Top things to consider before looking for housing

• Book appointments to look at five different places minimum.
• Use an accommodation viewing checklist to compare units and know what to ask during showings.
• Wait until February or March; that's when the majority of listings will be available.
• Plan to have any lease negotiations included in writing.
• Review how to deal with roommate conflict and then create a roommate agreement before signing a lease.
• Check out places4students.com for listings:
  
  • Brantford off-campus housing
  • Waterloo off-campus housing
• Visit the University of Waterloo housing site for more listings.
• Know your rights by familiarizing yourself with the Residential Tenancies Act.
• Utilize on-campus services like the Student Rights Advisory Committee.
• Conduct a move-in inspection to protect yourself from damages.

Dont Wait Until it is Too Late! 

It can be stressful to not know where you are going to live right away and you may feel like you need to sign something ASAP, but in addition to having more listing options, being patient also gives you more time to spend with potential roommates to determine if you actually want to live with them. It may also prevent you from rushing into a rental scam! 

That being said, the rental market is less then favorable for students so its important that you do not wait to long and get boxed out. There should be a healthy medium between securing a good listing before its gone and not rushing in. Most leases are posted between October and March. 

What is a Guarantor?

A guarantor is any credit-worthy person a landlord will accept who undertakes to “guarantee” all liabilities under the lease. If your parent or guardian signs as a guarantor for a lease, they can be held liable for that lease.

If there is more than one tenant on the lease, the guarantee is not just for the liabilities of the tenant with the relationship to the guarantor, and it remains in force if the premise is subletted. For example, if one of your co-tenants or subletters fails to pay their share of the rent, your guarantor can be called upon by the landlord to make up the missing share.