Rental Viewing Checklist Toronto: What to Check and Ask

A good Toronto rental viewing takes 20 to 30 minutes and follows a plan: test the water, heat and windows, look for pests, damp and safety alarms, check laundry, noise and phone signal, then ask the landlord about rent, deposits, utilities and repairs. Leave with photos and notes, and never pay a deposit until you've verified the landlord and seen a lease.

Print this checklist or keep it open on your phone at your next viewing.

Key takeaways

• Test, don't just look. Run taps, flush the toilet, open windows, check your phone signal.
• Know the city minimums: 21°C from October 1 to May 15 when the landlord supplies heat, and hot water between 45°C and 49°C at the taps.
• Find the alarms. Every Ontario home needs working smoke alarms on every storey and outside sleeping areas, plus CO alarms where there's a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage.
• Ask who lives there. If you'd share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) usually doesn't apply.
• Pay nothing at the viewing. No cash, wires or crypto, and no "holding fee".

This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic through Legal Aid Ontario or Steps to Justice.

Before you go

• Look up the address on a map and walk or transit the route at the time you'd normally commute.
• Search the address and a few phrases from the listing to see if the same photos appear elsewhere at a different price.
• For apartment buildings with three or more storeys and ten or more units, check the building's RentSafeTO evaluation on the City's interactive map. Buildings get a green, yellow or red sign based on their score.
• Bring your phone (camera, flashlight, a timer), a small notebook and this list.
• If you're viewing as a group, decide in advance who checks what, so nothing gets missed while everyone looks at the kitchen.

What to inspect

Water pressure and hot water

• Turn on the kitchen tap and shower at the same time, then flush the toilet. Does the pressure collapse?
• Time how long hot water takes to arrive. Toronto requires hot water at the fixtures to be between 45°C and 49°C.
• Look under sinks for leaks, warped cabinet floors or water stains.

Heat and cooling

• Ask how the unit is heated (radiators, baseboards, forced air) and who controls the thermostat.
• When heat is supplied at the landlord's expense, the City requires a minimum of 21°C from October 1 to May 15.
• If the landlord provides air conditioning, it must be run from June 1 to September 30 to keep the unit at no more than 26°C. Landlords don't have to install AC where there isn't any.
• Check whether heat is included in rent or billed to you. Ask for last winter's bills if it isn't.

Pests, damp and mould

• Use your flashlight under the sink, behind the stove and along baseboards for droppings, dead insects or traps.
• Check mattress seams and furniture joints in furnished rooms for small dark spots, a common sign of bed bugs.
• Ask directly: "Has the unit or building been treated for pests in the past year?"
• In basements, sniff for a musty smell and look for peeling paint, efflorescence (white powder) on walls and condensation on windows.

Windows, doors and locks

• Open, close and lock every window. Look for drafts, broken screens and fogging between panes.
• Check bedroom windows in basements: are they big enough to climb out of? Our post on legal basement apartments in Toronto explains why this matters.
• Test the front door lock and ask who else has keys.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

• Ontario law requires working smoke alarms on every storey and outside all sleeping areas, in rented homes as well as owned ones.
• A CO alarm is required near sleeping areas if the unit has a fuel-burning appliance or fireplace, or sits beside, above or below a garage or service room. In rental units, the landlord is responsible for installing and maintaining CO alarms.
• Press the test button only with the landlord's okay, but at least confirm the alarms are there and not disconnected.

Electrical, kitchen and bathroom

• Count the outlets in each room and check that they work (bring a phone charger).
• Open the fridge, turn on a stove element and run the bathroom fan.
• Look at the caulking around the tub and the grout for mould.

Laundry

• In-suite, shared in the building or none? If shared: how many machines, what hours, coins or a card?
• If there's no laundry, find the nearest laundromat now, not after you move in.

Noise and neighbours

• Stand quietly for a minute with the windows closed, then open. Listen for streetcars, traffic, bars and HVAC units.
• Ask about the people upstairs and next door. In a house, ask how many units share it.
• If you can, walk past again on a Friday night.

Cell signal and internet

• Check your bars in every room, especially basements and interior bedrooms, and make a short call.
• Ask which internet providers serve the building and whether internet is included.

What to ask the landlord

On deposits, Ontario allows only a rent deposit of up to one month's rent and a refundable key deposit. Damage, pet and cleaning deposits aren't permitted. Our guide to rent deposit rules in Ontario has the details.

Documents to request

• A draft of the Ontario Standard Lease. It's required for most private residential tenancies signed on or after April 30, 2018. The landlord must give you a copy of the signed lease within 21 days. See our guide to Ontario's standard lease.
• Proof of who you're dealing with. Photo ID that matches the name on the lease, and if an agent shows the unit, something showing they're authorized to act for the owner.
• Condo declaration, bylaws and rules if the unit is in a condo. You'll be agreeing to follow them.
• House rules or a roommate agreement if you're joining an existing household.
• The RentSafeTO evaluation, for buildings in the program. Owners must share the score and details with prospective tenants.

Most landlords will also ask you for documents. Our rental application guide covers what's reasonable to share.

Scam signs at or before a viewing

Canada's Competition Bureau flags these patterns, and they show up in Toronto every moving season:

• The rent is noticeably lower than similar places nearby.
• The "landlord" is abroad and can't show you inside, or offers only exterior photos.
• You're asked for a deposit before any lease exists, or to send money outside the country.
• Photos don't match the address, or appear on other listings.
• You're pushed to decide fast because "others are interested".
• A link sends you to a site asking for banking or personal details.

If something feels off, walk away. Our full guide to Toronto rental scams covers how to verify a landlord and where to report fraud.

How to compare places afterwards

Score each place the same evening, while it's fresh:

Compare total cost, not rent alone: a cheaper unit with hydro and heat billed separately can end up costing more. If you're applying with roommates, share the scores and agree on a first choice before anyone submits an application.

Bottom line

A viewing is your one chance to find problems before they become yours. Test the basics, ask direct questions, collect documents and pay nothing until the landlord and lease check out. Then compare places on the same scorecard.

If you're searching with others, ColivEase can help: every listing is reviewed by a person, chats flag common scam lines, and the exact address stays hidden until an application is accepted. Roommates can form a team and apply together, and it's free. Start your search on ColivEase.