After you have determined what exactly you are looking for in a rental property, you can begin searching. There are lots of resources to use when looking for a place to rent, but many people don’t know about some of the best ones. The following is a list of general and online resources that will help you in finding the perfect rental property.
TIP: Be the first one to get there
It is important that you keep reviewing posted rental properties that are available and do so quickly, because otherwise it might not be available later on.
General Sources
- Local newspaper and other publications, including community newsletters
- Free rental publications available in local grocery and retail stores
- Bulletin boards at community centres, laundry mats, and places of worship
- Friends and family
- Campus housing offices (for students)
- Local real estate offices
- Driving through neighborhoods with for lease/rent signs. You might just see a certain house or apartment complex that you are interested in. Go inside to talk to the property manager to get more information.
- Local community organizations that provide housing assistance
Online Sources
- Online mailing lists
- Websites with bulletin boards
- Rental websites that specialize in helping people find houses and apartments for rent
- Local newspaper websites
- Community center newspaper websites with classifieds section
Something to remember about online postings
Keep in mind that while online listings have become extremely popular, they do not always list every available rental property or unit. Many of these websites only advertise the more costly rentals, leaving out the inexpensive ones. There are a lot of community papers that have classified sections available online at no charge.
Looking out of town
If you do not currently live in the area where you are looking for a rental property, try to find a friend or family member who does. Finding someone you know that lives in the area that you want to rent in can be very helpful, as you can ask them to gather information on various rental properties for you. If you happen to be moving to a certain area for a new job, your employer might be able to help you out as well. Students who are moving for college or university will find that many of these schools offer student housing services.
By taking the time to do thorough research online, you will be able to find numerous listings for rental properties across Canada as well other information to help you make a final decision of some kind. A majority of websites with rental listings organize them by provinces, regions, and major cities for convenience purposes. There are even certain rental websites that include detail information, including floor plans and even virtual tours of various rental properties.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada also provides a listing of organizations that can be of help to those who are new to the country. If you are looking for a new place to live in Canada, these centers can be a great place to start, as they offer a number of great settlement services. Some of these groups provide consulting services and other forms of assistance that can be very helpful in the immigration process, so it goes as smoothly as possible. You will need to take the time to look into some of these groups, as you will want to get the best possible information to aid in your search for a new place to live in Canada.