When It comes to looking for a home, most of the people look to rent in Canada. Whenever they have to relocate or move from a different country, first point on the to-do list is to look to rent a property. Ever wondered what to look for beforehand in order to not rush into things? Let us walk through all the factors one should consider while looking for a house to rent in Canada.
When Was It Built.
In Canada, there are all kinds of living spaces. There are Condos/Apartments, Townhouses, bungalows and 2 storey houses. As they say, “Never Judge A Book By Its Cover”, in the same manner, never go for the house for its looks. The year the house was built is going to play a very crucial goal. Sometimes an old house is better than a new one and sometimes it is just worth demolishing. Look for the life that house has in it. Too old will definitely present challenges in the near future.
Neighbourhood.
Crime rate, kind of neighbours who live around and schools for the kids are some of the things to consider too. My personal favourite is looking for a go- to place for my parents. Library, temple and park are an example of places my parents love to go to because they don’t work and it gets hard to sit at home.
How Is The Water Pressure.
When you visit a property, You must always go into a washroom and test the water pressure. Imagine you jump in the shower after a long day at work and it is ruined when someone turns on the tap in the kitchen or another bathroom in the house. Having good water pressure in the home you want to rent is one of the most important things to consider.
Cooking Place In The House to Rent In Canada.
Cooking tops installed in the kitchen are another point to consider. I remember moving to a place with a very modern cooking top, only to find out that it only works for certain utensils. We ended up changing half of our pots. There are various types that are commonly used in Canada. These are as follows:
1. Gas.
2. Induction.
3. Electric(Spiral and more).
When you are looking for a place you need to take this into consideration if your cooking utensils are compatible with the cooktop that is available in the house. You do not want to invest money in cookware each time you are changing the house.
Public Transport Accessibility.
Not everyone owns a car and public transport accessibility is one of the major factors. You will have to consider the walk time to get to the nearest bus stop, sky train or a subway station. Usually places nearby public transport are expensive than the ones far away from it. In these cases, looking for a nearby bus stop is enough which further leads to other means of transport.
Look For Mice/Rat Droppings
Some houses may not have all the openings in the walls closed up. Sometimes good house deals come with hidden facts. There could be a recent pest infestation or mice/rats might be living in the walls, who knows? Keep your eyes peeled because once you move in then it is on you to live with the unwanted roommates. 😀
Look For Any Leakage.
They are some factors people have to live with once they move in a new house. It could be not enough space or it could be not enough washrooms. You must have a look at the leakage marks on the ceilings in the ground/basement levels beforehand. It may not seem to be an issue at first but it will be an issue in the later days when you have to constraint yourself from using the taps/washrooms to wait for the repairs which honestly would take between a few hours to days.
Preparedness For Winters.
This point comes from experience. You cannot tell by the looks but have to ask the landlord about the precautions they have put in place in order to deal with cold winters. In some old areas of the lower mainland BC, when it gets lower than 0 degrees the water in the pipes freezes. This makes it difficult to use even the facilities in the house. Then it is hard to wait for the water to melt. On the contrary, same house do not have central AC installed in. They get quite hot in the summers. Always make sure that a house is both winter and summer ready.
Any Plaza Nearby, How Far Is A Grocery Store?
You need to look at the distance that is from your domicile to the nearest supermarket. Just a grocery store won’t work. You might have to get some prescriptions, sometimes you might want to pick up a pizza. You have to prepare for a party and you need supplies you wish you don’t have to travel far for that, You will try to get things from a walking distance. This is why you need to find a place to rent in canada that is near to a shopping plaza.
Parking Space.
Car owners find it difficult to live at a place where there is no parking space for their new car. Along with that, it is a good idea to keep the possibility of buying another car in the future. Make sure that there is an ample space for more than 1 vehicle. In BC, street parking is legal overall but some areas. Do this research before house hunting.
In a perfect world, your future house meets all the requirements. But there is always a catch, it is just a matter of what is worth compromising on and what is not.
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