RENTING

The chances are that the first place you live in Canada will be rented. You can rent a place to live on a month-to-month basis, or rent for one or two years. There are many types of living places to rent.

The following are the different types of rental accomodation you will find in most Canadian cities and many towns.

CO-OPERATIVE OR CO-OP HOUSING

Co-op housing is a type of subsidized housing. Rent for about half of the units is geared-to-income - the rent is based on what the tenant can afford to pay. Rent for the other units is market or near maket rate.

All of the tenants of a co-op take part in managing and running the building. Your local library may have a list of co-ops. Each co-op keeps its own waiting list. You have to apply to a specific co-op to be put on its waiting list.

NON PROFIT HOUSING

This is rental housing built by a community group, a religious group or a non-profit organization. The purpose of non-profit housing is to provide affordable housing, not making a profit.

Because goverments do not run non-profit housing, there is a central list of what is available. Your local library may have a list of non-profit housing organizations.

PRIVATELY OWNED RENTAL HOUSING

This is the most common type of rental accomdation in Canada. You pay rent to an individual or company. Market forces -supply and demand-determine your rent. The is no financial assistance from municipal, provincal or federal governments.

PUBLIC HOUSING

Public housing usually refers to houses or apartments the provincal government built and manages through a local housing authority. Most often these apartments, are for people who are in most need. Public housing sets rent on what the tenant can afford-rent geared-to-income.

To get pulic housing you must be at least 16 years old and a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.

SHARED HOUSING

Shared housing can be an apartment or house that you share with another person or another family.

In a rooming house, a shared house or apartment, there are private bedrooms. You share the kitchen, bathroom and other living space with other people.

SPECIAL NEEDS HOUSING

Special needs housing is a type of shared housing. It is designed and built for people with special medical, physical, or psychiatric needs.

SUBSIDIZED HOUSING

You pay less rent for subsidized housing that you do for privately owned rental housing.

The people who run subsidized housing don't have to charge as much rent as owners of private rental housing. Subsidized housing is usually intended for people who don't have a lot of money. A municipal government or chartiable organization pays part of the operating costs.

Susidized housing can include public housing, non-profit housing, an co-operative(co-op) housing.

The demand is high for subsidized housing because it costs less. There is often a waiting period - in some cities as long as four or five years.