Tenant placement · Condos, houses and basement units
Tenant placement in Toronto and across Ontario, from listed to LEASED
We market your rental, run the showings, screen every applicant and prepare the Ontario standard lease or a customized lease. You approve the tenant. One flat fee of one month's rent plus HST, paid when they sign.
Free · No obligation · $0 until your tenant signs · 10-Month replacement guarantee
In short
Tenant placement means someone else finds, screens and signs a tenant for you, then steps back. Zola photographs and lists your unit within 12 to 24 hours, answers every inquiry, runs the showings, checks income, credit, references and documents, and prepares your lease. You approve the tenant. The fee is one month's rent plus HST, paid when they sign.
Who it's for
Landlords who'd rather have the right tenant than do the search themselves.
First-time landlords
You've never rented a place out and want it done right, from the price to the lease.
Busy or faraway owners
You work full time, or live outside the GTA or abroad, and can't be at showings.
Landlords who've had a bad tenant
A past tenant stopped paying or damaged the unit, and this time you want every applicant checked properly.
We place tenants in condos, basement apartments, houses, townhouses, multiplexes and apartment buildings of any size, in Toronto, the GTA and across Ontario: see every area we serve.
What's included, and what isn't
Everything it takes to get from an empty unit to a signed lease is in the fee.
What's included
- A rental market analysis and a rental strategy
- Professional photos of the entire place, and an optimized, honest listing
- Ads on 6+ rental platforms, including Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Rentals.ca, Zumper, PadMapper and RentSeeker, plus targeted Facebook and Instagram ads
- Every inquiry answered, usually within an hour
- Showings, evenings and weekends included
- 27-point screening of every serious applicant
- Ontario's standard lease prepared for you, or a custom lease built around your needs
- 10-Month replacement guarantee
What isn't included
- Managing the tenancy after move-in
- Collecting rent
- Maintenance and repair calls
- Lease renewals
- Move-in inspections and handing over the keys (you do these)
- Evictions (we can refer you)
- Commercial leasing: we lease homes only
What we need from you
- Access for photos and showings (keys or a lockbox)
- The date the unit is free, and anything that's included: parking, utilities, furniture
- Your building's rules, if it's a condo
- Your approval of the tenant, and your signature on the lease
How it works: five steps, about three weeks
Here's what happens, day by day, and what we need from you at each step.
Strategy call and market analysis
Day 1
A brief call about your place and your goals. We give you a rental market analysis for your specific area and a rental strategy for your place. Current rents by city are in our Ontario rent guide.
- What similar rentals nearby are going for
- Upgrades that could raise the rent, if any
- A timeline you can plan around
Listing and marketing
Days 1 to 2
We take professional photos of the entire place and optimize the listing details to make an attractive ad, then run it on 6+ rental platforms with targeted social ads. Your listing goes live within 12 to 24 hours.
- Professional photos of every room, included
- Nothing for you to do but give us access
Inquiries and showings
Days 3 to 12
We answer every inquiry and ask a few questions before booking anyone. Showings run evenings and weekends; you don't need to be there.
- Inquiries usually answered within an hour
- No-shows and time-wasters filtered out
Screening and your decision
Days 8 to 14
Our tenant screening runs the 27-point check, including our LTB record search, on every serious applicant. You get a summary of what we checked and found, and you make the final call.
- Credit report, with the applicant's consent
- Income confirmed with the employer
- Calls to past landlords
- Checks for edited documents and fake ID
Lease signing
Days 14 to 21
We prepare the Ontario standard lease or a customized lease, and set up e-signatures. You hand over the keys once it's signed and first and last month's rent is paid.
Timelines are typical, not promised. The price, the season and the unit all play a part, and we'll tell you early if something needs to change.
Free · No obligation · $0 until your tenant signs · 10-Month replacement guarantee
What it costs
One flat fee, the same for every type of property.
- The fee is one month's rent plus HST, at the rent in the signed lease
- You pay when the tenant signs, not before
- If we don't find you a tenant, you pay nothing
- No extra charge for photos, ads, showings or screening
- One firm price for every unit, however many you have
The fee
One month's rent plus HST, once
Nothing is due upfront and there's no monthly fee. The fee and the guarantee are set out in a short written agreement before we start.
| Rental | Monthly rent | Zola’s fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom condo, North York | $2,300 | $2,300 + HST |
| 2-bedroom basement apartment, Brampton | $1,900 | $1,900 + HST |
| 3-bedroom house, Markham | $3,600 | $3,600 + HST |
What landlords say
Both of Zola's Google reviews come from landlords we've placed tenants for, and our own records back them up.
5 out of 5 stars
“His meticulous approach and unwavering commitment to verifying the authenticity of documents have saved us from falling prey to fraudulent individuals. Moreover, he successfully negotiated the desired rental rate on our behalf.”
5 out of 5 stars
“I gave Zola a townhouse to rent 5 years ago and they leased it within the same month. The tenants still live there to this day and they have not missed any rent payments.”
- 100+properties rented
- 14 daysaverage time to rent
- 1.7 yearsaverage tenant stay
Our promise
If your tenant breaks the lease in the first 10 months, we find you a new one at no cost
If a tenant we placed leaves or breaks the lease within a 10-month period, we re-list, re-screen and re-place the tenant without charging a second fee. The full terms are in your written agreement with Zola; ask for a copy.
- No extra fee for the replacement placement
- The same 27-point screening for the new tenant
- We handle the marketing, showings, screening and lease again
Tenant placement questions
What's the difference between tenant placement and property management?
Tenant placement ends when the tenant moves in: we find, screen and sign them, then you manage the tenancy. A property manager also collects rent and handles repairs and renewals, usually for a monthly fee.
How long does it take?
Our average is 14 days from the listing going live to a signed lease, and most placements wrap up within about three weeks. A realistic price is the biggest factor.
What if my place doesn't rent?
We keep adjusting the marketing and talk with you about the price until it rents. You pay nothing until a tenant signs.
Do I have to be at the showings?
No. We run every showing, including evenings and weekends. If you'd like to meet the final applicants, we'll set that up.
Can I turn down an applicant?
Yes. You see what our screening found for each serious applicant and make the final call. We'll tell you what we'd do, and why.
What lease do you use?
Ontario's standard lease prepared for you, or a custom lease built around your needs. Most rentals must use the standard lease, so your own terms go into it, as long as the Residential Tenancies Act allows them. A fully custom lease is for rentals the standard lease doesn't cover, like a room that shares your kitchen or bathroom. Our standard lease guide explains what you can add.
What does the tenant pay when they sign?
The first month's rent and a rent deposit. In Ontario the deposit can't be more than one month's rent and goes toward the last month; damage and pet deposits aren't allowed. Our rent deposit guide has the details.
More questions? See the FAQ, read how pricing works, or call 437-448-6162.
Related services
Find out what your place can rent for
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What happens next
Prefer to talk? Call or text 437-448-6162
Free · No obligation · $0 until your tenant signs · 10-Month replacement guarantee