Finding a Place to Live
on this page
Resources
Factors to consider
Assessing buildings
Assessing apartment units
Making a decision
Resources
Housing Connections:
416-327-9000 or housingconnections.ca
A citywide service for subsidized housing. Spend some time looking at available options with a sighted friend or relative. Waiting lists are long. Applying for a place you like will make the wait worthwhile.
Newspapers:
Classified ads are organized by type of accommodation—house, condo, apartment, shared—and listed alphabetically by city area and street.
Community Resources:
Bulletin boards in grocery stores, community centres, laundromats, places of worship or libraries can be good resources for specific neighbourhoods. Also contact your local Community Information Centre or Independent Living Centre.
Yellow pages:
Larger buildings are listed under “Apartments & Buildings.”
Magazines:
Some magazines geared to finding housing also have websites. Examples are realstar.ca and rentersguide.com.
Walking the neighbourhood:
Landlords often post vacancies in front of their buildings. Starting from the closest transit stop, walk as far as you would in bad weather and note the buildings and vacancies that interest you. If you like a building that shows no vacancies, take down the number and inquire about waiting lists.
Word of mouth:
The best places are not advertised publicly. Use the resources of friends and family.
Factors to consider
How much can you afford?
Figure out the amount of rent you can afford by making a budget. Remember to factor in monthly expenses like utilities (heat, electricity, phone, cable), groceries, etc.
What is most important to your lifestyle?
Easy access to transportation, school or work? Or maybe it’s proximity to family and friends, or access to parks and community resources. Do you prefer to live in a particular cultural or ethnic neighbourhood?
What services are important to you?
Do you need ready access to a bank, drugstore, grocery or convenience store? Or perhaps to schools, daycare, hospital facilities, a place of worship or community centre? Identify your priorities so you can focus on the area that is best for you.
If ease of transportation is important, try to live near the place where you spend the most time. Think about the number of rides and transfers. One ride for an hour can be less stressful than switching vehicles three times in 45 minutes. Generally, the closer you are to a subway the more expensive the rent.
Consider street safety and access to transit. Is there a bus shelter? If you have to cross a street is there a traffic light? If you need assistance with a difficult crossing, what is the volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic like?
What kind of accommodation do you like?
Ask a sighted friend or relative to help you with your search. Prepare a list of questions. As a person with impaired vision, you are the best judge of your needs and interests.
Assessing buildings
Questions to ask landlords and superintendents:
- What does the rental fee include (cable, utilities, parking)?
- Is there parking for visitors?
- Is there additional storage space?
- Are there elevators?
- Is the building wheelchair accessible?
- What about maintenance and cleanliness?
- How many units are in the building? (smaller places tend to be friendlier)
- What other facilities are available in the building (a pool, recreation programs, daycare, convenience store)?
- Are pets and children permitted?
- Are there laundry facilities onsite?
- How is the building heated? Can the temperature be controlled by the tenant?
- How far is it to the garbage and laundry room?
- Is the building in good repair?
- Where are the fire alarms and escapes?
Assessing apartment units
Questions to ask when you are looking at a specific apartment unit:
- Is the unit in good repair? Will it be cleaned and painted before I move in?
- How big is the unit?
Many people don’t understand space as a measurement. Ask questions like:
- Can I put a queen size bed in the bedroom and still have room for a desk and dresser?
- Can the living room accommodate a sofa, love seat, chair and entertainment unit?
- Would a table for two fit in the kitchen?
- Is the dining area large enough for six or eight chairs at the table?
- Is there room for a washer and dryer or dishwasher?
- Is the unit air conditioned, or can you install an air conditioner?
- What direction do the windows face?
- Is the apartment light and airy?
- Is there a view and will I need curtains for privacy?
- Are there child safety locks on the windows?
- Is there a balcony, terrace or access to the yard? How secure is the balcony for children?
- How much cupboard and counter space is there in the kitchen and washroom?
- Is there easy access to outdoors for my guide dog?
- Do the floors need refinishing or recarpeting?
- Is there any evidence of mice or bugs in the building or unit? What action will be taken if there is?
- How new or clean are the stove and refrigerator?
- Do the kitchen and washroom taps work? What about the water pressure? Is there any trouble with hot water?
- Is there a working smoke detector in the unit?
- How much closet and cupboard space is there?
Making a decision
Information gathering
- Getting information over the phone reduces the number of places to visit. Prepare to make notes.
- Use your most important questions to weed out inappropriate places. These include questions about rent, utilities, when the unit is available, and first and last months' rent. If you get past this point, use your longer list.
Handling the viewing
- Try to make appointments in the same area for the same day. Expect each viewing to take about 30 minutes.
- Treat the viewing as you would a job interview. Be well groomed, arrive on time, and have your checklist of questions ready. The landlord will get a sense of who you are by the questions you ask. Remember that finding a good tenant is the landlord’s objective. Knowing that someone is caring, clean and planning to stay for a while takes the pressure off. The landlord may even be willing to negotiate the rent.
- If you are really interested, convince the landlord that this is the best place you’ve ever seen and prepare to put down a deposit. Find out if the deposit is refundable and make sure you get a receipt.
Good luck and good hunting!