Buying a house or condominium of your own might be out of reach in the early days, so like millions of other Canadians you’ll probably start looking to find a good rental apartment.

Renting an apartment is a great way to get on your feet in your new country, and adjust to work, climate, culture, and other factors in a more relaxed environment.

However, while the process of finding a good rental can be smooth and trouble-free, it’s not always the case. The best way to approach it is to educate yourself as much as possible.

You’ll probably have a number of questions about what’s out there, your rights, your landlord’s obligations, rent, lease agreements, and also simply where to begin your search, so read on to get a sense of what you need to know.

A good place to start reading up on rental information is the “Renting a Home in Canada” section of the Government of Canada website.

There you’ll find definitions for landlords, property managers, and superintendents, and outline your landlord’s key responsibilities (collecting rent, keeping your apartment in working condition, and providing everything stated in the lease agreement).

It also outlines your own responsibilities as a renter (like paying rent, keeping things clean and safe, contacting the landlord in case something needs fixed, and so forth).

The Government of Canada website will also touches on moving in and out, how to inspect a lease agreement, what you need to know about rent increases and how to pay your rent, and some other rights.

Important to note on this website are two links: one is an interlink to an Immigrant Service in your area (Immigrant Services can help you look for a place, get a job, get references, and inspect a lease), and the other is to CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Homeowners Corporation).

The CMHC is a great resource for first-time renters, and goes into much greater detail than what you’ll find on the Government of Canada website.

It breaks down the rental education process into five key sections:

1) Getting Started (covering your needs, what a landlord cannot ask you, how to make a good impression, the credit check, and the pros and cons of shared accommodations),

2) Renting a Place to Live (how to evaluate areas, particular rentals, rental agreements, deposits, and safety issues),

3) Once a Rental Agreement Has Been Made (helpful tips for moving in, inspecting the building, paying rent, and landlord responsibilities),

4) Issues During the Tenancy (which covers emergencies, repairs, complaints, rent increases, and renewals), and finally,

5) Moving Out (showing you how to handle inspections, ending an agreement, subletting, and deposits).

There’s certainly a lot to know and be aware of; in fact, we could take up an entire blog post on anyone one of these subsections.

But heading to these three important websites—and especially the CMHC — will make the whole process much easier.

One aspect that isn’t covered comprehensively — and isn’t even that helpful, to be honest — is the listed tips on finding a rental apartment.

These sites still recommend scanning classified ads in newspapers, scouring neighbourhoods for ‘For Rent’ signs, or looking at community bulletin boards. While these techniques can indeed lead to success, they aren’t convenient, or all that effective.

The best way to actually find a place to rent is to use our detailed, easy-to-navigate, and extensive directory of apartment listings. We let you find the apartment that’s right for you without having to wade through dozens of other places that aren’t a good fit.

All you have to do is select the city of your choice, establish some basic parameters (like maximum or minimum rent, how many bedrooms you need, and so forth), and hit search.

You can always continue to narrow the field by setting up more conditions with our great search engine. And best of all, our database not only lets you see clear pictures, maps, floorplans, and even videos of any prospective apartment, but it can put you into direct contact with landlords and property managers, shortening the process and getting you one step closer to settling in.

Moving to a new country is always a challenging and demanding experience.

We’re here to make it a bit easier.

Check back often to see new listings in whichever city you plan to live, and get in touch if you have any questions about our service.

These are the nightly sights and sounds you can experience by living in Port Credit, Mississauga — one of the prettiest, quaintest, and most desirable neighbourhoods in the entire city!

Mississauga itself has some tremendous perks for would-be residents. If you work in Toronto, Burlington, Hamilton, or elsewhere, it’s no sweat heading in: GO Stations (including one right in the heart of Port Credit!), connections to the QEW highway, and multiple MiWay transit lines make the city a commuter’s dream. But living in Mississauga also means lower rent and costs of living than the capital, meaning you’ll save money even with those frequent forays. And Pearson Airport is only a short drive away, giving easy access to flights for extremely mobile professionals.

As for work and education, MoneySense magazine rated Mississauga as the 11^th best city in the country. With many Fortune 500 companies in the banking, pharmaceutical, and finance industries calling it home, it’s a great place to find careers at all levels. You’ve got 15 universities within an hour’s drive, and both Sheridan College and the University of Toronto have Mississauga-based campuses. The city is also home to numerous newcomer families from diverse backgrounds: approximately half the residents speak English as a second (or third, or fourth!) language — meaning there’s probably a cultural heartbeat for you, regardless of where you come from.

In particular, you’re going to want to live in the “Village on the Lake” and start looking for great apartments for rent in Mississauga with our useful directory. Situated at the mouth of the Port Credit River, the Port Credit community boasts a good share of Mississauga’s 480 parks and woodland areas, including JJ Plaus Park, Memorial Park, St. Lawrence Park, Tall Oaks Park, J.C. Saddington Park, and the very fun Jack Darling Memorial Park, where you can catch some rays near the beach, let your dog run wild, share a picnic, or explore the trails. If you’re a golfer, you’ll also want to check out the Mississauga Golf and Country Club, which is a recognizable strip of green across the neighbourhood.

If you can take or leave parks, then maybe you’d rather enjoy out all the amazing shops, boutiques, restaurants, diners, and quaint cafes near the water and marina near Lakeshore Road East, which cuts right through the community (and if you need to do any other shopping, you’re still very close to Square One, of one Canada’s largest shopping centres). Port Credit residents love living so close to the water, feeling those gentle summer breezes blow in off the lake while they check out the Port Credit In-Water Boat Show, the annual Waterfront Festival, Busker Fest, Southside Shuffle Blues Festival, Paint the Town Red, and more. Summer’s such an amazing season in Port Credit — the boardwalk is great for cycling, strolling, and rollerblading, and even better if you want to get into boating yourself!

Right now there are a number of great high-rise apartment listings in the Port Credit community available for you to peruse in our database. Live high in the sky and watch the sun rise and set each night over the lake with an amazing view of Toronto! Let us help you join the old-fashioned, ‘village-within-a-city’ vibes of Port Credit, and start enjoying the good life.