What to have ready before you apply for a rental in Windsor

Most applications that sit unanswered are not rejections. They are waiting on one missing document, usually proof of income or a previous landlord’s phone number. Applying for one of our homes is free and we read applications in the order they arrive, so the fastest thing you can do is send a complete one.

Here is what the form asks for, and why.

Everyone who is moving in

Every adult who will live in the home goes on the application, along with a co-signer if you are using one. This is not a formality: the lease names the people who live there, and a name that appears at signing but not on the application slows everything down.

Where you live now

Your current address, how long you have been there, and your landlord’s contact details if you rent. If you are coming out of a home you owned, or from a family home, say so. A short rental history is not a problem. Not explaining a gap is.

Income, from wherever it comes

Pay stubs are the usual answer, but a letter of employment, a pension statement, self-employment records or student funding all work. We are looking at whether the rent is comfortably payable, not at what kind of job you have.

References

A previous landlord if you have one, and one person who is not a family member. Give people who will actually pick up the phone.

Credit

A credit check is part of screening and there is no charge for applying. A mark on your file is not automatically the end of an application, and it is much better raised by you in the application than discovered afterwards.

Pets and vehicles

Tell us what you have. Some of our homes allow pets and some do not, and some have off-street parking while others are street parking only. Saying up front means we point you at homes that fit rather than ones that do not.

One more thing worth doing

Read the lease before you apply. Every tenancy we sign uses the Ontario government’s standard lease, and the blank form is on our tenant resources page along with the province’s own plain-language guide. There is no version of this where reading it first costs you anything.

Ready? Browse what is available now, then apply for the specific home you want. Applications are tied to a property, so starting from the home is faster than starting from the form.