Hello everyone,
I am hoping someone can help me with some advice..
Hubby starting a job in Toronto in April, it is a permanent post but as I have never been to Toronto We have decided to rent our house out here in Hertfordshire and rent over there for two years and see how it goes..

Do not know where to start..his job is in Thornhill, north of Toronto..does anyone know which neighbourhoods would be good to look for a home to rent?

We have a 4 year old son and don't know whether we should pick a school first then try to find a nearby home, I believe you have no OFSTED to grade schools so how do you know where to start?

I have so little time to organise this that any tips would be much appreciated.

Don't fret about schools with a 4-year old. They're all OK. In Thornhill you'll be in York Region District School Board territory. My wife is a recently retired teacher-librarian from YRDSB so feel free to ask about specific schools.

The Richmond Hill in my location is about 8 km north of Thornhill. I could advise about specific areas here.

BTW what are you looking to rent? A house, a condo, something else.

Have a look at www.viewit.ca

Oh Thankyou so much Novocastrian, we are pretty open to a house or a condo, but we don't want a basement. We have been told Richmond hill is good, or Aurora or Thornhill.
I am just in a panic because this came about quite quickly and I don't know where to start. I am extremely optimistic and excited about Canada, it's the logistics of getting over there that worry me.

I would really appreciate your advice about Richmond Hill and other areas that may be suitable. Hubby will work in Thornhill and will have a car to commute.

RH to Thornhill is an easy commute either by car or on the Viva bus down Yonge Street. For the latter you'd want to be walking distance (in winter) to Yonge at both ends.

Have a look at viewit (or kijiji, but beware of scams). Feel free to ask for advice. e.g. Aurora is not a brilliant choice.

edit: PS any idea of a budget for the rent?

You will find it difficult, IMO, to rent a house without a basement. They are standard in houses in Canada.

I took the OP's meaning as being not a basement apartment. If not, of course you're right.

Yes, actually I did mean, I don't fancy living in a basement, no problem with having a basement

Initial hopes are for rent to be no more than $1800 per month.

What sort of scams should I be aware of on rental sites? Thanks in advance.

I think viewit is safe, indeed anything being offered by an agency too. One hears of private "landlords" on kijiji, craigslist etc who advertise apartments or houses for rent, accept a deposit from tenants who are unable to view (renting in advance of a long distance relocation, like yourself, then disappear.

I also live in Richmond Hill, have been here 18 mths and can recommend it as a generally pleasant area to live with young kids, close to Thornhill.
Regarding schools, in the state system you can either chose regular public school or catholic if you prefer. Your school is determined by where you live, as in the UK.
The state system for 4-6 yr olds, ie Kindergarten, in my personal experience has been great. Full time Kindergarten is available now in most schools and is a great learning via play programme. In my honest opinion, its after that there are some variations in what you get - the quality of some schools differs according to area, demographics, individual principal & teachers.
You are right, there is no OFSTED. There is EQAO assessment, which can give you an indication www.eqao.com or you can look at the Fraser report www.compareschoolrankings.org
Neither are brilliant but may help give you a flavour. Please PM me if I can help further .I remember being in your situation only too well!

Thanks for your help. Sure I will have a lot more questions over the coming weeks

Just playing devil's advocate here but another thing to consider is living closer to the city and doing the reverse commute to Thornhill (heading away from the city in the morning and back into the city in the evening). Of course, this depends on your preferences i.e. do you really want to live in suburbia or would you prefer to experience something more urban and closer to the action. There are some great neighborhoods in Midtown and Uptown Toronto e.g. along Yonge St around Lawrence, Eglinton, Davisville, Summerhill, etc. that are close to the subway and easy access to downtown. Just something to consider.

http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/

Fair point, but you'll get more for your rental money further north. The OP mentioned $1800 which works in Thornhill or Richmond Hill but not so much at Y/L or Y/E etc. Obviously this isn't a hard and fast rule.

Moreover Thornhill is north of the metro so that rules out the option of practical commuting on public transport. (If that matters to the OP).

MarylandNed, Thankyou so much for the link! That website is fantastic and is exactly what I need. I actually prefer suburbia..lol. Richmond Hill seems the best option so far.

Yes Novocastrian, I'd rather have a bit more for my rental money in a suburb. I like what I see and hear about Richmond Hill, I just didn't realise it was so big! Are there any areas to avoid?

Hi there, we are leaving in about 6 weeks so know what you are going through. We just found a house and for us with a 5 year old and a 2 year old we rented the house by good the school was. Definitely use the rankings website suggested above, that's what I used and was very grateful to it as it came down to two houses for us, one had a school close by that was only a 5.1/10 and the one we ended up renting is an 8.9/10.

also, you may want to look at the TDSB website to find out what schools in the neighbourhood already have full time kindergarten. My 5 year old is in her 2nd full year of school in the UK ( year 1) but will only go part time until this September as her school. Doesn't offer full time until september 2013. Others in Toronto don't until 2014. Good luck with everything

Wow Debbieken , that's certainly food for thought. I think I will do exactly as you suggest and look at school first then a house. Thankyou.