Apartment Viewing Checklist in Canada: What to Check Before You Sign

You have found a unit that looks promising. The landlord or agent is standing behind you. You have roughly 15 to 20 minutes, two children pulling in different directions, and no clear idea of what you are actually supposed to be looking at.

Most families walk into their first Canadian apartment viewing underprepared; not because they are careless, but because nobody tells them what to look for.

Listing photos are curated. Landlords are motivated. And the things that will actually affect your daily life: the heating system that runs at half capacity, the walls that cannot hold a nail, the elevator that breaks down twice a month are invisible until you are already living with them.

This apartment viewing checklist is not meant to be completed in one frantic pass. Some items you check on the day. Some you ask about before you sign.

The checklist tells you which is which. Bring it with you. Go through it while the landlord is still in the room, that is the moment you have the most leverage.

Before You Even Enter the Unit

The Building Exterior

Start your assessment before you reach the front door. The condition of the exterior tells you something real about how the building is managed.

Look for:

Paint and cladding — peeling, cracking, or staining on the exterior walls
Landscaping and common outdoor areas — maintained or overgrown
Bin areas — organised and clean, or overflowing
General signage — legible, professional, or faded and ignored

A neglected exterior is rarely the only problem. It is a signal about the standard of management inside.

Entrance Security

Intercom — working and clearly labelled with unit numbers
Fob or key access — test it if you are given the opportunity
Front door — closes fully, lock engages, no visible damage to the frame
Lighting at the entrance — think about arriving home after dark with children

Talk to a Resident If You Can

Before you do anything else — If you see another resident entering or leaving the building, ask them one question: how is living here?

Residents will tell you things a landlord will not. Elevator reliability, noise levels, how quickly the building responds to maintenance requests, whether the heating actually works in January.

This is the single most underused tactic in an apartment viewing, and it costs you nothing.

The Building Itself

Elevator

Is it working on the day you visit — if it is out of service during your viewing, ask how often this happens
Visible condition inside: lighting, flooring, buttons, closing mechanism
Ask directly: what is the average turnaround when the elevator needs repair, and what is the building’s policy for residents who cannot use the stairs

Worth knowing: In older condo buildings across Ontario, elevator breakdowns can mean days of disruption. If you are moving with a pram, an older relative, or anyone with mobility needs, elevator reliability is not a convenience; it is a daily necessity. Do not assume it works reliably just because it works today.

Hallways and Common Areas

Lighting — bright and consistent throughout, or patchy and dim in sections
Cleanliness — swept, maintained, or evidence of long-term neglect
Smell — a damp or mould odour in a corridor before you have even reached the unit is a warning sign worth taking seriously

Laundry Facilities

On-site or in-suite — confirm which before viewing so you know what you are comparing
Coin or card operated
Number of machines relative to the number of units — in a 200-unit building with four machines, laundry becomes a scheduling exercise
Condition of the machines — open the drum doors and look inside

Inside the Unit — Room by Room

The Front Door

Opens and closes without sticking or dragging on the floor
Deadbolt present, functioning, and not loose in the frame
Door frame — no damage, no signs of forced entry, no visible repair work around the lock
Hallway width from the entrance — can you move a pram through comfortably without angling it

Living Room

Walls: Press lightly on the walls in a few places. In older buildings, particularly those built more than 50 years ago, walls can be crumbling plaster beneath the surface. This is not visible until you try to hang curtains or a picture frame and the fixings will not hold. Ask what the walls are made of and whether the building has had any plastering or renovation work done recently.
Ceiling: Look up. Staining, sagging, or watermark rings indicate a leak from the unit above; past or present.
Floors: Walk to the corners and press lightly. Soft spots or warping suggest water damage underneath.
Windows: Open and close every window in the room. Locks should engage fully. Screens should be present and intact, this matters significantly in summer.
Electrical outlets: Count them. A family living room runs on multiple devices simultaneously. Check around each outlet for scorch marks or yellowing; both are signs of electrical issues.
Heating unit: Note the type: baseboard, forced air, or radiator and its visible age. An old unit running at reduced capacity will cost you more in heating bills and comfort than any other single factor in the apartment. Ask when it was last serviced.
Natural light: At what time of day does the light come in and from which direction. North-facing units in Canadian winters receive very little direct sunlight.

Kitchen

Test every appliance that is included in the unit while you are standing there:

Turn on the oven and all hob rings — do not take it on trust
Open the fridge and feel the temperature inside — it should be cold, not cool
Run the dishwasher door mechanism if one is present
Open every cupboard and look into the corners — pest activity shows up as droppings, damage to packaging, or greasy marks along edges
Run the sink on hot and cold: check the pressure and watch how quickly the water drains
Test the extractor fan — a kitchen with no working ventilation produces condensation and mould
Count the outlets near the worktops — a family kitchen needs more than two

Bedrooms

Size: Pace out the dimensions if you do not have a tape measure. Picture your actual furniture — your specific bed size, your children’s beds, a wardrobe — and whether it fits with space to move around.
Storage: What is provided — a hanging rail, shelving, a full wardrobe. Canadian apartment bedrooms typically provide a rail and a single shelf. If your family needs more, you are adding furniture from day one.
Windows: Working locks, natural light, and consider whether the window is directly overlooked by a neighbouring unit or building.
Walls: Same check as the living room: condition, any softness, any signs of damp near the window frame.
Outlets: Enough for a bedroom shared by children: lamp, device charging, monitor if needed.

Bathroom

Toilet: Flush it and wait. It should clear completely and the cistern should refill without running continuously afterward. A running toilet is both a water cost and a maintenance issue.
Shower or bath: Run it — check water pressure, how quickly the hot water arrives, and how fast the drain clears.
Grout and sealant: Black mould in the grout or along the sealant line is a recurring issue in older bathrooms. It is not always a dealbreaker, but it tells you something about the ventilation and the maintenance standard.
Extractor fan: Turn it on, it should run and it should be audible. A bathroom without working ventilation will produce mould regardless of how carefully you clean it.
Under the sink: Open the cabinet. Look for water staining on the base, soft or swollen wood, or active dripping from the pipework above.

Balcony or Outdoor Space

Door: opens, closes, and locks properly — test it fully
Floor: no cracking, soft spots, or lifting tiles
Railings: push them firmly, they should not move or flex
Privacy: can the neighbours see directly into this space from their unit or balcony

Accessibility Checks — What Most Viewings Miss

This section matters for families with prams, older relatives, or anyone who needs to move through a home without stairs being the default assumption. It is also relevant for any family that expects to move large items: furniture, appliances, luggage through the unit regularly.

Doorway widths: A standard wheelchair requires a clear opening of at least 81 cm. Measure or estimate every doorway in the unit including the bathroom. Many older buildings were not built to modern accessibility standards and no retrofitting has been done.
Corridor widths: Enough to turn a wheelchair or navigate a pram without pressing against both walls simultaneously.
Bathroom space: With the door open, is there enough floor space to position a wheelchair at the toilet and the sink. If the vanity cabinet opens into the doorway, it may block access entirely. This is more common than most people expect.
Elevator dimensions: The opening width and the internal cab depth are two different measurements. Some elevators open wide enough but are too shallow to turn a wheelchair inside once you are in.
Step-free access: Count every step from the building entrance to the unit door. One or two steps may be manageable with the right equipment. More than that is a significant daily barrier.
Ask building management directly: How do they handle accessibility requests, and what is their policy if the elevator is out of service for a resident who cannot use the stairs.
Worth knowing: Building age is the single most reliable indicator of whether accessibility was designed in or added later. A building constructed before the 1990s was almost certainly not built with wheelchair access as a standard and retrofitted access is rarely adequate for daily use. Ask the age of the building before you commit to a second viewing.

Questions to Ask Before You Leave

Ask these before you walk out, not after you have gone home and started wondering.

How old is the building, and when were the major systems last replaced: heating, plumbing, and roof
What is included in the rent — heat, hydro, water, parking, and internet
Who handles maintenance requests and what is the typical response time
Has there been any history of pests in the building or in this specific unit
What notice does the landlord give before entering the unit
Are there any known noise issues or ongoing complaints in the building
Is the building managed by the landlord directly or through a property management company

Red Flags That Should Make You Pause

The landlord or agent discourages you from testing appliances or opening cupboards
The viewing is rushed and questions are deflected rather than answered
The unit has been freshly painted very recently — this can mask water staining or damp that has not been repaired
Multiple units are available in the same building at the same time — ask why
Answers about maintenance response times are vague or redirect to a different topic

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I ask for a second viewing before signing?

Yes and you should if anything felt rushed or unclear during the first visit. A landlord who refuses a second viewing before lease signing is worth questioning.

What if I cannot view the unit in person before arriving in Canada?

If someone is viewing on your behalf, send them this checklist. Video calls during a viewing are a reasonable request; ask the person showing the unit to walk through it on camera while you ask questions in real time.

Should I bring anything to the viewing?

A phone for photos and measurements, this checklist, and a notepad. Take photos of every room before you leave including anything that already looks damaged or worn.

What is the difference between a viewing and a move-in inspection?

A viewing happens before you sign. A move-in inspection happens on the day you collect the keys, you document the condition of the unit formally at that point to protect your deposit when you eventually leave. These are two separate processes.

Can I negotiate repairs before signing the lease?

Yes. If you identify issues during the viewing: a broken appliance, a damaged floor, a faulty window lock, you can ask for them to be repaired as a condition of signing. Get any agreement in writing before you sign anything.

What Comes Next

You do not need to check everything in 20 minutes. You need to know what you are looking for so that nothing catches you after the keys are already in your hand.

Before your next viewing: screenshot or print this checklist and bring it with you. Go through it room by room while the landlord is still there, that is the moment you can ask questions and expect honest answers. Once you have signed, the leverage shifts.

When you are ready to set up your new home, read the apartment checklist for newcomers: it picks up exactly where this one ends, covering everything from utilities and tenant insurance to furniture and seasonal essentials.

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