Apartment hunting can be stressful and intimidating—especially if you’re venturing off to live on your own for the first time. Naturally, you probably have a lot of pressing questions and while your friends and family will be able to answer many of them for you, the truth is that there are just some things you need to figure out on your own. When looking for luxury apartments for rent in Toronto, it’s in your best interest to come up with a list of questions you want your prospective new landlord to answer ahead of time.
To help you prepare for such an occasion, we’ve come up with a list of the seven most commonly asked questions that Toronto landlords receive from prospective tenants.
What Are the Lease Terms?
Finding out the lease terms of every furnished apartment you look at is essential to helping you make this vital decision according to your specific lifestyle. For instance, are you allowed to make any structural or design changes like painting the walls or hanging up pictures? If there’s a deck, balcony, or outdoor space of any kind, are you allowed to barbecue on it? On that note, is the outdoor space private to your unit or communal? Another important point of inquiry is finding out if there are any communal rules that residents of the building are required and expected to follow (i.e. quiet hours that start at a certain time). You should also make note of the lease dates from start to finish.
Are Amenities Included in Your Monthly Payments?
First, you should find out what types of amenities each building has available for tenants. Then, you should ask whether your guests will also be allowed to use those amenities along with you. If so, is there a limit on the number of guests who can accompany you?
Amenities aren’t the end-all and be-all of renting furnished apartments in Toronto, so you shouldn’t make your decision solely based on these extra offerings. However, they’re very nice to have and if your decision comes down to the types of amenities each building has and whether they’re included in your monthly expenses, then you should go with the ones that best suit your lifestyle. Oftentimes, luxury apartment hunters are so distracted by the initial bells and whistles of unique amenities that luxury buildings have to offer, that they rarely stop to truly think about how frequently they’ll use those amenities. Remember, most of the time the cost of maintaining those amenities like gyms, swimming pools, and communal theaters is included in the cost of your rent. So, you could end up paying for amenities that you’ll either be using all the time or not at all.
How Reliable Is the Cellphone Service in the Upper Level Suites?
Considering that most people these days have decided to ditch their home phone connections and rely solely on the mobile devices as their main point of contact, it’s important to ensure that the cell service in your prospective furnished apartment is consistent and unwavering. Luckily, testing this out is super easy. Try to make a phone call and sending a few texts during your initial viewing, so that you can ensure you won’t lose your connection no matter which part of the apartment you’re in. This may seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but constantly losing your Wi-Fi connection throughout your apartment while you’re living there will get super annoying very quickly.
Will I Get My Own Parking Space in the Garage?
This is an especially important question to ask if you own your own car or several vehicles. You might think that a parking space will be automatically assigned with your new luxury apartment, but this isn’t always the case. If the previous owner decided to sell their parking space or rent it out to another tenant, then your only other option will be to see if there are any other parking spaces available for rent or purchase in the building. It’s better to know this upfront than have to deal with the hassle of finding a new parking space after you’ve already moved in.
As a side note, if you don’t drive, then you should also inquire about transit routes in your new area and maybe even research all the major bus stops and subway stations nearby.
Is My Rent Subject to Change?
Rent control and increase is a major point of consideration for a lot of tenants. Aside from finding out exactly how much you’ll have to pay each month and whether or not utilities are included, you should also read the fine print on your rental agreement to see if your rent is subject to change. In most cases, the answer is usually yes, but it’s always good to at least discuss it with your new landlord.
Is the Building Technology Enabled?
Basically, technology-enabled simply means that the building implements modern digital services to help make the lives of tenants a little easier. For instance, some buildings might send you an automated e-mail or text message whenever you receive a package. Buildings with high security and intercom systems might have security personnel contact you whenever you have guests come over. Many buildings even allow tenants to make maintenance requests and rent payments through secure online web sites and phone apps.
What’s Your Policy Regarding Pets?
Although service animals are allowed, some buildings have a very strict no-pet policy. Others, allow pets, but have very strict restrictions on the type, size, breed, and number of pets you’re allowed to have. And even if pets are allowed, there are usually very strict rules on how you must care for them and which parts of the building they’re allowed in. If you have a pet or are considering getting one after moving in, you should ask about the building’s pet policy.
Are you currently looking for luxury furnished homes or apartments in Toronto?
MAC Furnished Residences Inc. can help! Not only are we able to help you find a short-term furnished apartment in Toronto through our brokerage MAC Real Estate Services Inc., but our licensed realtors can also help you if you are buying or selling a home or condo. Plus, we can help facilitate a smooth transition if you are moving to Toronto with MAC Relocation Solutions. Contact us today to learn more!