Posted on: 06-04-15 00:25:42
hi guys
on april 1st i got my visa!!! i m a student in George brown college and presently lookin for an accommodation in the city of Toronto....few of my queries
1) where should i look for accommodation? which one is better basement or top floor?
2)wat things should i bring to canada apart from cloths?
3)do we get medicine over the counter for illness etc or should i be carrying along?
Quote:
Originally posted by milnoy
hi guys
on april 1st i got my visa!!! i m a student in George brown college and presently lookin for an accommodation in the city of Toronto....few of my queries
1) where should i look for accommodation? which one is better basement or top floor?
2)wat things should i bring to canada apart from cloths?
3)do we get medicine over the counter for illness etc or should i be carrying along?
1.Top floor is better . Basement will get quite gloomy & dark & depressing. Especially in winter.
2. Not much most things you get in India you get over here & vice versa. There is NOT much price difference either , even after exchange rate. So besides your personal belongings , bring all other important documents that you might need over here. You might need your laptop for your school studies. Although you can always buy one over here for about $ 250.
3. You can get some medicine over the counter without prescription . But for some you will need a to go to a doctor & get a precription . Generally drugs are expensive over here.
So if you can bring basic medicine for fever , headaches , body aches , tooth aches etc ..like Tylenol , Metacin , Crocin , Ibufrofen etc , you can save some money on prescription charges & drugs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accomodation you can get a Paying Guest Type of room in a house for $ 400 - $ 500 / month.
Basement Apartment can be had for around $ 900/month.
1 Bedroom , Hall , Kitchen can be had for around $ 1,100 / month.
George Brown is in downtown Toronto , so accomodation will be expensive over there.
You might have to live a bit further away like Scarborough , Etobicoke etc to save on accomodation.
Then you will need a TTC pass - both BUS & Metro ( Subway ) is included in that ..around $ 140/month.
Not sure how much rooms on your Campus ( College Dorm ) go for , but usually living on the Campus is more expensive than living outside. But you then save time on commute as the college hostel is walking distance from lectures , also you might not need a bus pass + Metro pass to commute , so you can save $ 140/month.
Groceries : ( Only go to the following stores as they are cheap )..Cheaper than even Indian stores.
1. No Frills
2. Food Basics
3. Freshco
4. Wal Mart
General Stores & Department Stores : ( Clothes , Shoes , Pots , Pans, pillows , bed sheets, laundry detergent, soap etc )
1. Walmart
2. Dollarama ( Only for certain things , not all )
Generally 3-4 desi students live together in an apartment as roomates & share costs etc.
You should be able to make some contacts on the campus, with other desi students.
snice the pre departure conference took place few week ago i have exchanged our no. with fellow desi students!! even they are presently lookin for apartments but, all we can find is basement apartment and yes, we all are planning to share the place so that the cost will reduce!! our courses starts on may 4th and i am comin to canada on 24th april !!!! hearty thanks to senior desi for giveing me guidence!!!
Quote:
Originally posted by milnoy
snice the pre departure conference took place few week ago i have exchanged our no. with fellow desi students!! even they are presently lookin for apartments but, all we can find is basement apartment and yes, we all are planning to share the place so that the cost will reduce!! our courses starts on may 4th and i am comin to canada on 24th april !!!! hearty thanks to senior desi for giveing me guidence!!!
Yeah ..basement apartments are generally more easy to find & are cheaper.
Usually a private guy or small investor rents basement apartments, so they are a bit lax when renting out. Sometimes the whole house is rented out. Sometimes the owner lives on the top part & rents out the basement for extra income.
Make sure what the lease is ..usually its a 1 yr lease you have to sign .
Water & Heating is usually always included in the cost.
But sometimes electricity ( also known as Hydro ) is NOT included. So make sure what utilities are included or NOT included when you rent the place.
Sometimes the owner if he lives upstairs & rents his basement will say , half the utilities will be paid by you & half by me or some Bull Shit like that ..LOL
Apartments in buidings are owned by big property mangement companies , builders etc ..so they are more strict, when signing a lease , rules , regulations etc.
By law you ONLY have to give first & last months rent in advance ..so ONLY 2 months rent in advance, so DO NOT give any more than that.
Also security deposit or any other deposit is iilegal in Ontario , so don't give that either .
Usually you have to give 2 months written notice in advance before you move out.
any website were i can find a house or an apartment in the city of Toronto??? or do you knw any person who can guide us to find an accommodation?? it would be really helpful!!!
