Renting In Toronto- Advices Needed!

[LittleDaisy]

Hey guys, I will be based at St-Michael's Hospital for my residency.

I have started to look for apartments in Toronto in the downtown area, any good neighborhoods to recommend?

I am aiming for 1 bedroom apartment, for the price range of 1400-1800, would that be a reasonable price?

 

Also, do people usually sign their lease around May 2017? I have called in a few places, and the landlords are only willing to rent starting May.

The ideal month for me to move in would be June, but I assume that the nice apartments go by fast, and people are willing to sign leases around May???

 

Besides Padmapper, Kiijii, and Viewit, any good online resources or rental agent to recommend for finding apartments in Toronto?

I just assumed that with the crazy expensive prices, the apartments won't be gone that fast lol!

 

Thanks so much for all your help guys.

[ArchEnemy]

The nice neighbourhoods downtown would be along Bay street, either Bay/College or Bay/Dundas, both of which are very close walking distances to St. Mike's and the other downtown hospitals, and pretty much walking distance to anywhere.  

 

Try RentFaster.ca or even the Facebook group for elective housing? 

[bkbk]

I think ur budget is enough for getting a good 1bedroom apt

I found mine through this website last year.

realtor.ca

[ellorie]

Sounds about right.  I pay about 1600 for my one bedroom (though it's basically a glorified studio).  I live in St Lawrence, which is really close to SMH and is also really nice.  I find Bay/College pretty bland even though lots of residents live there.

[LittleDaisy]

For someone looking for 1 bedroom apartment downtown starting June 2017, should I go in-person asap, ideally next weekend (April 15th-16th)? 

The reason is that I am OOP, changing my flight tickets and hotel booked for 3rd week of April, seem to be a pretty hassle and pain  

Do 1-bedroom apartments downtown (Close to St-Mike's) usually go by like hot potatoes?

 

Thanks for your advices guys, greatly appreciated.

[A-Stark]

The nice neighbourhoods downtown would be along Bay street, either Bay/College or Bay/Dundas, both of which are very close walking distances to St. Mike's and the other downtown hospitals, and pretty much walking distance to anywhere.  

 

Try RentFaster.ca or even the Facebook group for elective housing? 

 

Not sure I would call Bay/Dundas a "nice neighbourhood", let alone most any other place along Bay. 

 

If you live on the subway it's pretty straightforward to get to almost any downtown hospital apart from Western. 

 

Sounds about right.  I pay about 1600 for my one bedroom (though it's basically a glorified studio).  I live in St Lawrence, which is really close to SMH and is also really nice.  I find Bay/College pretty bland even though lots of residents live there.

 

 

So expensive! But that is a lovely area. 

[thestar10]

I think your fine with your current schedule. Thr Toronto housing market is hot but new places are listed every day.

[ellorie]

So expensive! But that is a lovely area.

Yeah, the first of the month is always a little painful. But I spent my entire medical school in a tiny apartment on the outskirts of London, Ontario so that I could cut my rent to 700/month and when I started residency I decided I was going to treat myself to somewhere I'd want to come home to. The saving grace is that all the utilities and everything are included and I have central air and a washer/dryer.

[ellorie]

Just be careful because the area around SMH is a bit sketch. Like, I wouldn't live right next to it.

[ploughboy]

Not sure I would call Bay/Dundas a "nice neighbourhood", let alone most any other place along Bay. 

 

Not sure I would even call the Bay corridor a "neighbouhood" at all.  I found it pretty soul-less along that stretch when I lived there.  Darn convenient for residency, though.

[A-Stark]

Yeah, the first of the month is always a little painful. But I spent my entire medical school in a tiny apartment on the outskirts of London, Ontario so that I could cut my rent to 700/month and when I started residency I decided I was going to treat myself to somewhere I'd want to come home to. The saving grace is that all the utilities and everything are included and I have central air and a washer/dryer.

 

 

If you're not familiar with Ontario summers, please note the essential bolded amenity above. 

 

Also not having your own washer/dryer as a resident would be a huge pain. 

[ploughboy]

Just be careful because the area around SMH is a bit sketch. Like, I wouldn't live right next to it.

 

This is a good point, and worth repeating.  There are probably some very cheap places close to Mike's, but you wouldn't want to live in them.

 

St. Lawrence is nice.  I had friends who lived in that general area for residency, and they liked it.  Much more "neighbourhoodey" than a lot of other places.

[ACHQ]

Not sure I would call Bay/Dundas a "nice neighbourhood", let alone most any other place along Bay.

 

Not sure why you wouldn't. Yeah its not a really a true "suburban" neighborhood but nothing in downtown Toronto is. I live there and its pretty nice. Accessible to all the main hospitals (10 min walk to St. Mikes, 5-8 min walk to TGH and Sinai) and the Sunnybrook shuttle, also close to yonge dundas square which is nice if you like that sort of thing.

 

Yeah it might be closer to the sketchier part of the city (east and south), but compared to the area where St. Mike's is, its heaven.

 

Downsides: its pricey.

[A-Stark]

Downtown has dozens of neighbourhoods, just not in the immediate vicinity of the Eaton Centre. 

[LittleDaisy]

Why not live right close to the Eaton Center? The neighbourhood is sketchy?

So far I am very keen on the Bay Corridor Neighbourhood, and avoiding St-James Town, Regent Park and Moss Park at all costs!

Downtown has dozens of neighbourhoods, just not in the immediate vicinity of the Eaton Centre. 

[ACHQ]

Downtown has dozens of neighbourhoods, just not in the immediate vicinity of the Eaton Centre.

 

Hence the use of the word "suburban"

 

And many of them are not walking distance 5-10 min to the hospital sites (with maybe the the exception of the Western). That being said it's not always about being super close. Everyone has there own preferences

[LittleDaisy]

When I will be in gen-surg & obs-gyn rotations as a R1 off service (i.e: will pre-round all the ward patients, cosign orders from med students, review or do the ER consults). I think that I would appreciate the extra 10-20 minutes in the morning to sleep in, or the 10-20 minutes when I get home at 7-8 pm to eat & refuel !

Hence the use of the word "suburban"

And many of them are not walking distance 5-10 min to the hospital sites (with maybe the the exception of the Western). That being said it's not always about being super close. Everyone has there own preferences

[bentobox1234]

Just be careful because the area around SMH is a bit sketch. Like, I wouldn't live right next to it.

 

 

This author would also agree (free exerpt):

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/108744/life-on-the-ground-floor-by-dr-james-maskalyk/9780385665971/

[schmitty]

ALso consider the waterfront neighbourhood. I lived there during medical school (near York/Bay and Queens Quay). A bit longer to SMH - but only like 20 min walk, or less by bike or subway and a great place to live!

[A-Stark]

Hence the use of the word "suburban"

 

And many of them are not walking distance 5-10 min to the hospital sites (with maybe the the exception of the Western). That being said it's not always about being super close. Everyone has there own preferences

 

 

At the risk of further threadjack, the Bay Corridor != downtown. I suppose more broadly we could speak about the whole of the old City of Toronto pre-1997, but I was certainly not suggesting, say, Warden and Finch as a viable alternative.