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Movers from US, Housing in Toronto and Quarantine rules

ShystaG

Member
Jul 30, 2020
16
7
Hello Everyone,

Has anybody recently moved from US to Canada (Toronto, to be precise) or is planning to move any time soon?

I had a few questions:

1) Do you need to take a COVID test before arriving in Canada? Can we avoid quarantine if we test negative?
2)When is a best time to move in terms of leasing an accommodation? Middle of the month or beginning of the month, considering the 14-day self isolation period?
3) Where do we look for renting accommodations in and around Toronto?
4) We are looking to move our stuff (no furniture) from US through movers. Does anybody have experience with that?

Any inputs will be appreciated. Thanks!
 

Qwertypod

Hero Member
Jan 28, 2019
817
272
1) No, you do not need to take a test. Even if you test negative in a test on the US, you will still need to quarantine - you could pick it up anywhere from the testing facility to your trip into Canada. Don't be irresponsible with this and just adhere to the rules of the country you are entering. Are you exempt from current travel restrictions?

2) There is not a perfect time to move, but most leases end/start on the first of the month. That being said, landlords are willing to accommodate any move in date. The quarantine will have nothing to do with this.

3) online (Kijiji, craigslist, padmapper) or a real estate agent could help you since you are not in the country.

4) It's fine to use a moving company, a lot of people do. Not sure whether they would be let in with your stuff right now as they might not be essential/exempt - but not 100% sure on this.

Make sure you have a 14-day quarantine plan ready to present to the border agent if you are exempt from current travel restrictions.
 
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ShystaG

Member
Jul 30, 2020
16
7
1) No, you do not need to take a test. Even if you test negative in a test on the US, you will still need to quarantine - you could pick it up anywhere from the testing facility to your trip into Canada. Don't be irresponsible with this and just adhere to the rules of the country you are entering. Are you exempt from current travel restrictions?

2) There is not a perfect time to move, but most leases end/start on the first of the month. That being said, landlords are willing to accommodate any move in date. The quarantine will have nothing to do with this.

3) online (Kijiji, craigslist, padmapper) or a real estate agent could help you since you are not in the country.

4) It's fine to use a moving company, a lot of people do. Not sure whether they would be let in with your stuff right now as they might not be essential/exempt - but not 100% sure on this.

Make sure you have a 14-day quarantine plan ready to present to the border agent if you are exempt from current travel restrictions.
Thank you so much for your response.
We are not trying to avoid Quarantine. Just wanted to know this because we were planning to Quarantine in an Airbnb (need to check if that will be available) and look for apartments virtually. I am not sure if it is a good idea to quarantine in an apartment because that could be risky for other residents of the building and also I think home owners will be skeptical to rent out a place to someone who has just arrived.
 

Qwertypod

Hero Member
Jan 28, 2019
817
272
Thank you so much for your response.
We are not trying to avoid Quarantine. Just wanted to know this because we were planning to Quarantine in an Airbnb (need to check if that will be available) and look for apartments virtually. I am not sure if it is a good idea to quarantine in an apartment because that could be risky for other residents of the building and also I think home owners will be skeptical to rent out a place to someone who has just arrived.
Agrees, it's best to quarantine in an airbnb that is fully yours to use and not shared with others. Make sure to note that when booking as some landlords will have a problem with it. A hotel room would also be an option for you. Best of luck!
 

ShystaG

Member
Jul 30, 2020
16
7
Agrees, it's best to quarantine in an airbnb that is fully yours to use and not shared with others. Make sure to note that when booking as some landlords will have a problem with it. A hotel room would also be an option for you. Best of luck!
Thank you for your assistance!
 

mandhaata

Hero Member
Aug 9, 2019
201
98
How did it go when you moved? We maybe in same boat soon, I am also planning to bring back my household goods from US back to GTA using some moving company, could that be a concern?

What if goods arrive within our quarantine period? Will we be okay to receive good while being in quarantine?

Sorry for many questions in one post, appreciate your inputs.
 

ShystaG

Member
Jul 30, 2020
16
7
How did it go when you moved? We maybe in same boat soon, I am also planning to bring back my household goods from US back to GTA using some moving company, could that be a concern?

What if goods arrive within our quarantine period? Will we be okay to receive good while being in quarantine?

Sorry for many questions in one post, appreciate your inputs.
Hi,

I will be happy to assist you with your questions.

We drove from Virginia to Toronto. Instead of booking an airbnb we had leased our apartment and the apartment authorities were clearly communicated that we will be traveling from the US. They had mandated that we stay in isolation for 14 days and we did abide by that.

We had sold all of our furniture so that was not shipped. Rest all our stuff was shipped through UPS. We did receive some great offers from UPS in terms of price but our experience was not satisfactory. The boxes that came were in terrible condition and despite proper packaging, some of our crockery was broken. The boxes were manhandled, something we had not expected from them.

Our shipping boxes came during our quarantine period and the concierge of our building allowed the UPS guys to drop the boxes at our doorstep. So that was one good use of our quarantine period that we utilized that time for arranging our house.

Since we did not step out of the house, our grocery shopping was done by our friends and they would leave it at our doorstep. We had no experience with online grocery shopping but I have heard those services are good here.

Wish you the best with your moving. Sorry about the long post but I hope it helped.
 

mandhaata

Hero Member
Aug 9, 2019
201
98
Hi,

I will be happy to assist you with your questions.

We drove from Virginia to Toronto. Instead of booking an airbnb we had leased our apartment and the apartment authorities were clearly communicated that we will be traveling from the US. They had mandated that we stay in isolation for 14 days and we did abide by that.

We had sold all of our furniture so that was not shipped. Rest all our stuff was shipped through UPS. We did receive some great offers from UPS in terms of price but our experience was not satisfactory. The boxes that came were in terrible condition and despite proper packaging, some of our crockery was broken. The boxes were manhandled, something we had not expected from them.

Our shipping boxes came during our quarantine period and the concierge of our building allowed the UPS guys to drop the boxes at our doorstep. So that was one good use of our quarantine period that we utilized that time for arranging our house.

Since we did not step out of the house, our grocery shopping was done by our friends and they would leave it at our doorstep. We had no experience with online grocery shopping but I have heard those services are good here.

Wish you the best with your moving. Sorry about the long post but I hope it helped.

Thanks a lot for detailed response - this is very helpful indeed.
 

VKR123

Member
Jan 2, 2021
17
8
Hi,

I will be happy to assist you with your questions.

We drove from Virginia to Toronto. Instead of booking an airbnb we had leased our apartment and the apartment authorities were clearly communicated that we will be traveling from the US. They had mandated that we stay in isolation for 14 days and we did abide by that.

We had sold all of our furniture so that was not shipped. Rest all our stuff was shipped through UPS. We did receive some great offers from UPS in terms of price but our experience was not satisfactory. The boxes that came were in terrible condition and despite proper packaging, some of our crockery was broken. The boxes were manhandled, something we had not expected from them.

Our shipping boxes came during our quarantine period and the concierge of our building allowed the UPS guys to drop the boxes at our doorstep. So that was one good use of our quarantine period that we utilized that time for arranging our house.

Since we did not step out of the house, our grocery shopping was done by our friends and they would leave it at our doorstep. We had no experience with online grocery shopping but I have heard those services are good here.

Wish you the best with your moving. Sorry about the long post but I hope it helped.
Thanks, how did you manage credit checks etc. We just moved to GTA from US last week and are in Airbnb for a month. Looking for a house or apartment for rent. Any suggestion how is your apartment and if possible please share the city you are in.
 

shalzz

Full Member
Jun 4, 2015
34
10
Hi,

I will be happy to assist you with your questions.

We drove from Virginia to Toronto. Instead of booking an airbnb we had leased our apartment and the apartment authorities were clearly communicated that we will be traveling from the US. They had mandated that we stay in isolation for 14 days and we did abide by that.

We had sold all of our furniture so that was not shipped. Rest all our stuff was shipped through UPS. We did receive some great offers from UPS in terms of price but our experience was not satisfactory. The boxes that came were in terrible condition and despite proper packaging, some of our crockery was broken. The boxes were manhandled, something we had not expected from them.

Our shipping boxes came during our quarantine period and the concierge of our building allowed the UPS guys to drop the boxes at our doorstep. So that was one good use of our quarantine period that we utilized that time for arranging our house.

Since we did not step out of the house, our grocery shopping was done by our friends and they would leave it at our doorstep. We had no experience with online grocery shopping but I have heard those services are good here.

Wish you the best with your moving. Sorry about the long post but I hope it helped.
Hello!
I hope you have settled in Canada. I wanted to ask if it’s common practice to provide passport and visa copied to the moving company.