Renting in the GTA
Everything you need to know,
before you start looking.
Most people start a rental search and find out what is required halfway through, usually on the day they need it. So here is all of it up front. What gets signed, what it costs, what your credit realistically gets you, and what I need to put a strong application in for you.
Then fill in the form and I will build you a real list. It takes about five minutes.
Start the formThe short version
How this actually works
- 1You tell me what you needThe form on this page. Budget, area, timing, who is moving in. About five minutes.
- 2I send you a real listNot everything on the market. The places that fit what you told me and that will actually take you.
- 3We book showingsGrouped into as few trips as I can manage. Tell me which days work and I build around them.
- 4We apply the same dayYour full package goes in while the unit is still warm. In this market the complete application beats the fast one that is missing documents.
- 5Offer acceptedFirst and last month are normally due within 24 hours, usually certified. Then the Ontario Standard Lease gets signed.
- 6Before you get keysTenant insurance in place, utilities switched into your name, and the elevator booked if you are moving into a condo.
Paperwork
What gets signed, and when
Tap any of these to see what it actually is.
RECO Information GuideBefore anything
A guide the province requires me to give you and walk you through before you sign anything with me. It explains your rights and how representation works in Ontario. You do not sign the guide itself, you just have to receive it.
Read it on reco.on.caTenant Representation Agreement, Form 346Before we offer
This makes me your agent, working for you rather than for the landlord. It has to be signed before I can present an offer on your behalf. It does not cost you anything. The landlord pays my fee and the agreement says so in writing.
What is actually on it
- Who you are and the area you are looking in
- The start and end date of the agreement, which is negotiable and usually matches your search
- What I am paid and by whom, which on a residential lease is the landlord's side, not you
- A holdover period, meaning if you lease a place I showed you shortly after the agreement ends, it still counts
- Confirmation that I represent you and owe you full duties, not the landlord
Rental Application, Form 410Before showings
Employment, income, references and your last couple of addresses. We fill it in once and reuse it for every place, which is the whole reason prepared applicants win units. I will email you a fillable copy or you can print it.
What is actually on it
- Your full name, date of birth and current address
- Where you have lived for the last few years and your previous landlords
- Employer, position, how long you have been there, and your income
- A personal reference and usually a work reference
- Everyone who will live in the unit, and any pets
- Vehicle details if there is parking
- Your consent for the landlord to run a credit check
Your credit reportBefore showings
Pull it yourself for free at equifax.ca and send me the PDF. Checking your own credit is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score. Landlords want to see the report and the number on it. This one is effectively mandatory for a residential lease. If you are not comfortable providing it, a private landlord through Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji is a more realistic route, because it carries far less weight there.
What is actually on it
- Your score, which is the number landlords quote
- Every open credit account and its balance
- Your payment history, which matters more than the score itself
- Any collections, bankruptcies or consumer proposals
- Who has checked your credit recently
Photo ID for every adultBefore we offer
Driver's licence or passport for each adult going on the lease. I am required by law to verify the identity of anyone I represent under FINTRAC rules, and every landlord asks for it with the application anyway. You can photograph it on this page.
Two recent pay stubs and a letter of employmentBefore showings
This is what proves you can carry the rent. Self employed instead? Send your last two years of assessments and I will tell you how to present it. Photograph them on this page.
Agreement to Lease, Form 400The offer
The actual offer. Rent, term, deposit, start date, any conditions. Once the landlord signs it back it is binding on both of you.
What is actually on it
- The rent, and exactly what it does and does not include
- The term, normally one year, and the start date
- The deposit, normally first and last month
- Who pays which utilities
- Parking, locker, appliances and anything else included
- Any conditions, for example subject to the landlord approving your application
- An irrevocable time, meaning the deadline for the landlord to accept
Ontario Standard Lease, Form 2229After acceptance
Mandatory on almost every private tenancy in Ontario since 2018 and separate from the Agreement to Lease. The landlord has to give it to you within 21 days of the tenancy starting. Anything written into a lease that contradicts the Residential Tenancies Act cannot be enforced, even if you signed it.
Read the official guide on ontario.caYou can read any of these before you sign a thing. Ask me and I will send the blank form over.
Straight talk
What your credit realistically gets you
There is no legal minimum in Ontario and a landlord cannot refuse you purely for having no credit history. But this is what actually happens in the GTA, so you can plan for it instead of being surprised by it.
700 and up
Everything is open to you, including the new condos and the competitive downtown buildings. Bring the full package and you usually win.
650 to 699
Most condos and apartments will take you. A strong application does the rest. Employment letter, pay stubs, references.
600 to 649
Corporate managed buildings get harder here. We aim at private landlords and smaller buildings instead, and a guarantor or an offer of extra months up front can swing it.
Under 600, or no Canadian credit yet
I will be straight with you. Most of what I can access will decline, and I would rather say that now than after three weeks of showings. Your realistic route is private landlords directly, through Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and local groups, where a guarantor, a few months up front or strong references carry far more weight than a number. If you are new to Canada this is not a black mark, it just has to be explained properly, and I will tell you exactly how. Send the form in anyway and I will give you the script.
Let us start
Tell me what you are looking for
Five minutes. Every question changes what I go and look for.
Step 1 of 3, the search
Questions people actually ask
Before you ask me
Do I pay you anything?+
No. On a residential lease the landlord's side pays the commission. You never get an invoice from me, and the representation agreement puts that in writing.
Why do I fill in an application before I have seen anything?+
Because good units in the GTA get several applications on the same day. We prepare the package once, up front, and reuse it. The complete file almost always beats the faster one that is missing documents.
Why do you need my credit report? Can the landlord not pull it?+
They can, but it is slower and some charge you for it. Pulling it yourself at equifax.ca is free and does not affect your score, and it means we can attach it the moment we apply. It also means you see what the landlord sees before they do. If something on there needs explaining, we explain it first instead of getting declined.
Does checking my own credit lower my score?+
No. Looking at your own report is a soft inquiry and has no effect at all. Only a lender's hard inquiry can move your score.
Why do you need my driver's licence?+
Two reasons. I am legally required to verify the identity of anyone I represent under FINTRAC rules. And every landlord asks for photo ID with the application, so having it ready saves a day when it matters.
How much money do I need on the day?+
First and last month's rent, normally within 24 hours of the offer being accepted and usually by certified cheque or bank draft. Some buildings also take a refundable key deposit. Budget tenant insurance at roughly 20 to 50 dollars a month, because most leases require it before you get keys.
How long does the whole thing take?+
From a complete file to keys is usually one to three weeks. The variable is almost never the market. It is how fast the documents come together. People who arrive with everything ready sign in days.
I have a pet. Does that end it?+
No. A no pets clause in a lease is not enforceable in Ontario under the Residential Tenancies Act. In practice some landlords still screen for it, so we aim at the ones who do not, and a reference letter for your pet genuinely helps.
Two of us are applying. How does that work?+
Each adult on the lease needs their own ID, their own credit report and their own part of the application. Fill this in once for the household and tell me how many adults there are. I will email each person their own link so nobody is chasing anybody for paperwork.
What if my credit is bad?+
I will tell you rather than take you on and waste your time. Read the credit section above. Under 600 your realistic route is private landlords, and I will give you the exact approach that works with them.
This page is general information about renting in Ontario, not legal advice. Form numbers and requirements are current as of September 2026. Nothing here creates a representation relationship. That only happens when we both sign Form 346.