Looking for a place in Toronto

[psychosid77]

I cannot find any places for rent (like an apartment or basement apartment) in Toronto or the Greater Toronto area that allow pets.....or pets over 25lbs. Can anyone provide some direction for me? I'm at a loss. The only places I have stumbled accross are very trashy.

My apologies, if I am not supposed to make posts like this here on this site. I am not encouraging solicitation at all............. I just need a place to live for me and my pup! Any sites or other direction anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

=)

[Marcino]

Depending on your budget have you explored the option of renting a house?
I have family that lives out in Mississauga that rent a town house for about 1500.00 a month (3 bdrm) and they own a Golden Retriever. There are many of these for rent around the Burnhamthorpe/Havenwood Drive area.

[psychosid77]

Thanks for the input. That's a little out of range right now, budget wise right now. I tried phoning a few places like that, but they all said "no" to dogs.

[Nishasmom]

You should look for a place owned by an individual. Most often these landlords are more sensible. Ask them to meet your dog (to prove his manners).

[tla0126]

Does your pup have his Canine Good Citizen training? Maybe if he has that, it would be easier to persuade an individual landlord. I think the main issue is insurance companies... It took me a few months to find something(I'm in Tucson, Arizona). I guess the best advice I can give would be look on Craigslist. That is where I found my place. Good luck and I am sure you can find something!!! Keep us posted!

[speedy78]

Originally Posted by psychosid77

I cannot find any places for rent (like an apartment or basement apartment) in Toronto or the Greater Toronto area that allow pets.....or pets over 25lbs. Can anyone provide some direction for me? I'm at a loss. The only places I have stumbled accross are very trashy.

My apologies, if I am not supposed to make posts like this here on this site. I am not encouraging solicitation at all............. I just need a place to live for me and my pup! Any sites or other direction anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

=)

where were you before and where are you going to keep your large dog in an apartment. they need a yard.

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by speedy78

where were you before and where are you going to keep your large dog in an apartment. they need a yard.

I'm going to disagree with this statement. Although I do have a large yard, I don't normally use it to exercise my dogs. For that, I take them for walks, take them swimming at a nearby lake in the summer, take them swimming at a semi-local pet resort sometimes in the winter, etc.

I use the yard when I need to take them out to go to the bathroom, but if I didn't have one, I'd take them for more walks.

[tla0126]

Yeah, my pup never uses the yard except to poop. Even if I'm out there with him throwing a ball, he just walks over and sits next to the door waiting to go in. Ha.

[StephanieandToby]

The large apartment building at number 3- Superior Avenue in Etobicoke, ON has Rottweilers in it.

(I have a friend who lives there...)

[Cdn1050]

Ontario law is that no landlord can evict you or deny you rent because you own a pet (no matter what the pet or breed). Find a place that you like, check out the lease agreement with regards to pets (though that will never hold up anyways, not sure why landlords put it in there), don't tell the landlord about the pet and move in. Just make sure that your dog is not an excessive barker and doesn't do any damage to the property and you should be fine. If the landlord says anything to you, remind him or her that you are aware of the Ontario Landlord Tenants Act and cannot be evicted due to owning a pet. This is what I found off one of the links but you may want to Google the actual Act.

Ontario Landlord and Tenant Act; questions and answers

PETS AND "NO PETS CLAUSES":
Q6: The landlord says I must either move out or get rid of my pet; Do I?
A6: Only if the pet is dangerous, causes allergic reactions or causes problems for other tenants or the landlord, must you get rid of your pet or consider moving elsewhere as per Landlord application to terminate tenancy based on animals.

Even if you signed a lease with a "no pets" clause, if the pet is not a problem for anybody they can not enforce it; such no pets clauses are invalid under the law.

You do not have to move or get rid of the pet unless the Board issues a written order to do so.

[Diva Satanica]

Another option is looking into housing co-ops. If you're not familiar with what it is, its usually a townhouse complex that has cheaper rent (or as its called in co-ops, housing charge) based on the fact that the people who live there run the entire place. A lot of co-ops allow big dogs. If you went this route, you have to volunteer time within your co-op, serving on a committee and helping upkeep the place, but it usually works out to about 4 hours a month. The upside is that you save approx. $400-$600 a month from what you would pay for the same townhouse.

[psychosid77]

Thank you all for your input. I used to live in a large apartment in the states with the dog and had access to a patio, where he did his business, but my pup gets the exercise he needs from our walks everyday. Right now I am staying with a friend since I moved back to Canada, and there is a yard here, but again, all we use it for, is for him to do his business, and in fact he is on leash when we do go in the yard to do the do. I came accross the Co-ops/ Townhouse option. Only issue, I am getting there are the waiting lists. The legal card......that's interesting. When I phoned one place they actually told me that no landlord can enforce a no pets rule, but I find that could be bringing on trouble by just bringing him in. You know that so many people have a negative depiction of this breed, and I would hate to be "voted" out based on that. He isn't a barker really, except when someone comes to the door. My last place was very quiet, and we didn't get too much noise from other tenants leaking into our space. Does anyone live a basement apartment? I ask, because I am wondering if the dog will react to the constant footsteps from above and start barking etc.? I'll look into that etibicoke place.......to me I could live anywhere in the GTA.....east or west...north or south.

[Dimitri]

if you don't mind where you are living in the city, you could always get a place in the "up and coming areas' which do not have as many restrictions as regular homes. now, if you are renting a condo, that is a complete grey area and they could put those kinds of restrictions on you. I live in the heart of the downtown core and there is this place called 'the jazz' building on church and shutter that caters to a high student population and has no pet restrictions.

[psychosid77]

I would live anywhere in Toronto or just outside of Toronto. From Ajax to Mississauga.....from Lakeshore up to Vaughn!
A large apartment or basement apartment or small townhouse would be ideal. I know church and shuter.......lots of parking lots, from what I recall......
but to answer your question, I'm not too concerned whether or not I'm right in the city. Actually, it's a little nicer just outside the city to me versus being right in the thick of it, but again, it doesn't matter to me.

[Canadianrotti]

As was pointed out before, under the landlord tennant act they are not supposed to discriminate if you have a dog, but they will find some other excuse to not rent to you if they want to.
Also, if your pet (any pet) is being a nuisance and causing other tennants to not be able to enjoy quiet enjoyment, well then you and/or your pet will have to go.
When it comes to condos, that is another story all together. Because they have their own set of regulations, they can actually set their own by-laws when it comes to dogs, and many of them have a size restrection, ie. max dog size of 35 Lb.

I am sure that if you search you will find a place that is suitable. I think your best bet is to find a multi-unit house, and have lots of info to prove that you are a responsible dog owner.

One more thing, Landlords aer not allowed to collect a "secuity deposit" in Ontario or any other "pet damages deposit". Good luck with your quest.