When you decide to rent furnished apartments Toronto, or furnished rentals in any city for that matter, there are a few details that you should ask about to make sure you have a comfortable stay with no surprises. These a few tips on how to rent a furnished apartment that will be right for you, and we hope these tips help you to have an easy experience in selecting your Toronto furnished apartment:
Location of your Toronto Furnished Apartment
It’s hard to decide where you should stay when you don’t know a city like Toronto well. Do you stay in downtown Toronto, or on the west side, or on the east side? Do you stay around Yorkville or even further north in Summerhill? Lots of choices.. if you are coming to Toronto for work and need a Toronto furnished rental, you probably want to live near your work so that does make it easier. While this is a blog post topic onto itself, we think this New York Times 36 Hours in Toronto guide is a good starting point to familiarize yourself with the main downtown areas. We usually recommend staying either in Yorkville, along King St West, mid-town near College Street, or downtown near the Financial District. The main factors you want to consider and ask your executive rental company are: how close is the short term rental Toronto apartment to the subway or streetcar station, is it walkable to your work, what kind of places are open during the day, what kind of places are open at night time after work (is it for example mainly bars nearby, or is it more restaurants and cafe’s). This will give you an indication of whether the executive rentals Toronto that you are considering the right fit with your lifestyle. If you like to party, for example, you probably would not want to stay in the Financial District, but King West or Yorkville would be prefect for you.
What is Included in your Furnished Apartment
Most furnished apartments in Toronto include utilities, TV, Internet and sometimes Telephone in the rent. Essentially you do not have to worry about paying any bills while you are staying in your furnished condo. Make sure to confirm that all utilities are included, ie water, electricity, and heat. Also ask if there are any restrictions on the internet usage, ie the amount of data per month (your internet package should be unlimited), and what TV channels are included. If there is a phone included, you can ask if long distance calling is included.
Deposits
Depending on which short term rentals Toronto companies you are considering, there will be different deposit amounts and terms that you have to consider. Most furnished apartment companies will ask for a refundable damage deposit for your furnished rental condo. The amount can differ depending on the company but a range of $500-1,500 is fairly normal and it can vary depending on the size of the furnished condo. You want to ask the furnished rentals company how they handle the refundable deposit. Is there a walk-through on the day you move in, just like a rental car? Is there an inventory list provided of all the items that are included in your furnished apartment? You should ask for a receipt for your damage deposit, and any reputable furnished rental Toronto company should automatically provide one.
You should ask about the process to get your deposit back – do you receive it in cash when you are checking out? Is there a time-lag between your check-out date and the fund return? This can be normal as the host company needs to have time to properly inspect the unit and depending on your check-out time it is not always convenient to do a thorough check while you are waiting. Make sure to ask also how you can receive the funds back – if you, for example, paid it on your Visa card will it be refunded back on to your card? Is there a credit card processing fee added to the deposit?
Furnished Stay Cancellation and Changes
Another factor to consider is how you can cancel your furnished Toronto rental – ask the host company about their cancellation policy and what their deadlines are. Your travel plans can change and you may also need to adjust your dates, so you can also ask them how they treat date changes. Some companies start their leases only on the first day of the month, which can be inconvenient if your travel dates are different. Ask the furnished apartment company if they can match your travel dates.
Agreement
Any reputable furnished rental Toronto company should send you an agreement before they collect any funds from you. This agreement can be either in the form of a web-page, or a Docusign digital agreement, which are very easy to use, or even a PDF. Make sure to read it thoroughly before signing, as this is just like any other rental agreement. If you have questions about the terms make sure to ask them before you sign it. If the furnished rental company is very strict about making changes, that is normally a sign that they may be very inflexible once you move in as well. Another question to ask before signing is if there are any taxes applied to the rent amount.
Extensions and Changes to your Furnished Short Term Stay
Before signing your agreement you may want to make sure to ask what the extension terms are – it is always a good idea to have the option of extending your stay if your plans change. It’s also a good idea to ask what the ‘notice-period’ is for extensions, that is, how long before your current lease term is finish can you let them know if you want to extend your stay. The last thing you would want to happen is to find out that your furnished apartment has already been rented out, if your plans have changed and you need to stay longer!
Viewing The Furnished Apartment and Furniture
If you are already in the city, you can schedule a time to meet your furnished rental company and see the furnished condo in person. The fact is a lot of times you will not be in Toronto when you are searching for your furnished rental apartment – if this is the case, you can ask the furnished rental company if they have extra detailed photos of the furnished condo. You want to also make sure to ask the furnished rental company how old the furnished apartment photos are, and if any of the furniture has been changed since the photos were taken. At the end of the day, you want to make sure the condo, in fact, looks exactly like the photos, if you cannot visit in person.
Another good idea is to ask for photos of the building common areas, like the gym, the lobby, and any other shared spaces. This will give you a better idea of what type of building it is.
How to Pay for your Furnished Toronto Apartment
Depending on where you are from you may be able to send payment with a wire transfer or charge part or all of furnished apartment rent and fees on your credit card. In Canada, interac e-transfers are quite safe and one of the most convenient and cost-effective ways to send money to pay for your furnished rental stay. If you would like to pay with a credit card, most companies will charge a 3-4% processing fee, as this amount goes directly to the credit card company. An international wire transfer is also an option that is less costly than a credit card processing fee however, it takes some time for the funds to go through – this can range anywhere from a few days to more than a week. No matter how you pay for your furnished apartment, you should receive a receipt.
