Leasing your First House in Canada
When arriving in Canada on Permanent Residency, you are technically coming to stay. An adventure in the land of gold doesn’t mean that you will be staying on the “road”. You have to search for a house that will be your permanent abode, or probably your first house before you decide to move forward and buy one.
“Which is probably a few months or years away considering the housing market during these days. Phew, are they expensive or really expensive. Leasing your first house in Canada is not as easy as it looks.”
You probably have been through leasing sometime in your life in maybe your country of residence or home country. Leasing your first house in Canada is definitely something to look forward to. Many permanent residents when they leave their home countries don’t know anything about the housing market and how it works. Do you know why that is? Because research is not something everyone does. How do I know this? Because most of the people go through Immigration consultants to complete their PR applications. When you don’t research for yourself on immigration, you don’t have as much information on other aspects as well.
But what I have seen is that once people do get their PRs, they start to look for answers. Because now they have to make a decision to move countries. You will now be going through the Road to Canada, The flight to Canada and of course landing in Canada.
Best Course of Action?
Everyone wants to have that peace before arriving in Canada. The peace and tranquility of home. There is a reason that Home is always attached with the idiom “Home-Sweet-Home”. It is somewhat understandable that the only place that can provide you with peace is home. And nothing compares to the sweetness of the place itself.
The best course of action for finding the perfect home is to start researching on houses prior to moving countries. There are multiple website that have listed properties for lease in Canada. Following few are the ones that I would recommend because I used these to look for our home from U.A.E.
Before you go ahead and click on any of these links and start looking for a lease option, please go through the rest of the blog to understand how you should go about this. Prior to visiting any of these websites you have to answer the following questions:
#1 – Destination City / Locality / Area
Canada consists of 13 provinces with major cities and high population concentration in those cities. Smaller cities in these provinces consist of less population which tends to make them more favorable to arrive in. Considering on your destination of arrival depends on what kind of PR you are arriving on. Which means, that you are either a Federal Skilled Worker or a Provincial Nominee (A completely different topic that we will cover later on).
A Federal Skilled Worker can decide where he will land and search for a job which a Provincial Nominee will have to decide on the cities within the same province that granted him/her the Permanent Residency. Now you have to search for where most of the population is living and which area has most of the employment opportunities. After you have considered this fact, look-up a Postal Code in that area (Go on Google Maps please). This will eventually mark your radius for search in that City/Locality/Area.
#2 – Pricing or Budget
Not all people come with wads of greens or in our case wads of colors in their pockets. Even if you are arriving with enough colors in your pocket, you still don’t want to jump in to the first house you see and pay any amount that the homeowner is asking or the realtor has listed. You have to set a budget in your mind for the monthly that is going to be favorable for your pockets.
Depending on the country of origin, money has different exchange rates, for some Canadian Dollar is similar, mediocre or extremely expensive. Coming from Pakistan you will have a different mindset for monthly budget, similarly U.A.E. and UK residents will have a different set budget for housing. Just to put all of your minds at ease, I have come up with a small table for easy budgeting. Below pricings are based on my research for Ontario and British Columbia because most people prefer landing in these provinces.
| Size | ON Price Range | BC Price Range |
| 1 Bedroom | $1000 – $2000 | $2000 – $4000 |
| 2 Bedroom | $1500 – $2500 | $2500 – $5000 |
| 3 Bedroom | $2000 – $3500 | $3000 – $6000 |
| 4+ Bedroom | $3000 – $6500 | $3500 – $10000 |
These prices depend on various factors like the size (SQM), type of house (Condominium, Detached, Semi-Detached, Townhouse, Apartment, Duplex or Triplex, Basement etc.), area, locality, distance from city centre etc. Do go judging Canada as being expensive as you decide on how much you want to pay and where you want to live.
#3 – Type of House
A very important factor to consider when looking for a house is the type of house you are comfortable living in. Considering my case, I had never lived in an apartment or a condominium ever in my life and was not considering changing my mind now. I don’t like living in high-rises or towers where I have to take elevators or stairs. Does point a finger at my health. Doesn’t it!!
Coming back to the actual point, there are multiple types of living spaces that you can consider and prices differ for each of them. There are many factors that vary with each type of housing. Here are the few types of houses you will be looking at:
Detached House
My personal favourite – You can make as much noise as possible. Because it is completely detached and you don’t have to worry about noise transferring through walls or over the yard fence. These type of houses are separate units and there is at least 4 feet of space between two walls, i.e. between two houses. You have back-yard, parking garage, a front-yard and ample living space. Usually detached houses are 3+ Bedrooms and are the most expensive on the lease pricing.
Semi-Detached
These are two units in a single detached house. Technically means that a detached house has a middle wall that separates two units which are independent of each other i.e. separate entrance and garage, separate back yard, unfortunately not many have front yards. Guess what you have a very close neighbor here. Open the door and just say hi to them, looking at you feet away grabbing their newspaper. Beware, the walls are really thin also. These are usually 2+ Bedrooms and are 2nd expensive in the country.
Townhouses
Now with these, Canada decided that when a detached can become two units as be called a Semi-detached, why not make one huge detached house with at least 5 units in them and call them Townhouses. Similar to Semis these are, as I said, 5+ units in one large house. They have separate entrances and garages, are built on one frame and units are divided with walls. People will be hearing anything and everything you say so make sure that you aren’t fighting early in the morning for when everyone is home. Especially if you have the middle units. These start from 1+ Bedrooms and are priced a little bit cheaper or similar to Semi-Detached houses.
Duplex or Triplex
Take a Detached house, create two or three separate entrances and voila you have a Duplex or a Triplex. In olden days, houses were built with separate entrances to ensure that you can run away if you befall an invasion. JUST KIDDING! These are two or three units in the same house with a front, side and back entrance. All of these entrances have separate units, technically you are living in house 241-of-some-street but your actual address is 1-241-of-some-street or 2-241-of-some-street depending on the unit of the house you are living in. Again, all units are separate and each unit has their own thermostat, which is BIG in the housing industry here. These type of houses start from 1+ Bedrooms and are priced similar to Semis and Townhouses – maybe a tad cheaper – would definitely not bend the bank.
Condominiums or Apartments
Don’t ask me why I am classifying them together. Ok, I will tell you, because both are similar in nature. The only major difference being, Condominiums are individually owned and managed under a Homeowners Association by the help of property Management Company or self. While an apartment is housed within a same complex, building or structure and is owned by the same entity. They usually manage the apartments themselves. These start from 1+ Bedrooms and are priced high because the lease prices include the property management fees etc. I am not a big fan, all of known Motorcycle thefts happen from Condo or Apartment parking lots and I don’t like high-rises anyways as I mentioned.
Basement
Cheapest option in the whole lot. Most of the basements are not legally rent-able but most of the homeowners tend to rent them out as they are cheaper to rent. Basements are found under detached and Semi-Detached houses and often have separate entrances. They are feasible for short-term rentals and can pose a long-term risk due to minimal air-circulation and unfavorable temperatures. Unfortunately, no one installs a separate AC or Furnace for Basements and the controls are central. These are operated and set by the homeowners or first-floor lessors. This eventually poses a problem and most people tend to leave basements for Condos, Apartments or Townhouses just to get away from these issues. And guess what, noise transmission is extremely legible through the thin floors in housings here. These are 1+ bedroom spaces and are priced cheapest in all of the above mentioned options.
#4 – Parking and Public Transit:
When deciding on where you would want to live in Canada. The most important thing is to understand if you would be driving to work, school, grocery etc. or you would be using public transit. In my opinion, both the options will cost you a similar amount of money when renting. It always cancels each other out. With a car you are looking at faster travel and with public transit you are looking at cheaper fare. It will either cost you money or time. Therefore, you decide where you want to live based on availability of parking space or the house being closer to public transit. You do get parking in all of the above options of housing, either paid or free. But public transit is something you need to check out on Google Maps when deciding.
#5 – Safety, Cleanliness and Surrounding Areas:
When deciding on a house to lease, do ensure that you check if the property is safe, clean and within easy access to resources. You don’t want to come to Canada and live in the Neverlands (there is no such area so don’t go searching this on google maps). Ensure that the house was never listed on the bed bugs registry. Also make sure that the locality is safe for families and kids, check with your local realtors and authorities. And lastly, ensure that you have easy access to public transit, groceries, clinics, pharmacies, schools etc.
#6 – Availability:
In Canada, the winter season is considered a dud-season for leasing properties. Properties are limited but are available. The best part is, they are cheaper in the winter season than the summers. Most of the immigrants considering landing in summers due to favorable conditions for travel and arrival in to Canada. They are also reluctant with winters as they don’t know how they will fare with the weather. And no one wants to lug couches in a winter storm. I understand all these things, but trust me when I say, people do shift homes in winters in major metropolitan areas. This is because the city keeps the areas cleaned up and salted.
Leasing your First House in Canada:
There are certain months that would suit you best if you are looking to move to Canada. You should consider arriving Mid-March to Mid-May for best deals in housing lease. For a newcomer to Canada, you also need to understand that you will not get a house leased very easily. Most of the home-owners are reluctant to hand over keys to their houses to new comers. The basic requirements for any new housing lease are:
- Job Offer Letter or Employment Contract
- Credit History in Canada
- References
Being new to Canada you don’t have any of these options unless you have family or friends who can provide the homeowner with their details and rent you a place. I would not suggest putting them through this. It doesn’t serve the purpose with their names being on the lease agreements. Also, they would be on hook for any future troubles that might arise therefore most people avoid doing such favors.
I would suggest asking for help from immigrant-serving organizations. They would find you a place to stay in the interim until you get a job and start making a life in Canada.
My Story:
It is short and simple, I didn’t have to look for a house when I landed in Canada as I had done the research prior to my elder brother leaving U.A.E. We were able to find a basement for him while he was staying at a hotel for 2 weeks. It was the third house that he went to look at; and he mentioned that it was perfect.
As a new immigrant, my brother had to shell out 6 months of rent in cash. Because the homeowner was reluctant to rent out his property to him. Well it was not something we were not ready for and you shouldn’t be surprised either.
Upon my arrival we had a house and a permanent address. We did go ahead and rent out the whole house in three months down the row; as we decided to stick together and live together. And guess what we are still leasing the same home since our family landed in Canada.
It’s a Wrap
To wrap it up, it’s the most important decision and step that you take when you arrive in Canada. And this decision can take up half your monthly salary or the 3rd quarter depending on what you rent out. Do go for a deliberate and thoughtful decision before step forward. You can always consult people and research before you move forward. There are realtors that can guide you and help you in this process.
I came across a really great Realtor during this past year and she has been phenomenal in communications, finding properties and forwarding listings of interest. Recommending her from personal experience, her name is Nalini Lekhram and she is a registered Realtor with OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association). She can be contacted here for your home search in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Again, life of an immigrant is not a bed of flowers in the very beginning as you make life altering decisions at every step. But once the time passes by and all your major decisions are done and dealt with, you go on and live your life as your own. Stay Safe and Stay Connected!!
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