rpclayden

Hi, I'm going to be moving to Hamilton, ON on 05/12/18 from the UK and currently have an Airbnb booked until boxing day.
I will be sharing with my friend (also from the UK) and have been trying to gather information on how best to get more permanent accommodation.

I do have a job to start a week or so after arrival but obviously I will not have any credit history there and worried that we might really struggle finding somewhere to move to after Christmas.
We would prefer to get at least a 4-6 month lease to avoid moving around too much.

Can anyone give any suggestions or tips on how we can go about making our arrival at this time of year as smooth as possible?

Cheers

Siouxie

Hello and welcome to BE!

Unless you happen to be lucky enough to take over a lease (unlikely in December or January) then you are looking at a minimum of 12 months lease. You may struggle to find a place to move into from January 1st (all rentals generally start from 1st of the month) if you aren't arriving til 5th December... Properties here in the hammer tend to go quickly and most of the time they are advertised at the beginning of the month for rental up to 2 months after - because in Ontario you have to give 60 days notice to end a tenancy. Plus it's winter.. people don't tend to move unless they have to! All rental properties unless you are prepared to pay mega bucks for executive short term rentals are unfurnished, so you will have to take that into consideration for costs as well.

What are you looking to rent - an apartment / house / share a house (common with students here at McMaster Uni and Mohawk College) - how big do you need it? What is your budget? Unfortunately prices for rentals have gone way up over the last 2 years as more and more Torontonians move here. A 1 bedroom in a reasonable area will set you back around $900-$1500 a month for a basic highrise apartment.

Where will you be working? Would you prefer to be downtown or in the suburbs - will you need access to public transport (excellent in Hamilton both across and up and down) or are you intending on getting a vehicle?

Have a read over the wiki page on renting: https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Renting-Canada
Together with a huge list of rental websites: https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Renti...tal_properties


If you have a job contract so you can show you are employed - together with your TWP showing you are here legally and a bank account, those will help with rentals. You might want to bring a letter from your bank in the UK / previous landlord or mortgage provider saying you have been in good standing - or an Equifax report, they might help too. You will need first and last months rent plus deposits for utilities and cable/internet. Ontario Landlord and Tenant Act; questions and answers

From personal experience you may end up having to give 6 months or more post dated cheques in order to secure a rental - which isn't strictly legal but needs must!
Let us know what it is you are looking for and we can offer you more suggestions. I've lived in the Hammer for nearly 20 years, so know the areas that you probably won't want to live in, lol. There's a few places that are better for looking including the local paper - I'd avoid Craigslist as there's far too many scammers on it and genuine landlords don't tend to use it around these parts.

JamesM

Here you are:

You might be good to go with the apartment rentals. Because of your lack of credit history a private renter might push you for a few months upfront.

http://www.viewit.ca/

rpclayden

Thanks for this reply!

Ideally looking for a 2 bedroom apartment in a high or low rise building. Want to stay away from student shares if I'm honest because want to focus on work especially over the winter. Our budget is around the region of $1400 + hydro.
I'm going to be working in Dundas and currently searching for apartments in close proximity to the Hamilton Go Centre or anywhere closer to the "mountain side" of the city.

From what I've read online so far it seems to me that proof of funds for months in advance may go some way to convince a landlord to take us on.
Or even to pay an extra month on top of the first and final month of the tenancy. Would you say this is accurate?

Siouxie

If you're hoping for a 2 bedroom for under $1,400 a month in an apartment block I thought you may be limited on choices - but it seems prices have come down a little - so you're in luck! Honestly, prices have shot up so much, it's crazy. Heat and water are normally included in apartment blocks, you pay for electricity and tv and internet and phone separately. You could also consider a basement apartment (very popular) lots of them have a walk out - all have a separate entrance and usually access to laundry facilities and some are all inclusive.

If you don't mind the potential for lots of noise then near the GO station is fine (but your commute will be longer) if you want to be in the City core.. though the bus depot is NOT where the GO station is - you will need to go to get the bus to Dundas (a 30m bus journey) from either McNab St. south bus station or James St. South. I'd recommend NOT having a car if you are going to live downtown - parking is at a premium and is charged for even in some City apartment buildings.

If you want something a little quieter - whilst being 10-15 minutes on the bus to the downtown core - then I'd suggest looking round Westdale / McMaster area / - or if you're happy to be further out then Ancaster or even Dundas itself as it's got a nice 'village' feel with a good Indian, a couple of good pubs, -

Public transport is thin on the ground for getting to Dundas,unfortunately. If you'll have a vehicle then I strongly recommend that you move your search to 'The Mountain' where there's lots of choices of types of accommodation and you can take any main route across the Mountain to Mohawk and along into Dundas... a fast 10-15 minute journey. There's tons of bus's from up the hill (as it's also known, lol) down into the City - most take about 10-15 minutes.

There are a few big corporations that own high rise and low rise buildings in Hamilton and surrounding areas, so perhaps look at those first as they may be more forgiving with regards to credit ratings. I'll post a few of the names a little later for you


As to your point about advance payments yes, if you read my post you may even need to give up to 12 months post dated cheques - Don't pay an extra month cash or by transfer - you have no protection if you do so - a cheque can be stopped if necessary! So ensure you get a chequing account - private landlords generally don't take electronic payments. All the banks have 'newcomer to Canada' programs that include Temporary foreign Workers. (Are you hoping to apply for Permanent Residency down the line?)
https://www.effortrentals.com/cities...9042511274414;

Vulcanoid

With all the normal caveats of mileage may vary I've never lived in ON so this reticence may just be unusual to there. In my experience in MB & BC, the only two acceptable payment methods with private landlords are cash (uncommon) and electronic payments (preferred).

DMajor

I very much doubt you'll find a place for $1,400 a month.
We rented in Dundas from August 2016 to March this year and we paid $1,650 pcm which was very cheap for a two bed with hydro and water included.
When we left the landlord increased the rent up to $1,950 I believe.
It's a great little town though, good bus service into Hamilton and you're only an hour or so from Toronto in the car.
Try kijiji, that's where we found our place there.

scrubbedexpat091

I have never had a landlord accept electronic payments in BC...lol


When I rented from individual landlords they always wanted cash.

The last 3 landlords have been with property management companies and they all wanted either cheque or money order. We currently pay by cheque.

Siouxie

Not in Ontario.


Cheques are preferred, electronic payments unusual.

dbd33

For any sort of rental. We have a cheque book only so we can write cheques to pay the horses' rent.

Partially discharged

yes, the area around McMaster is very pleasant and would be better w/o all the students McMaster was high on our sons options for university for September 2018 but he opted for Waterloo. Dundas and Ancaster are probably the most tranquil areas of the Hammer but also likely the costliest.

If you want the lifestyle with 3 cars, and ferrying your kids everywhere as the locals didn't want to have a surcharge for transit, then Binbrook is your place. I have inlaws there and end up there once or twice a year and I can't fathom the place or why the locals want to drive everywhere.

Siouxie

As the OP appears to be looking for an apartment rental and will be working in Dundas, I don't think Binbrook is likely to be high on their list of places to visit, let alone live! It's isolated for public transit and there's nothing there except endless tracts of new build 'little boxes'.

For renting apartments Dundas and Ancaster are pretty much on par with the rest of Hamilton.

Partially discharged

Re: Binbrook...actually I find them to be big boxes on small lots/plots.

You are a wealth of info about Hamilton housing.

J-A-UK

Circumstantial = We have three "kids" in rentals all pay by etransfer
Rental units are generally in short supply - Good luck with convincing a landlord to take you over a Canadian with proven credit

Reality !