Lost navigating Toronto accommodation? A quick guide.

By Zarina Patel, University of Toronto, Canada

Realistic and relatable advice from someone who was in your position a year ago.

Congratulations on making it this far with the year abroad process! After you have been through logistics with getting your place sorted at your exchange uni, your main concern will start to shift to accommodation.

You might have heard stories, or even experienced the craziness first-hand. The Toronto housing market is not easy to navigate. It is not for the weak. But your persistence will prove to be so rewarding.

I will review in turn various accommodation options in Toronto for when you come to UofT for your exchange year.

Do also check out Olivia’s and Joseph’s blogs, where they give great advice and their opinions too!

Of course, everyone has different budgets and priorities when it comes to accommodation, so keep in mind the subjectivity of these pros and cons. At the end of the day, there’s no ‘best’ or ‘worse’ option.

On-campus UofT college

Pros:

Good location, on campus

Cons:

Not sure about application process, and the availability for exchange students → not a popular option for exchange students
Meal plan nearly always required and very expensive for what you get!
- https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/task/compare-u-of-t-residence-fees/
Lack of privacy, if you have a roommate
Full of first-years who are mostly 17/18 (under Canadian drinking age of 19), so can be immature → first-year students are very studious and there is less of a ‘freshers’ culture, since their year counts (unlike in UK)

Tartu

https://www.tartucollege.ca/index.php

Pros:

Cheap
8-month contract
Near uni campus, subway (both lines) and supermarket
Sociable → Tartu organise student socials to meet people

Cons:

Hit or miss with flatmates (range in age and studiousness)
Student accom vibes (small rooms, can be noisy, thin walls etc)

Harrington Housing (Sherbourne)

https://www.harringtonhousing.com/location/toronto

Pros:

Reasonably priced → can do 4 and 8-month contracts
Near subway station

Cons:

Location further out from campus and more trendy areas (where bars and clubs are etc), more ‘dodgy’ at night
Hit or miss with flatmates (range in age)
Lack privacy on some rooms, don’t go for sliding door!

Campus One

https://www.live-campusone.ca

Pros:

Great facilities!
Super good location for campus, also near subway and streetcar

Cons:

Meal plan required → less independence since no proper kitchen
Can be strict about gatherings and visitors
Expensive → 12-month contract

Avant / Hoem on Jarvis / Parkside (and other private student residences!)

Pros:

Good locations → walking distance from uni, near subway and streetcar (Parkside further out)
Good facilities (gym, study rooms, socials etc)

Cons:

Tend to have 12 month contracts
- Some allow subletting over the summer, but is quite a faff
Expensive!

Private renting

This is the option I went for; I could write a whole blog on it!

To get started, UofT’s Off-campus housing website is useful: https://offcampushousing.utoronto.ca/housing

More stressful to organise, but you can get decently-priced places in great locations, with more flexible (shorter) leases! No big rush to sort out, you can do virtual viewings over summer, or even in-person viewings when you arrive in Toronto!

Remember:

Make sure places are furnished!
Read contract carefully! Ensure you are renting under an Ontario Standard Lease
Better to be safe than sorry. Get proof of ownership and any other official documents from your landlord!
Do a live virtual zoom tour if possible (rather than pre-recorded)

Location-wise….

Avoid the far east (more unsafe, especially at night), far-west and midtown where possible if you want to be walking distance from the hustle and bustle of downtown!
The Annex → super popular amongst students (where frat and sororety houses are)
Kensington Market → area super trendy; less high-rises but can find some rental gems
Financial District → bit further from campus, but still walking distance; more adulty and serious area
Yonge-Dundas → great location; will find lots of condo buildings along Bay Street in the ‘Bay Street corridor’
Yorkville (Bloor-Yonge area) → super nice, very high-end, lots of designer shops and nice restaurants etc, very pleasant and boujee place to live

My situation was unique in that, me and another girl from UoM (also coming to UofT) decided to find a place to rent together before arriving. Weighing up the pros and cons, in my opinion, if you are coming alone, Tartu is the overall best option. But wherever you find yourself, it’ll all work out, I promise! 🙂

Do reach out if you have any questions about accom or Toronto in general! I would love to be of help in any way I can, since I remember having a million-and-one questions this time last year! My email is zarina.patel@student.manchester.ac.uk