanada]

You often need to apply during or immediately after the viewing to secure an apartment. Outliers aside, majority of one-bedroom apartments will cost between $1500-2200/month.

There are no unsafe neighbourhoods in Toronto.

 

[canuck78]

You often need to apply during or immediately after the viewing to secure an apartment. Outliers aside, majority of one-bedroom apartments will cost between $1500-2200/month.

There are no unsafe neighbourhoods in Toronto.

There are a few areas I would not recommend. Unfortunately they tend to be near areas with lots of subsidized housing.

 

[aircanada]

There are a few areas I would not recommend. Unfortunately they tend to be near areas with lots of subsidized housing.

That's right but even those areas have very low rate of criminal activity.

The thing is that the new immigrants without credit score unless they have a guarantor will often just need to settle for whatever they can find. But that's only the first year, then they can get to know the city, build a credit score and move into somewhere that'll meet their needs better.

 

[canuck78]

There are only a few areas that I would really not recommend. It's a large city but I would suggest a quick Google search of even a phone call to the local police detachment to get their opinion if ever someone is unsure about an area.

 

[rish888]

www.cbc.ca/toronto/features/crimemap/

https://torontolife.com/neighbourhood-rankings/#

Also get a feel for the place. Visit once in the day and more importantly once in the night. Walking around a neighborhood for 15 mins can be quite insightful.

I don't know much about the condition of public housing in Canada, but if it's anything like the projects in the States I would take @canuck78 's advice and avoid those neighborhoods.

Another thing I would look at is schools. If you have school-going kids it would be ideal to get a place in one of the better school districts.

The crime map is a pretty good tool to figure out if an area is safe or not.

 

[aircanada]

I think what people really need to worry about is pest and rodent infestations in apartment buildings.

 

[anujoshi]

Howdy all,

We will be moving to Toronto next year. I have heard that Toronto is a somewhat expensive place to stay, is that true? Can you suggest me some some affordable apartments in Toronto? Both me and husband have got jobs there but we don't want to spend all of our salary into apartment rent. Please help.

In Canada, a study last year revealed that Canadians spend about 43% of their income on housing (rent or mortgage or utilities, etc.) (article: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/canadians-spend-more-of-their-income-on-housing-than-almost-anyone-in-the-world/article21369414/) which is actually not unreasonable.

Depending on where you guys are working, you have a lot of options open to you. And since it's only the two of you, you can get away with a lot less house (usually for families with kids I recommend not compromising on space or location).

Generally, in the Toronto downtown core, a 1-bedroom apartment will put you at about $2000/month plus utilities. Outside the city limits (like Brampton or Mississauga) or on the city outskirts but technically still Toronto (like North York and Etobicoke) you can get similar options for a bit cheaper. In Brampton I got my clients a 2-bedroom condo for $1750/month (utilities included) just 1 week ago, and in Mississauga you can expect about $2100/month for a 2-bedroom condo. Really it depends on a combination of your personal preferences, your budget range, your desired living area/amenities, and where you work.

Let me know if I can help with anything. Good luck!