Welcome to Canada: What you should know

Finding a place to live

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• Where to stay
• Renting
• Your rights as a tenant
• Buying
• Heat and hydro
• Getting a telephone
• Furnishings
• For more information
• Buying food and other supplies

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Where to stay

For the first few weeks or months, you will probably want to find some temporary housing while you look for a more permanent place to live. Hotels can be quite expensive, so you may want to rent a furnished room or an apartment at first.

Renting

Many Canadians rent housing, and so do most newcomers, at least for the first few years. To help you in your search, you could check the classified ads in your local daily newspaper or on the Internet. Look under “Apartments” or “Houses for Rent.” You should also talk to the immigrant-serving organizations in your community. They might be able to help. It is a good idea to walk around an area you would like to live in and see if there are any signs posted on or near the buildings. Do not take the first place you see – try to shop around a little to see what’s available. Prices often vary considerably.

Some apartments can be rented by the month, but with most rental housing, you sign a lease for a year. This is a legally binding contract between you and the landlord. Make sure you understand exactly what you have to pay for, and what is included in your rent. For example, do you pay for the heating costs or are they included? Canada is a cold country in the winter, and heating can be expensive. Are you allowed to have pets? Are the fridge and stove included? You may also be asked to pay a security deposit to rent the apartment you have chosen. You should know that in some provinces, it is illegal for a landlord to ask for a security deposit or a damage deposit, and that the laws concerning the rental of an apartment can be different from province to province. Read the lease over carefully before you sign it. It is probably a good idea to ask someone in your community or from an immigrant-serving organization for information about housing. They can also explain the legal terms used in leases.

Remember: Avoid signing a lease if you plan to move again soon. You should also purchase household insurance to cover the cost of replacing the contents of your apartment in case of fire or theft, for instance.

Your rights as a tenant

The tenant (someone who rents a room, an apartment or a house) and the landlord both have legal rights. There are laws that protect you from sudden rent increases or being forced to leave your apartment. You have the right to live anywhere you choose. Discrimination on the basis of colour, creed, sex, age or disability is not allowed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Provincial landlord and tenant laws also protect against such discrimination. However, the tenant also has responsibilities. It is important to keep the house or apartment you are renting in the same condition you found it. Call the provincial or municipal government department responsible for housing, sometimes called a rental board, if you need information or help, or look up the provincial Landlord and Tenant Regulations. You will find the numbers in the blue pages of the telephone book. You can also ask community groups for information or help.

Buying

Buying a home is a big step, and you might want to wait until you are settled before you do so. Most homes in Canada are sold through real estate agents, although some owners do it themselves. You may see “For Sale” signs posted in front of homes, and you can also read the classified advertising section of the daily newspaper.

When buying a house, it’s important to remember that there are many hidden costs. These may include the agent’s fee, in some provinces, as well as lawyer’s or notary’s fees, annual property taxes, house insurance, registration fees, various home buyer taxes, and the cost of maintaining the house: heat, hydro, water, sewer, and so on. Make sure you know exactly what your costs will be before you buy.

You may want to find out about the First Home Loan Insurance Program, run by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It enables you to buy a home with a smaller down payment. The Corporation’s fee is rolled into the total mortgage in the form of a small percentage. Call their toll-free number for more information (1‑800‑668‑2642) or visit their website at www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

Heat and hydro

Whether you rent or buy, you will need to sign up for various basic services, such as heat and hydro (electricity). In Canada, some homes are heated by gas, others by oil, and others by electricity. Frequently, there are one or two main companies that provide these services in an area, and you can find them in the yellow pages of the telephone book. Try looking under “Gas,” “Heating Companies,” “Oils/Fuel” and “Hydro-Electric Utilities.”

Getting a telephone

You will want to get a telephone installed quickly so that you can reach the people and the services you need from the comfort of your home. You can find out the name of telephone companies in your area in a telephone book. The Customer Service numbers should be in the first few pages of the book. The telephone company in your area normally has telephone centres in large shopping malls. You can visit them to get your service set up. You can either rent a telephone from your telephone company and pay month by month or buy one. The cost of making local calls is covered by the monthly service fee, which is added to the cost of renting the telephone. Long-distance and overseas calls are not covered by this monthly fee and can be quite expensive. Many telephone companies offer special plans that can reduce the cost of long-distance calls. Telephone cards, which can be used to call anywhere from any telephone, including public telephones, are a cost-effective way to reduce long-distance charges.

Remember: Canada is a very large country, so even when you’re calling within the same province or city, long-distance charges may apply.

Furnishings

Chances are you’re going to need some basic furniture and household appliances. You can buy new, which can be costly, or wait for stores to have sales and buy things gradually. You can also buy used furniture and appliances, which is what many Canadians do. The listings for articles or furniture for sale are found in the classified advertising section of the newspaper. You can also try used furniture stores, church and local rummage or garage sales, or community organizations. Your local community immigrant-serving organization should be able to help you with names and addresses.

For more information

Probably one of the best sources of information is your local immigrant-serving organization. You might also want to consult the provincial or municipal department responsible for housing, listed in the blue pages of your telephone book. They may have a central information number.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a free pamphlet entitled Homebuying Step by Step. They also run the Canada Housing Information Centre, and can provide information on the rental and housing markets across Canada. Call their toll-free number for more information (1‑800‑668‑2642) or visit their website at www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

Buying food and other supplies

In the first few days, you may need a few supplies, like food and extra clothing. Stores in Canada may be set up a little differently than what you have experienced in other countries.

Most Canadian stores have central cashiers where you pay for your goods, but they can be hard to find. Grocery stores usually have rows of cashiers at the entrance to the store, and you bring your goods to the cash, line up and pay. Department stores, which sell a variety of products, are sometimes set up this way too. Other stores have cashiers set up in different places around the store, and you pay at the nearest cash. You will receive a paper receipt for whatever you buy, and this is your “proof of payment.” Many stores in Canada have metal shopping carts where you can put your purchases as you make your way through the store to the cashier.

Many Canadian stores are grouped together in large shopping malls, so you can do all your shopping in one place. Remember that each store has its own cash register where you pay for your purchases.

Many places in Canada also have large open-air markets where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers. You pay for your purchases as you go along, from the farmers at each “stand.”

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