Webinars for Newly Admitted Graduate Students - Housing

Hello, hello. I don't think everyone, uh, joins at the same time, so we'll give it a few seconds just to let everyone who registered join in.

This is the housing webinar in the series of information sessions for incoming graduate students at the School of Graduate Studies. So if that's what you sign up for, that you're in the right place.

Hello, Brantley. Thanks for saying hi.

OK, if anyone else is joining, I guess they'll just file in. The registration is still open, so anyone with the link can still join. So we'll get started now. My name is Patrick and I'm here to facilitate the presentation today on housing, and I'm gonna go over some housekeeping before the presentation begins. This presentation is set up so that everyone can see us and the slides that are being presented, but participants won't be able to turn on their.

Or mics. So if you have any questions, you can type it in the chat. But we do ask that you save all questions to the end because there is a good chance that your questions might be answered during the presentation. And also just for the record, this presentation is being recorded and the recording will be available on the same web page that you registered. By the end of next week, both the slides and the recording will be available.

And so I will now hand it over to our expert speaker. I'll turn off my mic and camera since I don't need to speak anymore.

And over to you, UA.

Thank you Patrick, I thank you everybody who said hi and joining us for this webinar today. My name is Yue. Uh, and I use she, her pronouns. Umm, I'm here on behalf of U of T housing services. Uh, thank you everybody for attending again and thanks, uh, Patrick for inviting me. So for today's workshop, we're going to cover detailed steps of how to find a place in Toronto.

So before I get started, I also wanted to, uh, quickly introduce our office and also, uh, what we do here at U of T.

So at Housing Services, we educate students about the renting in Toronto, so we offer search tips and strategies to find a safe and affordable housing. We can connect students with property listings, uh, through our off campus housing Finder. Umm, it's good to note that we are not Realtors, so we're unable to conduct individual housing search on behalf of any students, but we're always happy to provide information resources to facilitate your own housing search.

We can act, uh, we can also assist students with accessing comfort coaching resources and also educate students about their rights and responsibilities as a tenant. Uh, we can provide insights into the tenant law, which is the Residential Tenancies Act or in short, RTA. Umm, it's also good to acknowledge that we are not lawyers, so we're not able to provide individual legal advice.

Umm, but we understand that sometimes, UH students may need legal advice.

So we're always happy to refer and connect students to legal resources and aid if needed.

For the next 45 to 15 minutes, uh, there are two goals that we wanted to achieve. So the first goal is to understand the search process and the second goal is to understand your rights as a prospective tenant in Toronto.

Here you're seeing a general timeline of how to find a place to live. Umm, I do wanted to say that in reality, the process may not look as linear as, uh, it's shown on the slides. You may find yourself jump back and forth from, uh, setting up feelings, uh, submitting rental applications and go back perhaps to Step 2, searching for apartments.

Uh, many students we have talked to, they usually start the process.

Umm, at searching for apartments, but would actually recommend you to, uh, take a few steps back to determine your needs. So understand, uh, what some, uh, what are some housing types available, uh, where you want to live, determine your budget, find your roommates before searching for apartment. Uh, for the rest of this presentation today we're going to, umm, discuss in detail, uh, of each step of this timeline.

So first determine your needs.

When we're talking about housing meats, I wanted to apply first highlighting your tenants rights. So most tenants in Ontario, they are protected under a law called the Residential Tenancies Act or the RTA. So the RTA sets the rules and regulations for landlords and tenants. Umm, it covers common issues such as, umm, rent increases, uh, evictions and uh, maintenance and repairs.

It's good to know that there are exceptions to the RTA, so for example, if you live in a rental unit where you need to share a kitchen or bathroom with the landlord or the landlord's immediate family.

The RTA does not apply to you. The RTA also does not apply to on campus residents.

You maybe wonder, uh, what are some housing options here, uh, in the rental market? So first is renting a room in a shared house or apartment. This tends to be the most economical option. Uh, in this arrangement, you will have your own private bedroom and share some common amenities in the apartment or house such as kitchen, uh, or washroom or living room.

The second option is renting a basement apartment in a house. So a basement apartment could be a completely separate apartment from whoever, uh, lives upstairs.

Umm, sometimes, uh, basement apartment is a studio, but uh, apartment. Or sometimes, uh, a basement apartment could have uh, more than one bedroom.

The third option is UH rent. UH is to rent from a dedicated student or residence housing. So that is not UMM. What we typically refer to as on campus residents are uh housing provided by the university. Those are independent student uh, residence buildings off campus UMM ran and operated by a private entities.

The fourth option is renting, uh, a condo unit or traditional apartment.

The difference between a condo unit, umm, and a traditional apartment is who you're paying your rent to. So for traditional apartment building, you're paying rent to the uh, rental company, and for renting a condo unit, you are paying rent to the homeowner, uh, who owns the condo unit and rent out their, umm, their unit in the rental market.

The final option is renting an entire house, which could be a good option if you have a few roommates to rent together or if, uh, you have family members.

We always recommend that before starting your search, it's very important to understand, uh, your housing budget. So here, uh, as a reference, we have compiled some data, umm, about the average housing costs in Toronto. So here, uh, again, you're seeing, uh, renting a room in a shared house is, uh, the most, uh, affordable option. And we're seeing an average of, uh, $1200 per month. And you can also see that renting.

A1 bedroom apartment is the most expensive option, umm, and we also see that in downtown Toronto, umm, the rent for a one bedroom apartment tends to be a little higher than the average estimated here.

In addition to the rent, there are also other variable costs that we recommend that you take into consideration when you are building your budget. So that includes utility costs such as hydro, Internet, umm, We also wanted you to, uh, understand there's other costs such as tenant insurance, groceries, uh, transits and also, lo, other living costs such as, uh, books, supplies and entertainment.

So why should you get tenant insurance? Umm, so tenant insurance is, uh, different from what the property owner will get, which is their own property insurance. Tenant insurance covers your personal property, umm, and your liability if, umm, somebody gets injured in your home or if there are any accidental damages, umm, in uh, your rent, uh, in your rental unit.

Most UH tenant insurance also cover living expenses.

So if the tenant needs to be relocated, uh, to live elsewhere due to fire, flood or other incidences, umm, tenant insurance will, uh, support the financial cost of it. Umm, typically tenant insurance will range from uh, $20 to $30.00 per month. And most banks and insurance companies offer uh, tenant insurance.

Onto Step 2 of finding roommates. So many of our students, uh, find roommates to save some cost and also they can split rent. So how do you find potential roommates? We have umm, a very fantastic uh, platform called the roommate Finder, umm, it's uh, located in our off campus housing Finder, so.

On our UH Roommate Finder tool, you can uh browse other students roommate profile. You're also very welcome to post your own roommate profile to find potential roommates.

I also encourage you to tap into campus community to connecting with other incoming students that might also be, uh, looking for roommates and also connecting through your personal network, such as asking uh, your uh, uh, friends or classmates from your undergraduate programs, uh, or uh, any clubs that you're, you're involved in to ask uh, whether they're looking for a roommate to run together the next year.

Many of you may be wondering, how do I find the right roommate? Sometimes we may say that uh, even the best, uh, friends may not be the best roommate. Umm. So it's very important to understand the other person's habits, uh, lifestyle, and also more importantly, how respectful and flexible the other person will be, uh, in a shared living arrangement.

We have, umm, a very, uh, useful tool called.

The roommate called the roommate compatibility checklist. So you can use this checklist when you're speaking with a prospective roommate to understand, uh, their, uh, expectations, habits, uh, and what they're looking for in a roommate relationship. Once you have find one or a few roommates, uh, you can also have a sit down conversation with them to set some ground rules such as, uh, quiet hours in the home, uh, expect.

For having guessed over how to pay rent and also other shared costs.

The next step, which is the step you're probably be probably be waiting for since the start of this presentation, is, uh, search for apartments.

One of the most commonly asked questions about searching for apartments is When should I start my search? We recommend that you to start your search 44 to 60 days before the date you want to move in Umm. This is because in Ontario, most tenants own their landlords 60 days uh, written notice before, uh, they can move out. So only by then the landlord will know that their unit will be vacant again and they need to find new tenants.

So if you're looking for a September 1st move in date, uh, you can start your, uh, search, active search in early July, so next week.

Where do you, uh, where can you, uh, look for housing? So first, umm, if you are renting for the first time, umm, I would recommend consider uh, first an independent student housing building. So independent student housing building, like I mentioned, they're not owned or operated by U of T, but most of them strive to have.

A residence like experience, which means most of the tenants living there would be students enrolled in a post secondary institution.

They will also have residence life events, umm, workshops, programs, umm, uh, to help you connect with other students who live in the same building.

Here are some independent student residences in downtown Toronto. I recommend UMM that you either take a screenshot or take a photo of this slide so that you can do research on different UMM housing option on your own. Like I mentioned, most of them have a streamlined application process which means.

I'm interested individuals can directly contact uh their office.

Or complete their online application to apply to live in those spaces.

There is also the option to search on your own. So we have umm, our listing platform called the University of Toronto Housing Finder. So on this housing Finder, uh, many landlords or rental companies in the Greater Toronto area, they will post their rental listings on the site with the hope to find.

Uh tenants who are U of T students, so you cannot log in UH with your joint ID or YouTube ID credentials.

Umm once you log in, click on housing on top of the website and then you will be able to shortlist different listings based on distance to campus, your budget, and also different housing type.

There are many other umm, places where you can look for housing, so I have listed a few here. Uh, each of them, uh, provides different features. For example, if you are very interested in apartments, umm, uh, so traditional apartment buildings, umm, you can take a look of viewit.ca umm, and if you're particularly interested in renting a condo unit, for example, condos.ca is a good place.

Umm, and many of you I understand may also uh, considering working with a realtor to find a place in Toronto. So realtor.ca is a good website to find a realtor, umm, and also their brokerage uh, information. Umm, realtor.ca is also a good listing platforms that have uh, many rental listings.

I understand that, uh, search, uh, searching for housing can be stressful sometimes, so I wanted to offer some tips. Umm, the first tip is to be persistent. So that means, uh, you will apply for more than one place. Uh, it's very common to, uh, apply to multiple places and sometimes you may not hear back or you may only get the place you want after applying for more than 510 places.

So definitely be persistent.

Umm the I also I always say to our students that umm, sometimes the right housing option will come with time umm so don't be upset if you don't get the 1st place that you apply.

The second tip is to be flexible. So that means understanding what are your, some, some of your housing must have or housing priorities and identify what are some of the good to have. Uh, So for example, for me, uh, myself personally, proximity, uh, or convenience, uh, is very important. So I look for housing near, uh, public transit, umm, or.

Umm, near any subway stops or, uh, train stations.

And some of my good to have for housing would be perhaps having a gym that's that looks new, but that's not a perfectly must have for me. So definitely be flexible and this will help you shortlist your housing options.

The third tip is, is to understand the process and be prepared, which is what you're doing right now, umm, if you have a hard time, uh, narrowing down your housing priorities.

There are three factors that I recommend that you to take a, take a look. So first is, uh, safety. So while safety is, umm, very subjective to everyone, umm, when I'm talking about, uh, housing safety in general, uh, it's very important to assess if a place meets, umm, uh, general, uh, health and safety standards as it's not, it's not, uh, it's not worth, uh, living somewhere that's cheap, but compromise your own.

Uh, personal safety and well-being. The second priority is affordability. So understanding your budget and also, uh, make an informed budget where, umm, you can also, uh, enjoy, enjoy other aspects of your life and allocated funds, uh, elsewhere in your, in your life. The third, uh, priority is proximity, like I mentioned, uh, thinking about your course schedule or work schedule.

Umm, and to have a reasonable commute time.

I wanted to also, uh, share some information about void uh, uh, about avoiding rental scams as unfortunately they do happen, umm, in uh, in the rental market. So the first tip is to verify the property on Google and make sure that it, uh, the address is actually a residential address. Umm, when you're unsure, uh, it's perfectly within your right to ask your uh.

Lord for a proof of ownership, such as by asking umm, a proof that they pay property tax or uh, legal documents such as, uh, land transfer document. The second tip is to keep your cash close and know when you're required to make any payment. The only time that you are required to pay is when you're assigning a lease agreement.

And legally, you're only, uh, required for the last month of rent, which is applied as a rent deposit.

And a refundable key deposit. There are uh, there is no other fees such as security fees, cleaning fees or a fee, uh, to view a rental unit.

The third tip is to understand the market. So having understanding, uh, of the average, uh, rental price in the desired area that you're looking for. So for example, if you see a one bedroom apartment listed at $800 on Bay St. it's very likely a scam.

And always keep your regard up. So if you are unsure, you can definitely, uh, reach out to us, uh, for uh, for feedback and help, umm, and also check the place out if you can, even if it's through a live virtual being.

Moving on to Step 4, setting up your viewings. So how can you set up your viewing once you have?

Sorry, just navigating my slides here.

OK, we're back on. So how do you set up your reviewing? So for example, if you have a few listings that you have shortlisted on different rental listing platforms?

The next step is to set up viewings, uh, so that you can inspect this apartment, Umm, in this step, you do not need to disclose too much information. You just need to, uh, share your name. Where did you find this? Place the address of the rental unit and provide some of your availability to attend the viewing or attend a live virtual viewing.

When you're touring an apartment, it's important to inspect the apartment properly. Umm, we have a apartment viewing checklist which can be helpful if it's first time that you are expecting an apartment. It points you to where you can, uh, take a close, close closer look at umm. We also have a landlord Q&A sheets as, umm, when you're doing your viewing it will be likely the landlords or the property manager.

Who will show you around so you can ask questions to the landlords such as how are utilities paid? What are the heating system in this build, uh, building, uh, how does the heating system in this building, uh, work? Umm, how does the garbage disposal in this, uh, building work? So definitely ask those questions when you are attending a viewing.

We understand that many of you may be located outside of Toronto while you're doing your housing search, so here are some tips if you are searching while living outside of Toronto. First is to consider a UH student housing building. Umm, that is mainly because umm, most student housing buildings, they have information publicly available on their website.

It's also relatively easier to conduct, uh research such as, umm, previous reviews.

Umm, of those housing options easily online. And the second reason is most of them have a streamline application process which could be friendly if uh, you cannot umm, visit or attend viewing in person.

The second tip is to work with a realtor or uh, a real estate agent, Umm, it is a free service to work with a realtor, uh, to find a place as their Commission is paid by the landlord. So a realtor can uh, take care of many administrative work in the housing search process, such as by helping you shortlist, uh, listings, setting up viewings, and also helping you with umm, umm, applying for.

Place, uh, submitting your rental application and helping you with signing a lease. Umm, it's good to know that, uh, when you're working with a realtor, it's very likely that they can only find rental listings that are on or sometimes above the market price.

You can also come to Toronto early, uh, stay in temporary housing such as an Airbnb, hotel, uh, for a week and uh, attend in person viewings during this time.

The other option, which uh, many students shared with us, is that sometimes finding a Canadian roommate can be, umm, a fairly quicker way of, uh, finding housing, as this Canadian roommate may already have a place and they may just be looking, uh, for another umm, roommate to fill in, uh, their rental unit.

Once you have, uh, towards the apartment and if you're interested in living in this place, the next step is to submit your rental application. So your rental application is a compilation of documents that would help the landlord assess whether you will be a reliable tenant to have. So in order to prepare your rental application, there are some documents that you can prepare early, even if, when you're not actively searching.

So first you will need to come up with a plan to pay rent. So whether that's through your, uh, personal saving, employment income scholarship or if, umm, you will not be paying, uh, rent by yourself, such as, uh, you might have family support, then you may need to have, uh, a guarantor. So regardless what, uh, whether you're using a guarantor or not.

Umm, most likely the the landlord will also ask for a credit score.

Which is the 3 digits or that assess how this person has been paying their bills in the past?

Umm, if you want to use a guarantor, then the guarantor needs to supply their own credit score and also their employment information such as their employment letter and also our recent pay stubs.

If you plan to pay rent by yourself, then you need to.

Provide documents that can demonstrate your plan, such as by providing a document that indicates you receive scholarship or a bank statement state stating that you have some funds set aside uh for paying rent for at least for a few months.

Umm, in a rental application, uh, landlords will also ask for references. So this could be a previous landlord or, uh, it can also be anybody that you know, umm, for more than a year that can speak to your character, umm, and speak with the future landlord and so, so that they know you are a good tenant to have.

As mentioned earlier, a guarantor is somebody that can take financial responsibilities for you. Umm, so this might mean that they will be paying rent, uh, you're entirely rent or they would agree to pay rent if, uh, the tenant, uh, themselves do not pay. So in Toronto, typically guarantor needs to have a Canadian credit score and, uh, working history.

Umm, this is because they need to, uh, demonstrate that they can afford their own living expenses as well as yours.

But I also wanted to say that, uh, landlords shouldn't be asking a guarantor just because the tenant, umm, uh, is the student. So the landlord should, landlords should also assess, umm, how, uh, the tenant will be paying rent. And I always recommend that when you're preparing your rental application, think about your plan to pay rent and compile those evidence so that you can present to the future landlords.

Umm, many students ask us, uh, do I need to give my social insurance number, uh, during the rental application stage? So the short answer is no, umm, your social insurance insurance number is, uh, confidential information that shouldn't be, uh, shared with, umm, umm, a prospective landlord. If a landlords, uh, need a credit, uh, report, you can just, uh, provide your credit report, uh, instead of.

Insurance number.

It's important to know that a landlord can, umm, assess if this person will be a good tenant based on value factors, but not on discriminatory factors. So they can ask questions related to the tendency and also your employment and income information, such as how you're going to pay your rent, but they cannot ask you personal questions that interfere with your rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Moving on to step 6, so say that you have submitted your rental application and it's accepted. The next step is to sign a lease agreement.

A lease agreement is, uh, once it's signed by both parties, it is uh, a legally binding contract between the tenant and the landlord. We recommend uh, to get your lease in writing and also be sure to use the Ontario Standard lease form when assigning a lease. So when you're signing a lease, uh, it's important to collect key information.

Of the landlord, such as their full legal name, emergency contact information.

Of both their phone and e-mail and also make sure to read your lease agreement in detail before signing. It's good to know that only valid terms in the lease can be upheld. So for example, if on the lease agreement it says the tenant needs to do maintenance of the rental unit uh, this term cannot be upheld even if you sign this lease. That's because according to the residential tendencies act it's the.

Responsibility to do regular maintenance of the unit.

Most leases in Ontario, they are 12 months in length. Uh, once it's signed there, uh, it becomes a legally binding contract. If you, uh, are going to move out before the 12 months, this is considered breaking the contract and a landlord has very little financial incentive to agree to it. If you're leaving at the end of your lease, uh, term, you will, uh, you owe your landlord 60 days minimum written notice of your.

Tend to move out. If you want to continue living your unit past the, uh, 12 months. You do not need to do anything. Your uh fixed term lease agreement will simply roll over to a month to month lease without signing a new agreement.

Your landlord is allowed to raise your rent, but there are some rules that they need to follow. So landlords, uh is only allowed to raise your rent once in a 12 month period and they must give their tenant at least 90 days notice in writing. Umm, it's good to know that if you live in a unit that is constructed before November 15, 2018, there is a rent cap in place. So for the year of 2025.

Umm, the rent cap is 2.5%.

Unfortunately, there is no rent cap for a unit constructed after November 15, 2018. So if you intend to stay in a place for longer than a year, you may wish to look for older unit to rent.

I'm going to switch gears and, uh, talk a little bit about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.

As a tenant, uh, you have many rights under the Residential Tenancies Act, uh, so I have listed some examples here. As a tenant, you have the right to a safe home, umm, right Vital services such as hot and cold waters, uh, and heat. You also have the right to privacy, which means your landlord needs to give at least 24 hours notice.

Before entering into your home, you also have the right to control the rent increases and protection from unlawful eviction children in your home, as well as, uh, legal documents such as, umm, your lease agreement.

As a tenant, you also have some responsibilities. Uh, so before you move in, uh, make sure that you're prepared to be committed for the lease term, uh, and pay your refundable key deposit, uh, and your first and last month of rent. Uh, it's also recommended to take photos of the unit prior to move in if you rent, uh, an, a condo unit or apartment unit that's, uh, in a high rise building.

It's your responsibility to book elevator for move in.

Especially if you have big furnitures. Umm. And before you move in, arrange for utility connections and setting up tenant insurance.

Once you move in, it's your responsibility to keep your own home clean, uh, and repair damages that you cost, uh, cost. But it's, uh, important to, umm, note that it's the landlord's responsibilities to do regular maintenance of the rental unit. Once you're in, uh, your lease, you will be expected to honor your lease agreement and pay rent on time.

I wanted to share, uh, a very, umm, amazing resource, which myself something, uh, often reference on regarding, uh, legal questions about the finding a place or tenant questions in general. Uh, it's called steps to Justice. So they have uh, specific section about renting a new place to live.

Umm, that includes common questions such as how do I get my landlord to use the Ontario standard lease form? Uh, or how do I get my landlords to provide me with a receipt? Uh, what kind of depo deposits are legal? So if you have, uh, legal questions, this would be uh, the first website that you can take a look at.

Umm, at Housing Services, we're also, umm, happy to connect you with resources, umm, or helping you access some of the resources and service, uh, within the university and also in the community. So you can, uh, contact us by e-mail at housing.services@utoronto.ca. Uh, you're also very welcome to book a one-on-one appointment with us on Folio if you have any questions.

OK, so that concludes the formal part of this, uh, presentation. I wanted to give some time to the audience to see whether there are any questions.

No, Umm.

It doesn't look like there are any questions. Uh, not that I can see. I don't think you see anything either, right? UA? OK, so I think at this point, on behalf of the School of Graduate Studies, thank you so much, Yui for sharing your time and expertise with us. Again, this recording will be available by the end of next week if anyone wants to review it along with the slides. And I with that, thank you again, Yue. Have a good day, everyone.

Thank you. Bye.

Bye bye.