Housing

On January 1, 2023, a federal real estate law prohibits the purchase of residential property from certain nonresidents for a period of two years. This law does not apply to all non-residents and there are exceptions. All permanent residents, refugees and students who have already filed four tax returns in the last five years and who have had 244 days of presence during each year are eligible to purchase a property. Other conditions and situations also apply to non-residents. Also on March 27, 2023, a relaxation of the law allows workers to acquire real estate. We invite you to make an appointment now with our experts to assess your situation and find out if you can buy a property if you are a non-resident.

When you arrive in Canada and even before arriving, we can help you find your home for purchase or rental. The cost of renting a house in Canada, according to each city, includes a different amount that people can rent according to their budget. Renting accommodation is entirely up to the person and the circumstances.

The best place to rent is near the metro and bus station. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on rent, you can also have a roommate so the rental cost is lower for you.

Types of accommodation for rent:

1. Guest house:

The guesthouse is usually a good option for housing newcomers for a considerable period of time. These houses are usually furnished and the payments are daily, weekly or even monthly.

2. Hotel/Motel:

In these places, you can usually rent a room with basic facilities such as toilet, bathroom, television, table and chairs. The amount of rent in these places is usually calculated on a daily basis, sometimes it will be cheaper for you to ask and negotiate to calculate the rent on a weekly basis. Since it is not possible to cook in the hotel or motel and you must eat in the restaurant, the cost of your stay will generally increase.

3. Furnished apartments:

In Canada, many owners rent their units furnished with adequate facilities. Furnishing and adding furniture to the place in Canada has different levels. Therefore, the apartments are divided into semi-furnished and fully furnished.

Semi-furnished apartments in Canada are furnished with basic furniture such as a coffee table, dining table, and bed. In fully furnished apartments, in addition to basic appliances, kitchen utensils such as various dishes, microwaves and coffee makers and household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and irons are also part of the house facilities.

Of course, renting a fully furnished apartment is much cheaper, because one of the advantages of renting a furnished apartment in Canada is that you don’t have to buy or move your furniture and you can rest assured that all necessary furniture in the new apartment is available.

Steps to Renting a House in Canada:

1. Apartment search

You can search for the apartment of your choice online or simply search for it in the neighborhood of your choice.

2. Credit check

Landlords usually go through a credit check process to make sure the tenant is able to pay the rent.

3. Deposit

If there is an agreement between the parties (tenant and landlord) after paying the security deposit (the amount the tenant must pay before living in the rented house), it is time to arrange the lease.

Types of apartment rentals in Canada

• Renting an apartment by lease

In the lease method, the tenant leases the property directly from the landlord or an agent on his behalf. Accordingly, in the event of repairs and cleaning, the owner is obliged to pay the costs. Also, while extending the lease, the rent will increase slightly (up to 3%).

Of course, if there is a problem with the tenant, he (the tenant) is obliged to live in this property until the end of the contract.

• Rent an apartment via Sublet

In this method, the applicant rents the property for a short period of one or two months from the previous tenant. These houses, which are usually furnished and delivered to candidates, can be a good option for short-term candidates.

• Renting an apartment by lease transfer

According to this contract, in case of assignment, the person can assign the rental contract to another person until the end of the period.

Types of houses for rent

Apartments: Houses that together form a building complex.

Detached Single-Family: Homes that are usually built on separate plots of land.

Cottage:  is a form of traditional vernacular architecture of medieval origin, of the rustic country house type of the British Isles1, generally associated with a cottage garden2. The name of this typically English concept is used in several European languages to designate a more or less typical country house. In Quebec, a cottage is a single-family house with two floors above ground.

Plex: Often inhabited by the occupying owner, it is a building with several residential units. Depending on the number of units, we will have Duplexes, Triplexes, Quadruplexes and Quintuplexes. 

Multi-tenant buildings: they are buildings that include 6 or more units. They generate income and the objective of their purchase is often the investment in real estate. 

Multi-row house: row houses or townhouses with a party wall that are placed next to each other.