Are you a tenant? Read our frequently asked questions below. You can also read our FAQs for Accommodation Providers.
Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00 EST excluding Canadian Bank Holidays.
If you are looking for a room or property to rent in Canada you will likely be asked to provide a Rental Guarantor.
A Rental Guarantor is required by your Landlord/Accommodation Provider to pay rent arrears if you default on any of your payments. Provision of a Rental Guarantor is common practice in Canada and grants your future landlord the security that your rent will be paid on time and in full.
You have the option to use Rent Defend’s Rental Guarantor Service if:
In the majority of cases, Canadian agents will not show you available properties to rent unless you already have a Rental Guarantor in place.
If you do not have a Rental Guarantor, your Accommodation Provider may give you the option to pay your rent in advance. This is illegal and normally a payment of 4 to 6 months upfront. However, in many circumstances and even if you do pay upfront, your Accommodation Provider may still request that you provide a Canadian guarantor to secure your rented property. Terms and Conditions vary and we recommend that you check this with your provider.
Paying large sums of money upfront can be a risk and could leave you in a difficult position should your rented home be repossessed or if there is damage or an emergency that requires you to vacate the property. It can also leave you in a weakened bargaining position should you require the landlord to carry out any maintenance tasks. By using Rent Defend as your Rental Guarantor, you will be able to pay monthly and protect yourself from such risks as these.
International students in full time studies in Canada.
We recommend that you only pay a deposit or an administration fee after being given a confirmed guarantor deed by us as some agencies or landlords may decline to reimburse any pre-paid fees if a suitable guarantor is not provided. Some student accommodation, such as halls of residences, require a security deposit to be paid prior to providing a guarantor but often are prepared to reimburse this fee upon request.
When you apply online, and if you are eligible for the service, you are emailed a downloadable Rental Guarantor Certificate. The certificate will allow you to inform your Accommodation Provider that you have a Rental Guarantor in place should they require official assurance before showing you their rentals. However please note that we will only sign the Guarantor Deed with your Accommodation Provider once you have completed the full application process with us.
Rent Defend can process your application within one day as all parts of the process are completed online and we have a policy to provide an immediate response to each enquiry. In some circumstances, we might experience delays in obtaining the paperwork/documents from your Accommodation Provider. If this is the case, we will always keep you updated and informed.
Please note that we are unable to process your application unless you have completed the full online application, made payment and signed the Guarantee Agreement with us. Full instructions are provided when you apply online.
The whole process can be completed online and can be done from anywhere in the world. We request your phone number on your application form so that we are able to call you if necessary.
For a student: Rent Defend charges a one off fee at the beginning of your tenancy. The fee is calculated on your course and location details. You can get an instant no obligation quote by making an application online. The cost of the service will be between 60-95 % of your share of the monthly rent, subject to a minimum of $375
No. We have to have payment to cover the term of the guarantee by the start date of the guarantee.
Each case is dealt with on an individual basis and may be negotiated but as a standard:
For a student: 12 months.
Once you have applied online, one of our Housing Officers will call you to take payment. Payment can be made online by VISA or Mastercard or by bank transfer. The contract cannot start until full receipt of cleared funds; a receipt will be emailed immediately upon payment to the applicant or cardholder.
For a student: Photographic ID (Passport, driver’s license or national identification card) and proof of studies (student ID card or university acceptance letter/ email).
For an international co-signer: Photographic ID (Passport, driver’s license or national identification card), proof of residential address (utility bill or bank statement showing name and address and dated within the last 3 months).
Please see our requirements for a co-signer.
You can upload the documents via your account at www.rentdefend.com We accept photographs of the documents taken by a mobile phone or other camera (.jpg or .png for example) or in .pdf format.
We guarantee that the information you provide is secure and confidential and will not be shared with any external third parties who are not involved with delivering the guarantor service to you.
After you have applied for the service, you will be sent a contract to sign which sets out the Terms and Conditions of your Guarantor Agreement with us. This is sent to you by email and can be signed online. Instructions on how to sign the Guarantor Agreement will be sent to you in an email. The process is quick and simple.
Please note that you will receive the Guarantor Agreement to sign before it is forwarded to your co-signer for their signature. We recommend that you contact your co-signer after you have signed the Agreement to inform them that it has been sent to them and to explain that they need to sign it online. We also recommend that you and your co-signer sign the Agreement as soon as possible to avoid any delays with your application. If you have any problems, please contact our office.
A co-signer is someone who will also sign the contract you have with Rent Defend. They may be someone who does not wish to, or does not meet the requirements to be your Canadian rent guarantor directly.
Your co-signer is a second point of contact and is also jointly liable to repay Rent Defend for any monies paid out on your behalf if you default during your tenancy. They must have an income, however their credit history is not relevant. If you are from overseas, your co-signer does not need to be based in Canada so can be a parent or friend in your home country.
You cannot be a co-signer if you are:
International co-signers can be a parent or guardian in a foreign country subject to relevant identification checks.
Your co-signer may not be based in Canada and therefore not eligible to your landlord or Real Estate Agent or, alternatively, they may not have sufficient income or credit history to be eligible to your landlord or Real Estate Agent. Possibly your co-signer may not own a house and therefore not be eligible either.
Yes you can. Contact Rent Defend immediately and we can help you through the process.
You are required to provide evidence that your Accommodation Provider has confirmed that you have been released from the Tenancy and there is no outstanding debt at the property. Otherwise you are still liable for all outstanding rent to the end of your Tenancy Agreement.
The accommodation will invoice Rent Defend and we will arrange payment. We will work with you or if required, your co-signer, to arrange repayment to Rent Defend.
You can renew your Guarantor Agreement with us at any time. To renew, log on to our website and select the renew option. We will ask you to confirm whether your Tenancy details have changed and then send you out a new Guarantor Agreement to sign. We will do the rest for you!
We can process refunds only where the service has not yet started and where the accommodation provider is in agreement. In addition, we will refund any fees paid in full where the accommodation provider will not accept our guarantee. We will charge a fee of $100 for administration costs from a refund if the decision to cancel is the applicants or co-signer. This fee is waived if the decision is the accommodation providers to cancel.
Rent Defend will rebate a percentage to students of their final tenancy period with Rent Defend dependent on the period of time they have used the service. For one year this is 10%, two years 15%, three years 20%. This is applicable upon request within 30 days of the end of the tenancy and rebates are not paid out prior to the end of the tenancy agreement. The rebate is paid within 28 days of bank details received for rebate, and to avoid money laundering, these must be the tenants account details only. Rebates are paid out if no breach of your tenancy agreement has taken place during the period of tenancy.
If you feel the changes are detrimental to your interests, we can help you find suitable alternative accommodation. If the changes concern you we can help ascertain the legality of the changes and can assist you.
We will consider giving you a refund if you have not yet moved in to your new accommodation. We may charge you an administration fee of $100 depending on the reason for the cancellation. If you are requesting a refund because you or your co-signer decided to cancel we will charge the administration fee. If the cancellation happened because your accommodation provider did not allow you to move in for some reason, then we will not charge you an accommodation fee. We will pay any refund due within 28 days of receiving a request in writing to this email address: refunds@rentdefend.com
Find replacement tenants (through the House Finder Service) should tenants drop out during the length of the tenancy agreement meaning vacant rooms are quickly filled.
Not found the answer you were looking for? Give us a call
Tel +1.888.485.4878
If you are an international student looking to rent in the Canada, our guarantor service ensures you can rent the property you want and pay rent monthly.