How to Find a Place to Live

You can start looking for housing 3-4 months before you plan on moving, note that you have to give notice to your landlord 60 days before you plan to move out.

Step 1: Know Your Budget

If you are renting with roommates, decide whether you would rather find roommates first then look for an apartment together or if you have no preference for who your roommates are, then you can start the search on your own.

Think about how much support you're getting whether it's from parents, savings, student loans and grants , etc.

Keep in mind all your other expenses such as food, medication, transportation, utility bills, and tuition fees. Ask yourself, will you have enough to support yourself after you pay your rent? You can use this tool to help you create a budget.

Remember that if the building was occupied after November 15, 2018, it is NOT rent controlled and gives your landlord the ability to increase the rent by any amount after one year.

This map outlines the most commonly rented neighborhoods by students at uOttawa. You can find information on the average rent, the nearest grocery stores, transit, and more.

Step 2: Know About the Tools to Find Housing

You can start looking for housing 3-4 months before you plan on moving, note that you have to give notice to your landlord 60 days before you plan to move out.

Places to find housing

Pros

Cons

Facebook Marketplace/ Kijiji / Padmapper/ Rentals.ca

Convenient to look through

Lots of listings for housing near campus

Commonly used by students to arrange sublets and short-term leases

Informal

Risk of scams

No standard for information you are entitled to know

Direct through websites of management companies

Mostly reliable and legal rental process, read reviews

Mostly provide clear terms and rules

Property maintenance responsibility of the company

Variety in reputability of companies

Less flexibility

Less direct relationship / less access to landlord

Personal connections

More direct/personal relationship with landlord

Often easier to find housing as one person

Potentially lower rent

Informal, often doesn’t ensure legal protections for the tenant

Landlord less likely to provide clear terms and rules

Higher risk of violated tenants’ rights, ensure you sign a legitimate legal lease

uOttawa Student Housing

Designed for uOttawa students to find reputable housing

Includes sublets and short-term leases

Decreased risk of scams

Small selection

Less direct way to find and connect with potential landlords

More informal than other options with limited information provided

Realtor

Legitimate process for finding legal leases

Can guide you in the process of finding housing and inform you of your rights as a tenant

Helpful in finding high-quality or specialized needs housing

May charge for service of finding housing

Options are often higher-end rather than budget friendly

Less compatible with sublets and short-term leases

Step 3: What You Should Think About When You’re Considering a Place

Step 4: Is It a Scam?

Step 5: What You Need to Secure the Place

Government photo ID, such as:

Driver’s license
Passport
Ontario Photo Card
Credit report or permission to conduct a credit check
You can also check your own credit for free with Equifax or TransUnion

Proof of income, such as:

Recent pay stubs
Employment or offer letter
Bank statements
Parental support
OSAP
- Your landlord cannot discriminate against you based on the source of income, they are only allowed to decide whether you make enough to make the rent or not.