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Written By
Steve Tustin
Jan 17, 2025
•Housing
Finding affordable rental accommodation in Canada can be challenging for newcomers and international students. While finding a short-term rental before you arrive is an important first step, the hard work is finding the first long-term rental you can afford.
Of course, researching the rental market before you arrive will help you compete in Canada’s tight, low-vacancy rental markets. Get a helpful overview of Canada’s rental market and tips to prepare for a successful housing search!
While rental prices are decreasing slightly and vacancies are increasing in many cities, rental affordability remains the key issue for newcomer renters across Canada. Rental prices in Canada soared in recent years and have only recently started to fall. That trend, experts say, will continue throughout 2025.
Also, rents in popular cities such as Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Lethbridge, St. Catharines, and Halifax rose substantially in 2024 as Canadian renters fled more expensive cities such as Toronto and Vancouver in search of cheaper rents. While rental prices are decreasing in many cities across Canada, rental affordability remains an issue.
Many newcomers turn to Rentals for Newcomers (RFN) to find accommodation in Canada.
So why hass this site become so popular with newcomers seeking their first rental home in Canada?
Simple, RFN helps people avoid the headaches, heartaches, and expenses of their rental search by promoting landlords who value newcomers.
For immigrants arriving in Canada’s competitive rental market, sites like Rentals for Newcomers are invaluable. Plus, it’s FREE, but you must create an account!
Registering will allow you to interact with landlords behind the rental listings.
“Rentals For Newcomers is a great example of a partner agency,” said Jesse Greenwell, head of Communications Culture and Inclusivity at Mainstreet Equity Corp., a leading real estate company for mid-market rentals in Western Canada, “which can help prepare newcomers for Canada’s rental market.”
Rentals for Newcomers is also part of Rentsync, a North American market leader for property technology within the multifamily apartment industry. This gives Rentals for Newcomers access to the latest rental technology, tools, insights, and trends.
Newcomers looking to find accommodation in Canada must research before and after arriving. Canadian landlords won’t rent to you before you land, but knowing the rental landscape can help you find your first home more quickly.
Rentals for Newcomers is a great place to research and find that rental.
In addition to hosting rental listings from across Canada, Rentals for Newcomers provides:
Dave Frattini, managing partner of Prepare for Canada and Rentals for Newcomers, says RFN is an invaluable tool to give you a head start finding a rental.
“Searching for affordable accommodation in Canada is more difficult than ever for newcomers,” said Frattini. He advises newcomers to prepare to find accommodation in Canada by:
Frattini emphasizes that when newcomers meet landlords, “they need to prepare because landlords often have the pick of the crop, particularly when it comes to affordable rentals in prime locations.”
Using Rentsync’s rental technology software network to verify landlords, Rentals for Newcomers ensures that scam listings are not on its site to protect newcomers. Sites such as Craigslist and Kijiji are known to be vulnerable to rental scam artists targeting newcomers and students.
“Importantly, our listings are well managed,” said Frattini. “It’s both technologically and manually driven. Rentsync knows the landlords that are listing on Rentals for Newcomers.” Frattini added, “We educate our audience about scam alerts. Through Rentals for Newcomers’ blog posts, we update our audience about scams in the rental market.”
Searching for you first home in Canada? Join this exclusive session for key insights on housing market conditions, affordable options, and renting without credit history. Tailored for newcomers settling in the next 6 months—register now for valuable tips and a free guide!
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINARAlthough rent prices are slowly decreasing and vacancy rates are improving, finding affordable accommodation in Canada remains challenging for newcomers searching for their first long-term rental. Experts say this trend will continue throughout 2025, so research and prepare. Using Rentals for Newcomers can help you overcome hurdles with resources and tools to make your search easier and faster and help avoid scams.
WRITTEN BY
Steve Tustin
Senior Editor, Prepare for Canada
Steve Tustin is the Editor for Rentals for Newcomers and a contributing editor for Prepare for Canada. He is also the former managing editor of Storeys.com and a former senior editor at the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
© Prepare for Canada 2025
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