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Housing expert offers tips for post-secondary students moving for school

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Timmins -

The rental market is hot right now, according to property manager Jack Picard, with post-secondary students rushing to find accommodations before the school year begins.

It can be an intimidating task for people moving away from home to the northeast, so he said it's important to know where to look and what questions to ask your potential landlord.

"What are the neighbours like? What are the other tenants like?" Picard said of key queries when looking for a rental.

"You also want to be keeping an eye out for signs such as pests along the walls and floors. You want to be steering clear of those sorts of things."

With virtual tours a common practice during the pandemic, especially for international students who can't take a casual flight to view units, Picard said it's especially important to dig for details.

"If you can, ask them to see the exterior of the building, ask them to see the street. You'll want to see what sort of traffic is going on there, right," said Picard, a Timmins property manager with Rock Solid Property Management.

"Ask those questions that are surrounding the unit, to get the full answer."

International student Dhron Chaudry moved to Timmins from India around four months ago to pursue studies in supply chain management at Northern College.

He said were it not for having a friend of a friend in the city, settling into Timmins would have been more difficult than it already was.

The key factor for him was making sure to have good roommates.

"You are going to stay with these people for 24 hours a day, right, so you should be staying with people who are like-minded people," Chaudry said.

The Porcupine Health Unit said with the continued threat of COVID-19, renters should make their own assessments for the potential risks of staying with roommates and take the proper steps to stay safe.

As for getting familiar with the city, Chaudry suggests making contacts with people who've had more experience and reaching out to locals for advice.

"Try to contact some people through Facebook or any social media over here and try to find more information about the colleges," Chaudry said.

On top of making sure potentials renters know exactly what is included in their rentals, Picard said it is crucial to know one's rights and responsibilities as a renter in Ontario.

He advises getting acutely familiar with the Landlord and Tenant Board and the province's Residential Tenancies Act.

"It's really important to understand the act and know what your rights are on both sides," Picard said. 

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