Getting to Know Scarborough and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Scarborough is a vibrant multicultural hub, with easy access to downtown Toronto and beautiful green spaces, including the Highland Creek valley accessible directly from the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, and the Scarborough Bluffs a short drive away. Each neighbourhood offers a unique mix of amenities, languages, cultures, and landscapes. Learn more about Scarborough neighbourhoods - Neighbourhood Guide.
Many faculty members live in Scarborough, but many also live in other parts of the Greater Toronto Area. Learn more about neighbourhoods in Toronto through blogTO.
Vacancy Rate in Scarborough
The rental vacancy rate across all types of structures in Scarborough as of October 2022 was 1.1%. Find detailed statistics in neighbourhoods across the GTA through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Commuting in Scarborough
When deciding where to search for housing, it’s helpful to think about how you will travel to U of T Scarborough, and whether your appointment also requires you to work at the St. George or University of Toronto Mississauga campuses.
Public Transit: U of T Scarborough is served by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), TTC Wheel-Trans (accessible), GO Transit, Durham Regional Transit.
Biking: Traffic in Toronto can make commuting by car unpredictable and slow. Biking is a sustainable and often faster option, and bike infrastructure in Toronto is growing. Learn more about biking in Toronto from advocacy groups like Cycle Toronto and Scarborough Cycles.
Bike Share Toronto offers a network of 680 stations across the city, including one on the U of T Scarborough campus, allowing users to rent bikes for short trips.
Driving: Learn more about parking options at U of T Scarborough.
Renting
There are many different options for rental units in Scarborough and Toronto: units in high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings and condos; apartments in subdivided houses; and entire houses. As a rule, housing costs should be less than 30% of before-tax household income.
Aside from monthly rent, tenants sometimes pay additional costs such as electricity (often referred to as hydro), gas, water, internet/cable, and tenant insurance. Make sure to find out what is and is not included in the rental price.
Some realtors can help tenants find leases. Costs for this are incurred by the landlord, not the tenant, so it is free to you.
The following websites offer rental postings. Please note that these are provided as reference only; these are not university housing resources.
The Residential Tenancies Act is the law that governs the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the protections and rights that you have as a tenant in Ontario. Learn more about common issues and questions that come up while renting through Community Legal Education Ontario.
Buying a Home
Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases of one’s lifetime. There are many considerations that go into home buying: deciding if homeownership is right for you, if you are financially ready to own a home, how to finance the purchase, how to find the right home, how to make an offer and close the deal, and how to maintain your home. For more information - Home Buying Step-by-Step Guide.
Learn about Ontario’s consumer laws and how they protect homeowners through the Ontario Government website.
Learn about the rights and responsibilities of owning a condo, including fees, maintenance and repair, disputes, and participating in the condo community.
Learn more about the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, a shared-equity mortgage with the Government of Canada which offers 5-10% for a first-time buyer’s purchase of new and existing homes.
New to Canada? Information for Newcomers, including translations into non-English languages.
The average home in Scarborough sold for $1,164,400 in May 2023 according to Realtor.ca.
The following external links are starting points for looking at real estate.
Temporary Accommodations
There are many options for temporary accommodations in Scarborough and the GTA. Some common booking platforms as reference -
Other Campus Resources
Faculty housing resources for the St George and Mississauga campuses.
Additional Things to Consider
Information on electricity rates - Toronto Hydro and on natural gas rates - Enbridge.
The City of Toronto provides information on property tax and utilities (water and solid waste removal).
For phone service, U of T offers Employee Personal Plans with several different phone service providers.
There are many different internet service providers; some common ones are TekSavvy, Bell, and Rogers.