Toronto renters and landlords weighing liv.rent vs torontorentals.com are really choosing between two different jobs. One platform is built mainly to get an apartment listing seen online; the other offers landlord verification and tenant-screening tools before a lease is signed. This post lines up what each site does in 2026, what verification and tenant screening look like on both, what they cost, and how Ontario’s current rent increase guideline factors into the decision.
What is torontorentals.com?
torontorentals.com is a Toronto-area apartment and condo listing site where renters search available units by neighbourhood, price and building, using an interactive map, professional listing photos and floor plans. It has served the Toronto market since the mid-1990s, and under a 2021 network alliance, it now operates as one of six sites in the Rentals.ca Network, alongside Rentals.ca, Rentfaster.ca, Louer.ca, Rentboard.ca and RentCanada.com. For a landlord, it works mainly as a paid listing board: post a unit, add photos and reach the network’s shared traffic across those sites.
That makes it a search tool first, in a market that has been cooling. CMHC’s mid-year 2026 update found Toronto’s two-bedroom asking rent index at 93.7 as of the end of 2025, down from a 100.0 baseline in the first quarter of 2024, with landlords pointing to a surge of newly completed condo units as a driver. The public pages reviewed did not advertise renter identity, credit or income verification, lease signing, rent collection or dispute tools; those pieces, if needed, are left to the landlord to arrange separately, or to another platform.
What is liv.rent, and how does its Trust Score work?
liv.rent is a Canadian rental platform built around verifying who a renter and landlord actually are before a lease is signed, not just displaying a listing. Its core screening tool is the Trust Score, a 0 to 100 tenant reliability score built from credit history via Equifax (55 points), an algorithmic risk assessment that cross-checks submitted information against LinkedIn, photo ID and references (20 points), liv.rent’s own verification of ID documents plus income and employment (20 points), and an income-to-rent ratio (five points).
Scores sort into four tiers: excellent (90 to 100), very good (75 to 89), average (60 to 74) and poor (0 to 59). Landlords see the score on an applicant’s screening report, and renters can see a landlord’s own ID-verified status before applying, so verification runs both directions rather than one.
How do liv.rent and torontorentals.com compare at a glance?
Side by side, the two platforms solve different problems. torontorentals.com is primarily a search and listing board, part of a shared network; liv.rent adds identity verification, tenant screening and lease tools on both sides of a rental. Pricing below reflects liv.rent’s published plans as of September 2026; torontorentals.com and the Rentals.ca Network do not publish a landlord rate card, so that line is marked accordingly.
| Feature | torontorentals.com | liv.rent |
| Primary function | Listing search and display | Verified listings, tenant screening and lease tools |
| Renter cost | Free to browse and contact | Free to search, apply and message |
| Landlord starting cost | Not publicly listed | Free (Essentials); Growth $48/mo billed annually or $56/mo billed monthly |
| Tenant credit or screening report | Not advertised as a built-in feature | Included on paid plans; $16.99 pay-per-use |
| Landlord identity verification | Verified Badge (government-issued ID plus a live selfie match) | ID-verified badges and manual listing checks |
| Digital lease signing | Not advertised as a built-in feature | Included, with lawyer-vetted addenda |
| Rent collection tools | Not advertised as a built-in feature | Card, UnionPay and Bitcoin |
| Part of a wider network | Yes, the Rentals.ca Network (six sites) | No, an independent platform |
Does torontorentals.com offer tenant screening or credit checks?
No. torontorentals.com’s own verification, its Verified Badge, checks a landlord’s identity through government-issued ID and a live selfie match. The public pages reviewed did not advertise a tenant credit, income or rental-history check as a feature. liv.rent screens both sides of the same transaction: a landlord can pull a Trust Score report on an applicant, and a renter can see a landlord’s ID-verified status before ever applying.
torontorentals.com’s Verified Badge
The Verified Badge applies to landlords and their listings, not to renters. It combines an AI check of a submitted photo ID, a live selfie matched against that ID, and, for some listings, feeds from MLS or verified real estate agents. The network also monitors landlord accounts on an ongoing basis for suspicious activity, but none of that touches whether the person applying to rent the unit is who they say they are, or can afford it.
liv.rent’s two-sided verification
In practice, a landlord’s ID documents are verified and their listing is manually checked before it goes live, while a renter’s Trust Score, which includes income and employment verification, does the equivalent work on the other side of the application, backed by an Equifax credit pull rather than self-reported information alone. Renters can also build a reusable Renter Resume once and send it to multiple landlords instead of filling out a fresh application every time.
What does it cost to use liv.rent versus torontorentals.com in 2026?
For a renter, both platforms cost nothing to search and contact a landlord. The difference shows up on the landlord side: liv.rent’s Essentials plan is also free (unlimited listings, standard digital contracts, one user seat), while paid landlord tiers add screening and reach. Growth runs $48 a month billed annually or $56 a month billed monthly, and Business runs $399 a month billed annually or $490 a month billed monthly, each with more screening reports and multi-platform ad pushes included. A single Trust Score report outside a plan costs $16.99, pay-per-use, current as of September 2026.
torontorentals.com does not publish a landlord rate card on its site, so a fixed number cannot be quoted here; a landlord comparing the two should request current pricing directly before deciding. What is confirmed is that torontorentals.com’s fee, whatever it is, buys placement in the Rentals.ca Network’s shared listing traffic, not a tenant screening report.
How much can a Toronto landlord raise rent under Ontario’s 2026 guideline?
Ontario’s 2026 rent increase guideline is 2.1%, set by the Government of Ontario using the province’s Consumer Price Index, and it caps how much rent can rise once every 12 months for units subject to rent control. The guideline was 2.5% in both 2024 and 2025, and it is set to fall again to 1.9% for 2027.
Whether that guideline even applies depends entirely on when a unit was first occupied.
Units first occupied on or before November 15, 2018
These units are subject to rent control under the Residential Tenancies Act. A landlord can raise the rent by the guideline amount once every 12 months with proper written notice. An increase above the guideline generally requires an approved above-guideline increase from the Landlord and Tenant Board, granted to cover certain costs.
Units first occupied after November 15, 2018
These units, most new buildings, additions to existing buildings and most new basement apartments, are exempt from rent control entirely, according to the Government of Ontario. There is no 2.1% cap on them: the rent for a new tenancy is set through negotiation between landlord and tenant, and while any later increase during that tenancy is not capped, Ontario’s timing and notice rules still apply, generally at least 12 months between increases and 90 days’ written notice.
Neither platform sets this cap; the guideline comes from the province, not from liv.rent or torontorentals.com. What differs is whether the site helps a landlord act on it. liv.rent’s landlord dashboard keeps digital contracts and notices in one place, while torontorentals.com remains a listings board with no lease or notice functionality built in.
liv.rent or torontorentals.com: which fits Toronto renters and landlords better?
The better fit depends on what a renter or landlord actually needs solved. A landlord who only wants a listing seen by as many Toronto renters as possible, and is comfortable handling screening, leases and rent collection elsewhere, gets that from torontorentals.com’s spot in the Rentals.ca Network. A landlord or renter who wants identity and income verification, a credit-based Trust Score, and lease and rent tools in the same place gets that from liv.rent instead.
In a rental market where fake listings and unverified applicants are a real concern, torontorentals.com focuses on listing exposure, while liv.rent adds verification, screening and rental-management tools. Renters comparing their options can start with liv.rent’s rental resources hub for more on searching safely in Toronto.
Is torontorentals.com free to use?
Renters browse listings and contact landlords at no cost. Landlords pay to post a listing, though torontorentals.com and its Rentals.ca Network sister sites do not publish a public rate card, so the price varies and is confirmed when a landlord signs up.
Does torontorentals.com run credit checks on tenants?
The public pages reviewed did not advertise a tenant credit check. torontorentals.com verifies landlord identity through its Verified Badge program, government-issued ID plus a live selfie match, but that badge covers landlords, not renters. A landlord who wants a tenant credit check needs a separate tool, such as liv.rent’s Trust Score.
On liv.rent, what counts as a good Trust Score?
A Trust Score of 90 to 100 is rated excellent, 75 to 89 very good, 60 to 74 average, and 0 to 59 poor. The score blends Equifax credit history, an algorithmic identity and reference check, liv.rent’s own ID and income verification, and an income-to-rent ratio.
Can my Toronto landlord raise my rent by more than 2.1% in 2026?
Only through an increase the standard guideline does not cover, such as a Landlord and Tenant Board approved above-guideline increase, or because the unit is exempt from rent control. Otherwise, Ontario’s 2026 guideline caps most increases at 2.1% once every 12 months, per the Government of Ontario.
Is my Toronto apartment exempt from Ontario's rent increase guideline?
Yes, if it was first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018, including most new buildings, additions and new basement apartments. Those units are not subject to the annual guideline, though a landlord still generally needs at least 12 months between increases and 90 days’ written notice on an existing tenancy.
Which platform is safer for apartment hunting in Toronto, liv.rent or torontorentals.com?
They verify different things. torontorentals.com checks that a landlord’s identity is real before a listing goes live; liv.rent adds a Trust Score on renters plus ID verification on landlords, so both sides of the same lease get checked, not just the listing.
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