r/TorontoRenting

I’m in Toronto and currently have a fixed-term lease until Nov 30, 2026. Rent is below market and the unit is rent-controlled. I really like the place & area itself and I want to stay long-term and have been a good tenant.

My landlord prefers fixed-term leases. Last year’s lease included: “Tenant agrees to provide a minimum of 60 days notice of intention to terminate.” She says this essentially means I can leave with 60 days’ notice. This has been my 2nd year in the apartment & they only take rent via post-dated cheques.

For renewal, I asked to go month-to-month instead. He wants I sign another fixed term & is rather insistent on it, not budging at all. After asking for a concession on rent increase at least he offered to increase by 0.6%. Even with the rent increase the place is below market. Their reasoning for the lease is that they want an updated document to present whenever they need to, for a bank or etc. They’ve said repeatedly that the lease is only used as a document they maintain, & that if I give notice they would let me out before the fixed term. They let the previous tenant before me out few months early too.

Again, I genuinely really like the place & the rent I aj paying, I would ideally like to stay long term if I could.

My concern is whether refusing his preferred fixed-term lease could cause problems or make the landlord relationship difficult, even though month-to-month is legally allowed.

I would appreciate any advice, I do want to continue enjoying my stay in this place I like but I don’t want to be caught in a back & forth and put myself in a position where the LL is making things difficult & unpleasant for me. Thanks!

Edit: I do understand that the lease goes monthly regardless, but my main concern is if the relationship with the LL becomes so unpleasant & they try to make it so I want to leave (continuous visits, etc - which has never happened yet, they’ve been nice so far) - because end of the day the place itself I genuinely really like. Just don’t want to be constantly at odds with the owner of the place I’m living in if it causes me stress.

Edit 2: Would also like to highlight that for the previous tenant, the LL let them out of the lease 6 months before the end of the lease term with no hesitation, so said the tenant.

Hi everyone! Rory here from the Olivia Chow Campaign. I am one of our two field directors for the campaign. I’ve worked in Toronto politics for over a decade, and I’m an obsessive campaigner. 

I’m here to answer your questions about campaigns (what is a field team?), Toronto sports teams, how campaigns win, general hot takes on Toronto food, the best streetcar route (it’s the 512), my favourite AMAs ever, and whatever else you’d like to discuss today!

I’ll be here from 12PM to 1PM, and might pop in after that to clean up some other questions.

Ask me anything!

Campaign links!

• Sign up to volunteer with us
• Let us know we can count on your support

Advance polls open tomorrow and are open Oct 6 to 11! Please make sure to get out there and vote!

Edit: 1:49PM - hopping off! Thanks for all the questions - I'll poke around in the next couple days for some more follow ups!

https://preview.redd.it/vb2mfw3u0oth1.jpg?width=1917&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20d1395a99df0be2eb4162af33a586c42bd0306b

I live in a very old apartment building in Toronto, and when I moved in I didn’t realize that there is no exhaust fan/range hood above the stove at all. (I know this is on me)

I spoke with management, and because of the age of the building, they said they’re not required to install one and basically recommended keeping the windows open while cooking.

The problem is that this isn’t really practical. My apartment doesn’t have a balcony, and the nearest window is quite far from the stove. Even with the windows open, whenever I cook, the cooking fumes and smells linger throughout the apartment. Over time, I’ve noticed that everything in the apartment is starting to smell like cooking clothes, furniture, etc.

I’m not really looking to fight with management about installing a proper exhaust system that feels like a lost battle. I want to find something I can do on my end.
Has anyone dealt with this in an older Toronto apartment?

Are there any portable exhaust fans, air purifiers, window fans, recirculating range hoods, or other setups that actually work for this situation?
Since the window isn’t directly beside the stove, I want to if possible how can I move the cooking air toward the window and get it outside, or just filtering the air after the fact.

I’d really appreciate recommendations from anyone who’s dealt with a kitchen like this!

i’m looking to move to toronto in nov or dec. i’ve been looking at units with a realtor since september. i’ve seen 4 units so far and put in applications for 2. both applications were denied.

i have a great credit score, i’m offering 4 months of rent upfront since my job is a contract, i have solid references, i’m a non-smoker, non-drinker, and have no pets. i want a 1bd unit for $2300 or less within 20 minutes to st. andrew station.

the layouts suck. the price you pay and the unit you get doesn’t seem like a fair trade off. the building management is poor. older buildings have pest issues or old appliances/amenities. the landlords have weird rules in their documents, such as a $300 cleaning fee, having to notify them if i have guests staying for over 72 hours, repair fees for appliances. sure, i could agree to them but those rules aren’t legal or enforceable! but if i don’t agree to them, it makes me a weaker applicant.

i am just so demotivated. nothing i like is within my budget and if i do apply, i get denied. good units end up leasing before i can even schedule a viewing. i’m a commuter, so moving to toronto is supposed to save me a lot of time and headache. now if i could only get accepted for a rental…

please share your success stories or any advice!

Has anyone had any experience with this. I live in a 20 floor apartment building and I was thinking of getting a portable or countertop dishwasher for hard to clean dishes.

It's not explicitly said I can't in my lease, but I've read that some buildings can't handle it.

Anyone with any experience?

Hi everyone,

I have recently moved into a basement suite without considering the fact that there would be so many bugs down there. I have an absolutely crippling phobia of house centipedes and it is quite frankly ruining my wellbeing. All i think about all day is how i’m going to find one at night.

There are some days where i find up to 3-4 of any size (small to really big). I understand that they are good for the ecosystem and kill all the unwanted bugs (such as silverfish) but it doesn’t matter to me, it is ruining how i function in my daily life.

Tha measures Ive taken so far are a dehumidifier running at 40%, sticky bug traps, and spraying ortho home defence. I think it has helped to reduce the number bit, but i’m still finding a few daily.

Would an exterminator help reduce the numbers especially since they would help target the silverfish and other prey bugs they eat? Please let me know, thanks!

This is probably an irrational fear but something I’ve been thinking about as I move into my unit.. do you treat your rental unit like a home and buy furniture you love and put paintings up to make the place aesthetically pleasing? Or do you worry that you may have to move out any month and will need to remove everything and as a result you just get the bare minimum furniture?

Hey everyone,

My roommates and I just moved from North Vancouver and just secured a place in downtown Toronto near the Harbourfront area. Since we are totally new to the Toronto rental market, we are trying to figure out if we actually got a solid deal or if we overpaid.
It is a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom place. The base rent is $3,907 per month.

Two out of the three of us have cars, and parking is an extra $200 per month per spot (so $400 total for parking). We are splitting the total cost of $4,307 like this:

Roommate 1 (with car): $1,502
Roommate 2 (with car): $1,502
Roommate 3 (no car): $1,302

In addition the suite is new and never lived in so we are the first to be living in it.

Coming from Vancouver, housing prices are always crazy, but we don't have a great benchmark for what a 3-bed, 3-bath right by the water should actually cost here. Is under $4k for a 3B/3B downtown considered a win, or is Harbourfront overpriced for what you get?

Would love to hear some honest thoughts from locals on whether we did okay or if we got locked into a bad rate. Thanks!

I'm sick and tired of realtors who don't respond. The condos.ca guys just ghost me. I did one showing with them, contacted again for a different unit. Ghosted. I'm serious about moving!!

If you're a serious realtor in toronto, will actually respond to my messages, and available for viewings In the next weeks, please reach out. I will be asking for proof/your realtor.ca page.

No, I dont know anyone for a referral. I'm brand new here. Even the reddit post ab how to find a realtor without a referral has the top comment is "ideally a referral". Give me actionable advice instead.

Edit: thank you everyone. Ive found a realtor now. Thanks for all the recommendations

Hi everyone. I’m a 25-year-old female who recently has had some struggles at home and is looking for a place of my own. I have currently been staying with my boyfriend, but don’t have it in me to ask his mom if I can stay here short term, pay her a couple hundred dollars a month until I get back on my feet. I recently had to file a consumer proposal which significantly dropped my credit score. I do have stable income, which keeps me afloat at times. Are my chances of getting into a basement apartment minimal due to my very BAD credit score? Where should I begin if im looking for resources. Just to preface, my credit score dropped to a 415 due to my consumer proposal.

I am looking an apartment located in the middle of Sherbourne and Carlton and Sherbourne Wellsley intersection. Anyone has experienced living in the area? I am very tempted right now because of the unit size. I am Currently living in UofT which is just great over all, but I am trying to move out as I need more space.

I signed a lease with Briarlane for 25 saint mary street in June, i have to leave canada because of visa problems so i found someone to take over my lease. When i signed my lease i paid last month's rent and the new tenant i found had to pay the last month's lease again.

They charged me 210 dollars in fees for handling the lease transfer paperwork but are now holding to the two last month's rent deposit and saying that IF there's any money to be given to me, it'll be mailed by cheque at the end of the contract.

Is that legal? I have to leave canada by October 20th and don't know what i could do before that to have my money back

Looking for a studio in CityPlace/King W/Richmond W/Adelaide W/Front W for Nov 1. I’ve seen a few options within my budget but don’t love any of them. My realtor is recommending me to pick one, but should I wait a few more days to see if better listings come up? Am I being too picky, or is this just how renting in Toronto is? Any tips would be appreciated!

Are ya'll also getting told you must sign a rep agreement with a realtor to view anything? I find this wild. First of all, I dont even know this person I've just met and if they will actually commit time to me and second, it's a damn rental. This is getting out of hand with the gatekeeping by them infiltrating the rental space. I've had someone tell me it is legally required. Absolutely ridiculous and untrue.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering an apartment at 85 Wellesley St East. I am familiar with the area but my concern is the safety of the Wellesley & Church St intersection. Does anyone have experience with the 85 Wellesley St e or with living in that intersection? I would especially appreciate the point of view of a woman and if it is safe late at night/ early in the morning/ winter?

Is it as unsafe as say Sherboune & Dundas?

Hi Everyone,

I'm a graduate student at UofT St. George.

Looking for a room or studio apartment to rent right near campus from Oct 15 to Dec 31. Dates are flexible plus minus 10 days. Would prefer a separate bathroom, but open to shared facilities depending on the number of roommates.

Trying to keep the budget as low as possible. My family lives in the GTA, so i'll be gone most weekends. I also don't plan on cooking much if at all.

Would appreciate any leads.