The best month-to-month rentals in the Greater Toronto Area

There are a number of reasons why renters may seek short-term housing. Greater flexibility, less commitment, or sometimes simply because their work or school situation requires it. Month-to-month leases are perhaps the most common type of short-term lease, and there are usually quite a few options for renters seeking this kind of arrangement – particularly in a major city like Toronto. Still, especially for newcomers to the city, it can be hard to figure out which areas you should look in, what rental platforms you should use for your search, and how to ensure you’re staying safe while browsing rentals. To help simplify your search for month-to-month rentals in Toronto, liv.rent has compiled this handy guide with our tips, strategies, and top picks for month-to-month listings.

What is considered a short-term rental in Toronto?

What is a short-term rental in Toronto? As in other Canadian cities, there’s a notable difference between short-term rentals and vacation rentals. While vacation rentals are typically seen as being less than one month in duration, short-term rentals typically range from 1-6 months, with the most common being month-to-month leases – which we’ll be focusing on in this post.

These types of rentals are often desirable as they offer renters greater flexibility. They can also be necessary for temporary or contract-based workers moving cities, since they might not want or need to find housing for an entire year. Short-term leases and month-to-month rental leases are also particularly popular among post-secondary students, since they can simply rent a unit for a semester or two rather than needing to sign on for an entire calendar year. You might also hear short-term rentals in Toronto referred to as monthly rentals or month-to-month rentals, but these both differ from weekly rentals in Toronto, which would generally be considered vacation rentals.

How to find month-to-month rentals in Toronto

Renters can easily search for month-to-month rentals using liv.rent’s built-in search filters. Simply select ‘Filters’ from the top-left of the listing page, scroll down to where you see ‘Lease Type’, then select ‘Month to Month’ to only be shown leases that renew on a month-to-month basis.

Once you find a listing you’re interested in, you can sign up to apply or just reach out and send an instant inquiry to the landlord. You don’t need to have an account to ask questions, but it’s a good idea to start so you can keep all your correspondence saved in your chat history.

It’s much easier than back-and-forth email correspondence or phone calls. Plus, you don’t have to finish filling out your profile entirely until you’re ready to apply. And, once your profile is complete, you can use it to apply to multiple units, saving time and energy.

Month-to-month rentals in Toronto

Now that we’ve covered what exactly short-term and month-to-month rentals are and how you can find them on liv.rent, let’s dive into some specific strategies for finding the perfect place. Renters essentially have three options when searching for a place to rent. If you’re already somewhat familiar with the area you’re looking in, you can search by location – for example, if you know you want to be in Downtown Toronto, you can simply hone in on this area using a map search.

Otherwise, you can search by your individual requirements and lifestyle needs. For example, if you don’t plan on bringing your own furniture, you can search for furnished units in order to narrow down your results. If you’ve come to expect a certain level of luxury from your living section, you can also filter your search by price, number of bedrooms, or minimum square footage as well. Finally, if you’re moving for work reasons, you can try searching by your career type to try and find hotspots among your fellow professionals or near your workplace.

We’ll be breaking each of these three strategies down with some suggestions based on what renters typically look for.

Month-to-month rentals in Toronto by location

Month-to-month rentals in Downtown Toronto

• Apartment for rent Downtown Toronto: 24 Ford Street, Toronto – Private room in house [Monthly rent: $1,700]
• Apartment for rent Downtown Toronto: 30 Nelson Street, Toronto – 1 bed/1 bath [Daily rent: $113]

Month-to-month rentals in Scarborough

• Room for rent Scarborough: Darlingside Drive, Scarborough – 1 bed/private bathroom [Monthly rent: $1,200]
• Partial house for rent Scarborough: 15 Wildflower Way, Scarborough – 1 bed/1 bath [Monthly rent: $1,300]

Month-to-month rentals in other areas of the GTA

• Partial house for rent North York: 55 Tollerton Avenue, North York – 1 bed/ 1 bath [Monthly rent: $2,500]

Month-to-month rentals by type

Monthly furnished rentals in Toronto

If you’re just in town for a short time, it’s sometimes not worth it to bring your own furniture. Alternatively, if you’re moving from abroad and just looking to get settled without spending a fortune on new furnishings, furnished rentals are a great way to bridge that gap while you purchase stuff of your own.

• Private room for rent Toronto: 24 Ford Street, Toronto – 1 bed/ 1 bath [Monthly rent: $1,700]
• Apartment for rent Toronto: 199 Richmond Street West, Toronto – 2 bed/ 1 bath [Daily rent: $140]
• Apartment for rent Toronto: 24 Tyndall Avenue, Toronto – Studio [Monthly rent: $1,846]

Executive monthly rentals

For those in town on business, or who are simply seeking a higher standard of living for their short-term stay, these rentals offer plenty of space and luxury amenities.

• Entire house for rent Toronto: Stanley Terrace, Toronto – 2 bed/ 2 bath [Monthly rent: $7,500]

Month-to-month rentals by occupation

Rentals for healthcare workers

There are many hospitals throughout the Greater Toronto Area, but for the purposes of this article we’ll be focusing on just three:

• Toronto General Hospital – Located at the heart of Downtown Toronto, this is Toronto’s largest hospital
• Mount Sinai Hospital – This hospital is located just adjacent to The University of Toronto’s St. George Campus and is used as a teaching institution for the university’s medical school
• North York General Hospital – Another large institute, NYGH serves North York and the surrounding municipalities

Here are some month-to-month rentals near each of the above hospitals:

• Apartment for rent near TGH: 21 Carlton Street, Toronto – Studio [Monthly rent: $3,500]
• Apartment for rent near Mt. Sinai Hospital: 295 Adelaide Street West, Toronto – 1 bed/ 1 bath [Daily rent: $115]
• Apartment for rent near NYGH: 55 Tollerton Avenue, North York – 1 bed/ 1 bath [Monthly rent: $2,500]

Rentals for film industry workers

Toronto and Ontario as a whole both consistently rank among the the most-filmed destinations in the world, which have obviously made the GTA a major hub for film industry workers. Since shoot locations tend to move around and are often located in other parts of the province, those working in film can really pick where they’d like to live and figure out a transit plan from there. We’ve primarily focused on areas outside of Downtown Toronto that offer better value and flexible lease terms.

• Townhouse for rent Oshawa: 1348 Bradenton Path, Oshawa – 3 bed/ 2.5 bath [Monthly rent: $3,000]

Rentals for tech industry workers

Many of the world’s largest tech corporations have major headquarters in Toronto: Alphabet, Oracle, Wealthsimple, Shopify, and more occupy offices in the city’s Downtown Core, centered primarily around the Fashion District. As such, the majority of tech industry workers can be found in the areas immediately surrounding city centre, although many also prefer Mississauga for the easy commute and slightly cheaper rent prices.

• Apartment for rent Toronto: 24 Ford Street, Toronto – 1 bed/1 bath [Monthly rent: $1,700]

Rentals in Toronto with three-month leases

For renters looking for a slightly longer commitment but with the flexibility of a short-term lease, there are plenty of rentals with three-month terms available in the GTA as well.

Here are some rental listings with three-month terms:

• Apartment for rent Toronto: 955 Bay Street – 1 bed/1 bath [Monthly rent: $2,500]
• Apartment for rent Toronto (4-month lease): 50 Power Street – 1 bed/1 bath [Monthly rent: $2,300]

FAQ: Month-to-month rentals Toronto

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