Hi

I'm sure you remember me as the person who had to deal with a really rude/unprofessional migration agent at the final hurdle of our long immigration process. At the time we were scared to death that we weren't getting those visas. Well I'm glad to announce that we finally have our visas and our flights booked for September to coincide with our son starting his first semester at Ryerson U.

I have been scouring for apartments on Craigslist in downtown Toronto and have found two apartments one in Richmond Street E and the other Mariner Terrace

Firstly, both are fully furnished advertised by private landlords and both have asked me to put down deposits if I want to secure the apartments for 1st September. One asked to pay via Paypal and the other asked for 2 months deposit but didn't mention in which method I should pay.

Should I trust either of these landlords and pay a deposit before meeting face to face? Or else wait until we arrive as we have reservations for 3 nights in a hotel and hope to secure something in those 3 days???http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...milies/sad.gif

Secondly, please advice which area is better to live in out of the two. Bearing in mind we are attracted to these buildings for the recreational facilities they both provide for my two teenage boys. Besides that, I would like the nitty gritty of living in these areas.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and welcome any feedback as at the moment feeling really anxious about 'everything'

Hellola

Would you trust either party in the UK?

If I were you I would arrive stay in a hotel for a week or so, go look at the apartments and then make a decision from there.

I most certainly wouldn't part with any money unless I knew exactly who I was paying the money to.

There have been numerous instances of people renting sight unseen and when they attempt to move in discover that the unit has been rented to many other people, the "landlord" does not own or have any right to rent the property. In other words a total SCAM.

You need to be very careful and ensure you're sending the money to the proper person.

Thank you both for replying. I guess I needed to hear it from somebody else. My family gave me the same kind of words, but in a much harsher tone.

Will have to wait to see if anybody can advice about the locations.

Hellola

It is always strongly discouraged that you pay for something that you haven’t seen.

More importantly your potential landlord may have over sold something to you / misguided you / misled you and still they have held you to ransom due to the deposit / bond that you have supplied them with.
It’s not a risk that is worth taking unless you have money to throw away, if so then send me some. I am happy to provide you with my bank details too!


Put yourself in a B&B / hotel for a few days and avoid disappointment, I read about it all the time that you get scammers in particular on craiglist when anyone can set up an account and they conduct fraud.

I have had people in London try and do it for me, in some instances they will even meet you!!! but is a rare occurrence. If you do make a payment there is nothing in the world that you can do if they end up ripping you off!

And most landlords have an interest in meeting a possible new tenant, its in their interest too! what happens if you are scum and end up trashing the place? no deposit is going to cover that. So I would question a landlord who accepts payment before evening meeting you!


Cheers,
CAI

Both landlords had an incredible website on their unit. I guess I got taken in with the lovely photos of their property.

One even provided me his work website as he's an investment advisor with a prominent bank. Thus, they both seem so believable that I just had to ask on this forum as I know a lot of families on here are going through the same process as I am.

I think I just needed a wake up call. Thank you guys!

Hellola

Seems to me that BE could do with an agent in every city to check out apartments, etc & email pics/opinions. Hmm, I'm off to Toronto in 2/3 weeks - could be a niche market for this ?

In the meantime, can't find any cheap flights - I'm not impressed. I always get a cheap deal, but think I've left it too late this year & am going to get caught paying top dollar for the flight

I'd double check the law, but in most provinces it's illegal to ask for more than 1 months rent as deposit.

We secured a rental apartment before we moved to Toronto from London. I like you had only seen the apartment online, however, I was already in communication with a well known realtor based in Toronto. I'd have been very wary if I didn't have the security and knowledge of someone that could act on our behalf i.e. checking the apartment out beforehand and dealing with the landlords agent with tenancy details etc.

Have you considered renting directly with an apartment corporation? This is similar to renting a condo with a private landlord but instead the building is all rental units and you would pay your rent to the corporation that run the apartment complex. Usually complexes are older than condos however usually have more square footage and normally have a work out room and pool.

I'll be moving shortly to Forest Hill and the apartment complex has all the facilities I could ask for and the rent is far more competitive for the square footage.

I looked at lots of apartment buildings in Toronto in the Westend, downtown and midtown and would recommend you look at apartments available from Minto and Vertica. The usual conditions apply. 1 month security deposit used as last months rent and rent due 1st of month with pro rata if you move in mid month etc.

If you want more info on apartments in the area near Ryerson let me know as I've probably seen then. If you're going for a 3 bed I would recommend no less than 1200 Square feet.

MMM_TO

I'm on panic mode at the moment hence taking the risk of considering putting a deposit down without prior inspection.

We also had trouble booking flights for earlier than September without having to pay top end of economy and now we land on the day my son starts Uni. With this in mind, thinking it would be easier to have a fully furnished apartment for the next 4 months than having to scramble getting a place fixed up and giving us more time to sort out whereabouts we would like to settle down more permanently. We wanted to be located downtown as my eldest will be trying to get a job in one of the financial institutions as well.

Arriving middle of the month doesn't help as most lease starts 1st of the month and both landlords have demanded that I should start the lease from 1st September and as we have hotels reservations up to 10th September, means will lose out half a month.

MMM_TO Thank you for your reply and the offer of help. I have contacted Vertica and a couple of other apartment corporations, but their advice is to see them when we arrive with credit reports, bank statements, employment letters and 2 references, plus the necessary deposits. I have also asked Minto for a quote on a short term let and unfortunately they are over our budget.

Muskoka - I agree with you, it would save us a lot of stress. For the past month I have been scouring the internet for apartments and been ever short tempered with the family. Not having much luck with flights either, and finally settled with Etihad with a long transit at Abu Dhabi.

Jericho - A realtor I contacted on an apartment she advertised asked for 6 months advance payment as we are newly landed immigrants and do not have any credit history

Zapone - will drop you a line on what we're looking for.

Thanks everyone, again its been really great to 'talk' to someone, instead of taking it out on the boys!