Renting in the GTA has turned into a blood sport, with way more renters than properties for rent, bidding wars and picky landlords – and prices that just keep breaking records. So how do you land a great place when it’s that competitive out there? By staying on top of market trends, and using some super-useful condos.ca and property.ca search and research tools.
Here’s a quick rundown of the best site features for renters and how to use them.
1. Listing Alerts
If you’ve been looking for a rental, you know the drill: great places get snapped up fast. If you see a listing a couple of days after it’s gone live, chances are someone has already snagged it. Set up a listing alert to get an email as soon as something that matches your criteria is posted – so you can be the one that gets there first. Here’s how to set it up:
On your desktop
When you click on “For rent,” you’ll see this page. Set your filters here: price range, number of bedrooms, size, etc. Then click on “Get Alerts.”
That will open up a window that outlines your search criteria, allows you to name your search, and lets you choose how often you get alerts: daily, instant, weekly, monthly or never. You can also add another person if you like. Your alerts will come to the email you used to register for the site.
On your mobile device
Select “For rent” from the dropdown, and click on the filter menu at the top left to set your search criteria, and select “View listings.”
1. Past Rental Data
Find out how much similar properties have been rented for – just toggle from “for rent” to “rented” when you search. You can look for the last 24 hours, the last week, the last month or longer. So you know what to offer.
If you’re looking for a unit in a specific building, you can go to the building page (search for it or click on the building name in any listing) to see what has been rented there recently, for how much – and if there was a difference between list price and final rental price.
You can also see the price history of a specific property in any listing, how long it was on the market before it was rented.
On your desktop
On you mobile
3. Demographics Info
Explore the neighbourhood to see what’s there – shops, schools, grocery stores, transit options and more. Want to see who else lives in the area and how many residents are renters versus owners? You can do that too: every listing has info on everything from how many kids live nearby to how old your neighbours are to how much money they make. You can see how long a typical commute is, what languages are commonly spoken in the area – and get the info you need to find a place that’s a fit for your lifestyle and preferences.
On your desktop
On your mobile
4. Building Values and Trends
If you’re looking at renting a condo, there’s a ton of building info you can tap into on condos.ca. Go to the building page, scroll down to Values & Trends for average rental price per square foot and how many units have been rented out in the last 12 months.
On your desktop
On your mobile
5. Comparison Tool
Want to compare several listings at a glance? TUse the comparison tool to see price per square foot, size and amenities side-by-side so you can get a better sense of value.
On your desktop
Go to any rental listing and select the “compare” button. You can do this for up to 8 properties – for rent or already rented.
On your mobile
To use the comparison tool on your phone or tablet, save listings to your favourites and compare from there. Your results will appear as a right-to-left scrolling page – just keep swiping left to see them all.
6. Similar Listings
Depending on how you’ve set your search filters, you could miss out on a great place that happens to be priced a little higher than your threshold or is a bit smaller than your ideal. This recommendation feature offers up more possibilities using advanced AI and machine learning.
On your desktop
On your mobile
6. Nearby Listings
What if the perfect place is two streets outside your search parameters? This feature makes sure you don’t miss a thing.
On your desktop
On your mobile
Ready to search smart? Sign up to condos.ca or property.ca to start using the tools and features you need to land a great rental.