Housing
When you have arrived in Canada, the first thing to do is to find a living place. You can choose either to rent an apartment or to buy a house. Most immigrants will rent a place not only to save money but also to be able to get to know different regions.
Canada has many types of housing and a wide range of prices. It will take some time and energy to find the right place.
Types of Housing:
·Bachelor or studio apartment - small apartments designed for one person. They have one large room with a kitchen and a separate bathroom.
·Other apartments - apartments having one or more bedrooms. Every apartment has a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom.
·Room - a room in an apartment or house to be rented to others. The tenant usually shares the living room, kitchen and bathroom with other tenants. This type of housing is also called “shared accommodation.”
·Duplex - a house divided into two separate apartments, usually one on top of another. The owner of a duplex may live in one apartment and rent the other, or rent both to tenants. A "triplex" is a house that is divided into three separate apartments.
·Townhouse - a small house connected with other houses. It may be bought or rented
·Condominium - a type of home ownership where you own the unit you live in and share ownership rights for the common space of the building. Common space includes areas such as corridors, the grounds around the building, and public facilities. Condominium owners join in a corporation and elect a board of directors to administer the building and the land. Each owner pays his or her own taxes, utilities and a monthly fee towards property maintenance.
Renting a Place
The process of searching for your apartment requires careful planning. Before starting your search, you must think about the sort of housing that you want and can afford. Firstly, you should think over the size of your place. If you are single, you had better rent a room, bachelor or one-bedroom apartment.
If you have family, or they will be joining you shortly, you may need a larger place. If your family will not be joining you in one or two years, you may choose a smaller place at first so as to give you more time to get to know the rental housing market. In addition, you need to decide how much you are going to pay for rent.
Because rents for apartments are not set by the Canadian government, landlords can charge whatever rents they want. Rents also differ from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and building to building. By comparing rents of similar size apartments in different neighbourhoods and buildings, you can have an accurate picture in your mind.
Signing a Lease
Once you assent to rent an apartment or a house, you will be asked to sign a one-year lease. This legal document describes the rental property, the utilities included and the options, such as parking and storage. It may also tell you whether pets or more people are admitted. Although some apartments are rented monthly, most of them are leased by the year. When you sign the lease, you will probably be required to pay the first and last month’s rent.
When your landlord gives you the lease form, you should read it over carefully before signing it. You should particularly pay special attention to the parts that state exceptions and additions. You should know exactly which utilities you will pay for and which ones will be paid for by the landlord. Be sure you know what the monthly rent includes. For instance, is the electricity included? Is the gas included? Is the water included?
Besides, you need to find out whether you have to pay a fee in case you leave before the lease term is over. Usually you cannot break a lease agreement. It is likely that the landlord will demand you provide a Canadian reference or have a co-signer sign the lease to certify your financial commitment.
If you don’t understand some of the legal terms in the lease, contact one of the organizations that help immigrants, or someone you are acquainted with. As soon as you have signed the lease, it becomes a legal document.
Tenant Rights and Duties
Before and after renting a place, you should know your rights and duties as a tenant. If you confront any problem, feel free to consult an immigrant-serving organization or your friends in Canada. You should also have a basic knowledge of some of the related laws or regulations. Let’s take Ontario as an example.
In terms of The Human Rights Code for Ontario, it is illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent you a living place because of your sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, nationality, religion or place of birth. It is also illicit for a landlord to discriminate against you because you get social assistant or have children.
In Ontario, the Tenant Protection Act (TPA) gives rights and obligations to both landlords and tenants. The Act covers a lot of issues including repairs, rent increases, privacy and evictions. The Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal administers the Act and resolves conflicts between landlords and tenants. As long as you do not share a kitchen or bathroom with your landlord, you are covered by the TPA. People in public and non-profit housing are protected by it as well.
Buying a House
It is always a big decision for most people to buy a new house. You have to consider many kinds of things such as legal and financial matters. Ask yourself the following questions to see if you are ready to buy a house:
1. Is Homeownership Suitable to You?
Buying a house is one of the most important things in your life. Hence, you should compare the main advantages and disadvantages of homeownership before making the final decision.
2. Are You Financially Prepared?
On answering this question, you will do some simple calculations that will help you assess your current financial situation. You will roughly know how much house you can afford and the maximum price that you should be thinking about.
3. How Much will it Cost?
After having calculated the maximum home price you can afford, you will need to calculate the extra costs connected with buying a home. Otherwise, you are not fully prepared.
4. What Should You Buy?
Before starting looking for a home, you ought to consider your housing needs and the characteristics of your home. For instance, the style of furniture should be in accordance with your personality.
5. What Professionals Should You Call On?
You will call on different kinds of professionals in the process of buying a home: a real estate agent, a mortgage broker, an inspector, a lawyer, an insurance broker, and a builder/contractor.
6. How Can You Find Your Home?
If you’ve made up your mind that you are going to start your search, you should first collect some useful information. It is wise to use tips from the information for your search and home hunting process.
7. Ready to Buy?
After finding the home you would like to buy, you will need to provide the vendor with an Offer to Purchase or Agreement of Purchase and Sale.
8. Is there More to Buying?
The real financial responsibilities of homeownership begin when you take possession of your new home; you will need to budget for mortgage payments, ongoing operating costs and an emergency fund.
Home or Tenant Insurance
You will need to get insurance after buying a home and even think about getting it when you are a tenant. Homeowners can insure both the physical structure of their house and its contents (e.g., furniture, clothing, electronics, etc). Renters can buy tenant insurance to protect their possessions.
Home insurance policies vary from company to company. Because coverage may be different from one insurance company to another, it is essential to let your insurance agent explain the policy to you carefully before you agree to coverage.
Generally speaking, home insurance polices are divided into 3 categories:
·Named Perils - this category provides coverage on your house (the physical structure) and content for direct loss or damage resulted from specific "perils" or calamities, such as hail, lightning, windstorm, and theft. These "perils" must be specifically mentioned in your policy. This kind of policy is usually the cheapest but also the most risky.
·Broad - this category offers protection on an "All Risks" basis on your home (the physical structure), but you must specify Named Perils for its contents. All Risks describes insurance for losses due to a wide range of causes. Instead of listing each insured peril, such as fire, lightning, and so on, the policy covers all loss or damage to your home that is the result of any "risk" that is not specifically excluded in the policy.
·Comprehensive - this category provides protection for both your home (the physical structure) and its contents for any risk leading to the loss or damage. This is generally the most expensive home insurance.
When you buy home insurance, you pay a premium on the basis of the value of your property and potential risks (e.g., the crime level in your neighborhood). Your premium goes into a pool of premiums paid by other homeowners.
You can file a claim with your insurance company in case of an accident or a home burglary. The company will pay money from the pool to repair your property and compensate you for your assets.
Most insurance companies set a deductible amount, which means the company will only pay for losses that are worth more than this amount. Let us say, your deductible amount is fixed at $300. If your $165 bicycle is stolen, the company will not pay to replace it. If two bicycles of the same type are stolen (total $330), your insurance policy will possibly cover $30 of the loss.
You can buy an insurance policy through various channels: directly from an insurance company, from its agents, or through an insurance broker who can give you suggestions and find a proper policy for you. Policies vary widely in price, coverage and service. It is recommended that you read the policy with discretion and fully understand all conditions and terms before buying it. If you are at a loss about what kind of questions to ask your agent or broker, consult the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), which supplies a list of questions that may be helpful to you.
Once you have become the legal owner or tenant, insurance coverage on your home starts, even though the building is still being constructed. If you have to move to another place, some policies can be transferred from your old house to your new one.
Home Safety
After you’ve moved into your newly-bought house, you have to consider other matters, among which is home safety. If your home is safe enough, your family and yourself can be protected from injury and illness. A good home security can also protect your family and belongings against vandalism and burglary. Techniques for improving home safety include many aspects. It can be as simple as locking your doors or as complicated as installing electronic alarm systems.
Home safety usually includes the following aspects:
·Fire and burn prevention
·Smoke and carbon monoxide detection
·Electrical security (e.g., electrical wiring and appliances)
·Poison prevention
·Power equipment safety (e.g., lawn mowers)
·Indoor air quality (e.g., good ventilation)
·Consumer product safety
·Toy safety for smaller children
You should check the items above to see if there are any safety weaknesses in your home and take measures to improve them. If you need more specific information, you can contact your local police service for more tips.
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