Michelle Aniuchi
4 min readFeb 1, 2025

Adventures in the Wild West that is the Toronto Rental Market.

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

Each time I tell the story about how I got my current place, it usually starts with how I went for my graduation in Windsor and then traveled down to Toronto for two showings. Neither of them happened, in case you were wondering.

For the first unit I wanted to see, the agent never showed up. I don’t remember much from that day, but one thing that stuck with me was seeing a lady “self-medicating” right in the middle of the road. It was right by the Queen-Sherbourne intersection. IYKYK.

Photo by Crazy Cake on Unsplash

That area could have been my home! Each time I tell people, their first reaction is shock, followed by relief because it didn’t happen. Anyway, after seeing that sight, I left and never called that agent again.

I was too much of a wimp to go in for the second showing because I hadn’t technically confirmed my visit. I just verified that the building existed and left.

I eventually ended up renting the second place, and it’s been a relatively nice two-plus years — until the neighbor from hell with an insane marijuana addiction that management can’t seem to address

Needless to say, I am now on the hunt for somewhere new to call home.

I always thought I was fortunate the first time. I was about eight months new to the country and even newer to Toronto, and I was super grateful to find my current place. However, nothing prepared me for the absolute chaos that is finding an apartment in Toronto.

Do you know what the gag is? This is supposed to be a friendly market! Units have been listed for 80, 90, even 113 days, and yet it’s still a nightmare. I guess it’s partially expected given my budget and what I’m looking for.

Can we first talk about the listings, though?

Right before writing this article, I came across one that had me completely floored.

It was a studio apartment with a tiny enclave that I initially thought was cute. I kept scrolling through the pictures and saw a washer and dryer, which seemed nice — but something felt off. The enclosure was a lot bigger than usual. It even had a wire rack. I thought, "Aww, that’s nice. They provided drying space for clothes that need to lay flat."

Then it hit me. That was supposed to be the closet!

*Insert Shabaz gasp reaction to ridiculous influencer videos*

A picture of Shabazsays shocked reaction to something. It is a visual representation of my reaction to a particular rental listing.
Source: Instagram @\Shabazsays

I scrolled back like a madwoman to check the other pictures. Sure enough, there was no closet shown. Brethren, that tiny rack and the vertical space right above the washer and dryer are supposed to be the closet! Do not even get me started on the rent price.

That’s why showings are great — you get to see the real thing. I’ve been to almost 10 showings, and very few have left me pleased. Nothing is more annoying than seeing a cozy space, only to discover it’s carpeted or in Nigerian parlance has rug from wall-to-wall. 😬😬

How about the time I dilly-dallied on a space that felt just right because I had another showing booked for the weekend — only for someone else to snatch it up the next day? Or finding a nice-looking unit that’s right next to community housing full of questionable characters?

My favorite part of the experience so far? The post-dated check saga.

“It’s not legal for me to ask you directly for it, so I’m going to ask if you voluntarily consent to giving me thousands of dollars' worth of post-dated checks. Otherwise, I really can’t accept your offer.”

Ah, the art of threading the fine line between legality and absurdity.

At first, I found it disconcerting, but now it just seems silly. Landlords collect all that information about me — IYKYK — and it still doesn’t convince them I’m trustworthy enough to keep my end of the deal. Yet, I’m supposed to hand them all those checks without any information about them and simply hope they cash them only when due.

As the daughter of someone who owns properties back home and has dealt with tenants from hell in a low-trust society, I can understand where they’re coming from.

However, that’s in a low-trust society. There are working systems here. Also as an individual, I need to protect myself and my finances. Additionally, I chickened out of going into a build requesting a showing once even though I was in front of it. I avoid confrontation like the plague. What is smol me going to do?

Finally, I think it’s absurd that post-dated checks provide landlords with a sense of security. A bad-faith actor could cancel those checks anytime, leaving them right back where they started.

I’ve learned to say no, and thankfully I found another agent who is actually putting my interests first and advocating for me. I’ll chalk it up to youthful inexperience for the first guy, but that interaction left me very displeased.

So far, I’m still searching. When you get a minute, do say a prayer for me — I’ll definitely be needing it.

Till next time.

Toodles!

Michelle Aniuchi
Michelle Aniuchi

Written by Michelle Aniuchi

Front End Dev || Writer || Blogger

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