Housing in Atlantic Canada. Renting your home

Source:www.capsure.com

Renting your first home in Canada: Let´s start with the words we will use:

Landlord is the person who owns the house you want to live in. Sometimes, if she/he is the owner of some houses or buildings, he hires a "property manager" to collect the rent, manage the building, keep your building in good condition  and answer all your petitions.

Tenant: That is you. The person who will rent the house. 

Whenever anything needs to be serviced or repaired you should contact the landlord

Depending on the province you are living in, your responsabilities  are different. You can check yours in this website: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/reho/yogureho/fore/index.cfm.

Finding a place to rent:

Location and cost are often important things to evaluate when you are looking for a place to live. Neighbourhoods close to schools, public transit, hospital and other services might be more expensive, but they can also save you time and money everyday when you go to work or school.

You should visit the place you are interested in, at different times of the day and during the week and in a weekend. Sometimes, you can get suprised of how a neihgbourhood changes!

Look at a different houses or apartments before you decide. That way, you can compare the rent you will pay and make sure the place is right for you. 

Source:www.realtor.com

Questions you can ask your landlord when viewing a rental unit or a house: 

• Which utilities (as electricity, heat, water, cable) and appliances (as fridge, stove, washing machine/dryer) are included in the rent? If they are not, How much do they cost each month?
• Does the apartment come with furniture?
• Can I make any change to the home, such as painting?
• Can I have pets?
• If you are a smoker, can I smoke in the house?
• Is parking available? Is it included in the rent ?  Does it cost extra?
• Is there any place for storage? Is it included? How secure is it?
• What are the other tenants like? Families, students, old people?
• What happens if I am not able to pay you the first day of the month?
• Which are the rules for garbage, recycling, ...in the building?

Questions your landlord can make to you:

• He can ask you to provide contact information for references (a past landlord or your employer) who can confirm that you will be a good tenant.
• He can also ask you where you work and what your income is

Source:www.rentalhousingbusiness.ca

If you get an agreement with your landlord, both of you should sign a lease.  A lease is a legal document, a written rental agreement that outlines all the terms you have agreed to. Make sure you read and understand every word, 

The landlord will ask you for a rental deposit when you sign the lease. The deposit is usually equal to the cost of one month´s rent. He can use it in case you don´t pay the rent or to cover any damage you cause to the apartment. When you move out, he will give the deposit back or it can be used to pay your last month of rent. 

Paying the rent:

You will have to pay the rent to your landlord the first day of every month, You can choose between these ways: 

• Cash
• Post-dated cheques. Cheques with a future date already written on them. For example, with the first day of each month for the next twelve months.  He can cashed them before the date written on them and you can cancel cheques that have not been cashed by calling your bank. 
• Certified cheques. Cheques that have been guaranteed by your bank. 
• Transfer

If you want to get more information you can check with Rental authorities in New Brunswick: New Brunswick Office of the Rentalsman: www. snb.ca/irent

Telephone: 1-506-453-2557

We will talk about buying a house here in next posts.
Enjoy!

Housing in Atlantic Canada. Types of Houses.

Source: Nane

Looking for a home can be a very exciting experience that can be both rewarding and challenging.

One of your first needs after arriving here is a temporary place to stay until you find your home. 

You can go to a friend´s or family´s house but another option is to stay in a hostel or a hotel. If that is the case, you should book it several weeks before flying to Canada. Booking in advance, will save you money and you will have a better chance of finding rooms available. 

An alternative to this is to contact an immigrant-serving organization in the city or town where you want to settle down.  You can find contact information at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/map/services.asp

If you are a refugee, you will receive assistance finding temporary acccommodation as part of the Resettlement Assistance Program.

Types of Housing in Canada:

Condominiums (condos): "Condominium" is a legal term used in the United States and in most provinces of Canada.  In Quebec, the term "divided co-property" (French: copropriété divisée) is used, although the colloquial name remains "condominium". 

Usually, condos exist in buildings with many units. The owner pays monthly fees to a condo corporation that handles maintenance and repairs as required. Condominiums can be a good choice for first time homebuyers because they are usually one of the less expensive options

Rental Apartments: ("flats" in British English). An Apartment is a unit in a building or a house. Most apartments have one/two/three bedrooms. 

But, if you see an advertisement and it says something about "Bachelor"units, it refeers to a single room that can be used as a living area and bedroom. 

The difference between an "apartment" complex and a condominium is purely legal and there is no way that you can say which is which by simply looking at the building.  When we talk about apartments, they are in a building owned by the same person. However if we talk about "condos" we are talking about units owned by different people sharing common areas.

Rental Rooms: Large homes are sometimes divided into several private bedrooms that are rented to individuals who share a kitchen and bathroom. That is the kind of house students usually have. They are cheaper than the rest of the options. 

Houses: There are detached houses with surrounding property as well as semi-detached and townhouses where each house shares a wall with another. 

Which one do you like most? ¿Which one suits your neccesities? ¿Central located and close to public transportation or do you prefeer one in the country? It is your choice!

In next posts, we will talk about renting and about buying your first home in Canada. 

Enjoy!

Escolhendo onde morar no Canadá - West to East Coast

sil´s archive

A população canadense é concentrada a menos de 200km da fronteira com USA, isso é devido à temperaturas extremas ao norte.  Ao escolher uma região para se morar, é bom levar em consideração  fatores como: clima, vida social, possibilidade de emprego e etc.. De uma forma mais ampla,  eu sempre descrevo:

Pacific Canada -  British Columbia - melhor lugar para viver para quem quiser fugir do frio e da neve, porém chove muitooo. Vancouver com uma arquitetura moderna é um lugar caríssimo de morar, mas belíssimo.

Prairies - Alberta / Saskatchewan / Manitoba - Região super fria, chegando aos -40C no inverno, mas com uns dias quentes devido aos ventos Chinook. Booom do oléo e gás, não muito agora com a crise, mas é onde as pessoas fazem $$$$$$$$$.

Central Canada - Ontario / Quebec - Com temperatura um pouco mais amena,  a região é constituída por uma mistura de Metrópoles e sítios históricos. Embora sejam províncias enormes, as capitais e cidades turíticas estão relativamente à 2h de distância umas com as outras (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City). Por ser mais multicultural e ter mais brasileiros imigrantes nesta região, acho mais fácil achar emprego. 

Maritimes - New Brunswick (onde moro) / Prince Edward Island / Nova Scotia e se incluirmos Newfoundland and Labrador formamos a região Atlantic Canada. Aqui temos menos frio (ohhh -25C) e por causa do Bay of Fundy teoricamente teriamos menos neve, mas nos últimos 2 anos estamo a região está batendo recordes em acumulo de neve, se comparado com os últimos 50 anos. Vida de interior, as pessoas se comprimemtam na rua, vida super calma e segura. Muita natureza para ser contemplada, porén a oferta de emprego não é muito grande. Lado positivo, região mais BARATA de viver.

Northern Canada - Yukon / Northwest Territories / Nunavut - Acho que nem precisa comentar o fato do frio extremo …. aos ambiciosos é a forma de ficar rico a curto prazo, mas pagasse o preço de viver isolado ao resto do país.