Accommodation

If a person interested in accommodation and does not known nobody or anybody in Canada who could provide accommodation before coming to Canada, person will have to find a temporary accommodation in the hotel or the hostel after arrival. Hostel is cheap a hotel intended especially for students and young people or for those who have deeper into their pockets. It is, of course, only an emergency solution for several days, respectively, weeks until you find the right accommodation.

When the candidate look for the accommodation must focus mainly on the price and the location of the rent. It is appropriate, not only after arriving to Canada so that the accommodation is closer to work. Before searching a home of the location you move in it, it is good to consult with the local people or at the tourist information point or in the town to ask where it is save to live in and where it is dangerous neighbourhood. Prices of these locations could be very tempting but nightlife on the streets is no longer necessary.

Ways how to find the long-term accommodation:

• Through advertisements in local press or magazines. Current announcements can be found in sections „Accommodation“, „Accommodation for rent“, „Houses”, „Apartments furnished, unfurnished“, „Rooms furnished, unfurnished“, „Shared accommodation“ ect. It exists free advertising magazines, which offers rooms, apartments and houses for rent (Free Housing magazines). They can be found at junctions in big cities.
• Through the Internet. There are a number of websites focus on providing information, about free rooms, flats and houses for rent. We recommend for example: (www.craigslist.ca, www.kijiji.ca,www.rentersguide.com and ect.)
• Walking around the city /village area where you want to live. It is necessary to find announcements „Room for Rent”, „Apartment for Rent”, „Apt. For Rent” or only, For Rent“. Usually, on these announcements are given telephone contact who rents the room(s), the whole apartment or the whole house. If a family house is rented and the phone number is not written on the announcements, usually, you may ask someone, who can contact the owner of the property who lives there. The house which it is rented for somebody, often the owner lives there himself.
• Visiting places such as public laundry, grocery stores, and small shops where there are small bookmarks for advertisements.

Many times, especially in bigger cities, also, apartments are rented by landlords of apartment buildings, where the part of the apartments or all apartments are intended for short or long term to rent. In this case, it is discussed with the terms of rental conditions with the manager of the apartment or with the superintendent. It is compared with the renting of the room, the part of the house or the whole house. The process can be more complicated. The manager of a residential building has fixed rental policy and it can only be reduced to a small extent of withdraw from the requirements of the owners of the apartment building.

It is always good to visit several places, potential rent. It not recommended to be taken in the first option. It is also much easier to find a vacancy to be rented after the summer season. When short-term rentals end with before or during the seasons. Mostly, owners are trying to rent their property for at least one year. It's harder to get rent for shorter time. Nevertheless, after arriving in Canada, we recommend that you agree on the terms of the rental as soon as possible. Especially, if the job seeker does not have the job yet. The short rental can be easily extended but to cancel the long-term is not so easy.

Every visit of potential rent look at the equipment such as for example (whether the refrigerator works, flushes the toilet, the faucets do not flow through it), security features, in the real estate, proximity to public transport, or food. It is also good to ask inhabitants if they are satisfied with housing.

Monthly, the first rent fee is used to be paid with deposit. It is possibly the last monthly rental fee. A deposit is a certain amount of money which it remains throughout the rental period of the owner / manager of the property. In the end of the rental returns after the apartment's check-out of the keys. The deposit is used as a protection for the owner in case of no rent or in the case of damage to the rented property. After signing the rental property of the property. It is necessary to conclude a contract with the electricity supplier on many occasions, phone connection ect. These services are mostly provided by the renter himself.

Before signing the contract

It is important for the owner or the manager go thorough and read the contract of the rental agreement and some uncertainties it is necessary to be consulted. Particular the following areas:

• the amount of monthly rent, deposit;
• on which day of the month shall be paid monthly rents;
• how to pay for renting - cash, check, bank transfer, credit card;
• what includes in the price of housing for example water is always in the price of the rented property; sometimes includes parking, often it's more);
• whether there is a possibility of establishing a Internet or activating cable television;
• whether you can use the wash machine (mostly they are in the flats, the apartment house or the classic house which they are available free or paid "coin" laundry one wash costs from approx. 1.5 CAD, drying from 0.75 CAD);
• whether the rented property has air conditioning and if so, what are its control options;
• whether smoking is possible in a rented building;
• how many days / weeks in advance must be notified to the owner or to the manager of the early termination of the rent (sometimes the rent agreement is concluded for an indefinite period);
• in the case of a shared kitchen, WC or bathroom how many other people use it;
• acceptance pets (dog, cat, etc.) in the rented apartment.

Signed the rented agreement is good to keep in a safe place. It is always advisable to ask for a receipt at any rental payment and keep it well.

Dictionary of abbreviations for advertisements:

Types of accommodation:

Bachelor – one room with separate kitchen and bathroom (small studio)
Studio – the same as a bachelor, but more expensive and thus even better furnished (bigger studio)
Apartment – eg: 1 Bedroom Apt. - living room, kitchen, bathroom and one room
Condominium (Condo) – the apartment that can be bought; part of the apartments in this apartment house is in the ownership and the part is rented; on the ground floor there can be a swimming pool and a gym that residents can use it
Basement – an apartment that is partly or totally below ground level
Penthouse – top-floor apartment with a large terrace and the private entrance from the elevator
Detached house – A stand-alone house is a free-standing residential building.
Semi-detached house – is a single family dwelling house built as one of a pair that share one common sidewall
Townhouse – single-family house of two or sometimes three floors that is usually connected to a similar house by a common sidewall
Duplex – is a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two households. This includes two-floor houses having a complete apartment on each floor.

Prices of the accommodation:

Depends on the location, age and equipment of leased property.
Prices for example. 1-bedroom apartment ranges from 950 CAD, unfurnished apartment from 750 CAD, when leasing one furnished room the fee is 550 or more per month.
Prices of 2 and 3 bedroom apartments ranging depending on equipment from 1000 CAD at 2-bedrooms and from 1400 CAD with 3 rooms. Prices are also affected by the seasonality factor. Before the summer season prices are higher, in the fall lower on the contrary.