Apartment Hunting 101

Starting university can mean moving away from your parents and finding a new home closer to your school. Some students opt for residence, while others prefer the idea of living in an apartment.  

I have always been more fond of apartments myself, so I’ll give you a brief rundown of things you should consider when determining the right apartment for you! 

You can start your search by using apartment rental finders such as Zumper (external link, opens in new window) , PadMapper (external link, opens in new window)  and Viewit.ca (external link, opens in new window) . These websites can be very helpful because you can easily filter the results by inputting what amenities you need in an apartment, and also by looking in neighbourhoods that appeal to you. 

Our university also offers off-campus housing support.

The amenities offered in an apartment can affect both your monetary savings and your quality of life. Paying a little extra in rent can actually save you on expenses in the long run!

A fitness studio or a gym in your apartment building can save you time on having to go elsewhere to exercise and potentially on the purchase of a gym membership (though there are no additional costs for gym access at our university). And if you are within walking distance of a grocery store, you can also save money and time by not having to take transportation to get groceries.

You should always go in with a plan before making any major financial decisions. Rent won’t solely make up your monthly expenses. 

If you are not within walking distance of campus, you will have to factor parking or a TTC Monthly Pass (external link, opens in new window)  into your budget. If you’ll be sharing the space with others, you’ll want to think about whether you want to sign an individual or a joint lease. You will also want to find out if utilities are included and if not, then you should determine a rough estimate for how much money to allocate for utilities.

To ensure fair treatment by your landlord and that you are aware of how to navigate the legal processes, it’s important that you know your rights as a tenant. 

Be sure to do some reading using our off-campus housing resources and ask questions before entering into a lease agreement. 

For an in-depth look into apartment hunting, check out the recording of the Finding A Places session (external link, opens in new window) . This session is an hour long and covers housing types, rental costs and search strategies! 

Happy hunting!

- Jeremy