Welcome to Canada: Finding a place to live

Temporary housing when you first arrive

When you first arrive in Canada, you’ll likely stay in one of the following if you don’t already have a place to stay:

• hotel
• hostel
• short-term rental
• a home with a friend, family member or host family

This will give you time to settle in and learn more about Canada. Make sure you

• connect with your local settlement services provider organization
  • They can give you information on where to look for housing and how to access housing services and support.
• apply for financial assistance
  • You can use this to help get longer-term housing.

Finding longer-term housing

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) can also help you learn about housing for newcomers in Canada.

Learn about the area you want to live in

When you know where you want to live, you’ll want to think about other things like

• public transit
• schools
• grocery stores
• shopping centres
• parks and playgrounds
• libraries
• community centres
• places of worship

All of these are important when deciding where to live in a specific city or town. For example, smaller cities and towns may not have much or any public transit, so living near a grocery store or school can make a big difference in your quality of life.

Renting an apartment or house

In Canada, almost one third of families rent their homes. Most rentals are posted online.

Before you sign any rental agreements, you should learn about renting:

• Renting Your First Home in Canada: What Newcomers Need to Know (PDF, 1.45 MB)
• Signing a Lease
• How to Find and Rent a Home if You Have a Large Family (PDF, 299 KB)
• Provincial and territorial fact sheets

If you find a place you like and your rental application is approved, you and your landlord will sign a lease. Before you sign the lease

• make sure you understand it
• check to see what your rights are as a tenant in your province or territory
• confirm if you need a rental deposit and how much it is