hello everyone.. can someone pls tell me what the avg rates are (in Cd$) for a 1-bdr apt (furnished and unfurnished) at the various locations mentioned below around Toronto which will help me in deciding where to stay initially when I move to Canada.

fur/unfur
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mississauga -
brampton -
etobicoke -
york -
scarborough -
richmond hill -
markham -
vaughan -
toronto -

any other tips/suggestions to keep in mind that might be useful when selecting an apt ? (like if one of the above locations may not be a safe place to live etc.)

appreciate ur help.

thanks.
AG.

I found a similar question and answer to that.. seems the rates are pretty much the same at all the places that I have listed except for Toronto.. they are all in range of Cd$ 750 - 900 for 1 bdr.. but I guess that is for unfurnished right ? how much more for furnished ?

thanks.
AG.

Furnished apartments are very costly. They ask references and confirmed job in Canada. (in other words same as US credit report)

If you are looking for short term then search in the same board for "short term" housing.

thanks tammudu.

I also see a lot of "paying guest" and "basement apts" available for rent.. but not a lot of general 1 or 2-bdr non-basement apts. Is it that there aren't too many general apts available for rent? I am staying in a 2-bdr apt on 2nd floor right now along with a roomie and was looking for something similar but don't see many ads for these kind of apts under the Classifieds section. Offcourse paying guest and basement apts is not ruled out but my 1st preference would be the general apts.

so can someone pls elaborate a little bit on the above.

thanks.

The ads you see for "paying guest" and "basement apts" are basically by desis who have bought a house and want to rent out either a room in their house or their basement. Since the majority of posters on CanadianDesi classifieds are desis, you won't see too many individual apartment listings. Apartment building are generally managed by corporations as a whole (just like in the U.S.)

The best place to look for these is free booklets in supermarkets. The name of the booklet escapes me now, but I'm sure they must be online, I'll post it if I can think of the name. Or you can always go to google, punch in "Toronto apartment rentals" and sort through the long list.

No one town of GTA is a safe/unsafe place to live, its certain areas within towns that you may wish to avoid. Kinda hard to list them but if you're any such area, you'll know right away. Some general tips I employ while looking at apartments

1) Check cars in the parking lot. Avoid places with a lot of run-down cars
2) Check for amenities in the building, like swimming pool, gym etc etc. (if they exist). Check how clean these are, this will give you an idea on how management maintains the facilities within the building.
3) Check the apt. for clealiness, sunlight and ventilation. Ask how old the building is and what company manages it. I rent a condo in a building managed by "Orange Properties" and am quite impressed with the maintenance. Another popular name in GTA is "Kaneff".
4) Check for proximity to major highways (the 401, 407 and QEW around the GTA), this will be critical when you commute to work.


Barring certain areas of Scarborough and North York, most places generally are quite safe. Where you rent will usually be decided by where you'll work.

Good luck.

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thanks BL.. will keep the tips in mind.

u r right abt the last stmt.. but since I dunno where I am gonna work so have to decide some place to begin with.. and I see all the places are almost equi-distant from Toronto and have the same avg rates.. so I guess any place should be fine.

today was my last day at GE.. have to start packing up for the move.. if nothing else comes up here by this month end then will see u all at the gathering.

have fun.
AG.

oh btw BL u got a good punch line at the end by Homer

Thanks.

I can tell you about the area I live in, maybe you can try apartments around here. Its the Square One (which is a big mall) area in Mississauga.

Its kinda like Missisauga downtown and besides the mall, a lot of other facilities are very close by. A superb library, public transportation, good places to hang out, nice restaurants (both indian and not) and a big desi population. Mississauga is also one of the safest towns in Canada to live in, I've lived here for 2 years without any issues.

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