Students take on rental concerns in panel about off-campus housing
The UTM Real Estate Club collaborated with 19 organizations to educate students about renting in Mississauga and Toronto.

On August 13, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Real Estate Club (UTMREC) hosted a panel discussion featuring housing experts, club executives, and experienced renters to address students’ concerns about off-campus housing. The panel comes as many students are searching for housing in preparation for the 2025 Fall term.

UTMREC teamed up with 19 organizations to promote, organize, and facilitate the event, which was held in room IB 200 of UTM’s Instructional Centre and streamed online via Zoom. About 70 students attended the event either in-person or virtually, making it one of the largest student-run events held on campus over the summer.

The panel was also the first major event hosted by UTMREC, which recently acquired official status from the UTM Students’ Union and the Centre for Student Engagement.

Students helping students

“Our club’s main aim is to talk about all different aspects of real estate,” UTMREC President Preet Kaur Narula explained in an interview with The Medium following the event.

In bringing together student groups across various disciplines and areas of interest, her club’s aim was to teach students about navigating the rental market, their rights and responsibilities as tenants, and managing their mental health throughout the rental process.

Leading up to August 13, each participating organization promoted the event by creating and sharing social media posts, many of which appealed to a specific club’s members. For instance, one Instagram post by the UTM Filipino Student Association gave an overview of the event in both English and Tagalog.

“I wanted this event to reach out to as many people as possible,” Narula said. “The topic of real estate, tenants’ rights, and rental processes is not club-specific.”

Of the 19 partner groups on the event’s roster, executives from 11 groups agreed to present as panellists.

The UTM Mental Health Student Association (MHSA) started the panel discussion by going over common rental scams and ways student renters can protect themselves. They also acknowledged that renting can cause a great deal of mental stress, especially in the case of dishonest and malicious landlords.

To cope with these difficulties, the MHSA urged students to practice self-care and to promptly seek out counselling and support, such as from Downtown Legal Services, the Health & Counselling Centre, and the MHSA itself.

UTMREC continued by explaining that consulting a realtor is an effective way to verify whether a listing is legitimate and can accommodate your specific needs. They stressed the importance of beginning your rental search months before your desired move-in date, preparing identification and documentation in advance, carefully reviewing the terms of the lease, and keeping receipts of all financial transactions.

Next, the Pakistani Students’ Association at UTM walked attendees through the process of renting through platforms like Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace. They cautioned to look out for rental red flags, such as if the landlord prohibits in-person viewings, has inadequate lease verification, or insists on e-transfer deposits.

Additionally, AGAPĒ UTM warned that unlawful landlords may manipulate their tenants to accept unfair and illegal leases, such as by making emotional appeals and illegitimate listings.

HOUSE Canada recommended that students hoping to rent should get references, such as from professors, managers, or previous landlords, to help ensure their rental application is successful.

In a joint presentation, UTM Model United Nations and the UTM Armenian Students’ Association provided an overview of tenants’ rights under provincial law. They also explained that tenants can file complaints with Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit, or municipal by-law enforcement, depending on the grievance.

The UTM Moot Court Team elaborated on the function of the LTB, detailing the process of filing legal complaints with the tribunal. They recommended that, in the case of a potential rights violation, tenants should seek legal advice from organizations like Mississauga Community Legal Services or Pro Bono Students Canada.

Assessing the economics of the Greater Toronto Area housing market, the UTM Undergraduate Economics Council and the UTM Law and Commerce Association explained trends in housing affordability and the effects of rent control on the market. In particular, they argued that relatively low wage increases, rising wealth inequality, and speculative investments are making renting more unaffordable for students.

The Law and Business Student Association from the St. George campus went over how rental options differ between Toronto and Mississauga, stating that Toronto features a great variety of housing types while renters in Mississauga are typically limited to low- or medium-density houses and mid-rises. Nevertheless, they noted that finding affordable off-campus housing remains difficult for students in both cities.

The event ended with testimonies from three upper-year students who each shared negative experiences of renting off-campus. Their troubles echoed many of the topics discussed throughout the panel, namely with regard to malicious landlords and tenants’ responsibilities. Overall, their message to students was to do extensive research and consult with professionals to stay informed at all stages of the rental process.

Starting from the bottom

Reflecting on the event, Narula imparted that it was a resounding success. “Initially, we were very scared because UTMREC started from ground zero,” she said. “We weren’t backed up by professors or councils. We didn’t have any resources.”

Alongside Co-Vice President Jaskaran Singh Narula, she founded UTMREC earlier this summer with the mission of educating students about tenancy, finding housing, and investing in real estate. She recognizes that the panel discussion was the first big step towards realizing that mission.

The UTMREC president said that although putting the event together was a difficult task, she’s now certain that her club can deliver similarly impactful events in the coming months. “I was extremely satisfied with how it turned out. Making mistakes did not discourage me; it just encouraged me to try even more.”

For their next major project, UTMREC is planning to host a conference featuring industry professionals in the fall term.