Renter's Toolkit
If you are looking for a place to rent or are renting, these resources can help you search for and secure housing, deal with issues that come up as a tenant, or help you plan your next move.
On this page:
- Preparing for your housing search
- Searching for housing
- Securing housing and making it a home
- Staying housed
- Deciding to move
- Useful links
Help at every step in your renting journey
We've compiled resources to help renters with:
- Answers to common questions about finding and keeping a home
- Links to resources that can help
- Tip sheets you can print and take with you
- Worksheets to guide you through your renting journey
Preparing for housing search
Finding the perfect home can be tough. But the more you plan ahead, the more likely you are to find something that works for you.
This section offers information about housing options and helps you clarify what you need and want. It will also help you ensure you have the income and documents you need to begin searching for housing.
- How to apply for tax benefits and credits
- How to get ID
- How to secure housing in urgent circumstances without ID
- How to get credit and reference checks and why you need them
- How to create a housing plan
- How to narrow your housing search
- Personal monthly budget template
- How to know if your potential roommate/housemate is right for you
- Why planning for your housing search is important
Searching for housing
Use these tip sheets and worksheets to find out where to look for a place, how to talk to potential landlords, how to keep track of your inquiries and viewings, and things to consider when looking at a unit.
- Tips on how to find rental housing
- Where to find online apartment listings
- Understanding rental advertising lingo
- A guide on talking to landlords
- How to create a housing plan
- Keeping track of your unit inquiries
- Apartment comparison checklist
Staying housed
How stable is your housing? The tip sheets and worksheets below will help you understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant and let you know about community resources that can support you to stay housed.
- How to respond to issues that arise during your tenancy
- Missed rent payments and negotiating with your landlord
- What to do if you are unable to pay your utility bills
- Tips and strategies for living with a housemate in shared accommodation
- Making life more affordable: Transportation subsidies and reduced rates
- Dealing with pests
- How to prevent and address home takeovers
- How to respond to an eviction notice
- Services available at Lutherwood
- How to issue a work order
- What to do if you receive an eviction notice
- Understanding the Landlord and Tenant Board
- What happens after your lease expires
Deciding to move
Thinking about moving? This section will help you understand when and how to give proper notice to end your tenancy, how to decide on a termination date, and how to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board if you need to.
Useful links
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Community Legal Education Ontario:Tip sheets are available in French, Arabic, Somali, Chinese, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu. To find a tip sheet, go to the website and select "Housing Law" in the Legal Topic drop-box and select a language in the "Language" drop-box.
- Landlord and Tenant Board
- Waterloo Region Community Legal Services
- Community Legal Education Ontario
- Starling Housing Support
