The first week: turn a lease into a working home
You’ve signed, you have keys, and there’s a temptation to just start unpacking. Resist it for an afternoon. The first week in a new place is a short window where a handful of small tasks decide whether the months ahead are smooth or full of nasty surprises — and some of them have to happen before you move a single box.
There are three jobs to do, and this guide takes them in order: get the essentials running (utilities and internet), protect yourself (tenant insurance and a record of the unit’s condition), and update the world (your address). Skip the first and you can arrive to no power; skip the second and one accident can cost you tens of thousands or your deposit; skip the third and your tax refund goes to your old address.
None of it is hard. Most of it is free or cheap. But the order matters — utilities and your move-in photos can’t wait until after you’ve settled in, and tenant insurance is best in place the day you move.
The first week is cheap insurance against expensive surprises. An afternoon of setup now saves months of headaches later.
Who pays for what: read the lease before the first bill
Before you set up anything, settle the most basic question: which utilities are included in your rent, and which are yours to pay? The answer is set entirely by your lease, so confirm it in writing before you sign — and certainly before the first bill arrives.[1] “Utilities” usually means electricity (hydro), heat, gas or fuel, and water/sewer; internet and cable are separate.
This matters more than renters expect, because it changes which apartment is actually cheaper. A unit at $1,400 a month with heat and water included can easily beat one at $1,200 plus $250 in utilities — so compare the all-in cost, not the sticker rent.[9] Winter bills can be double the summer ones for the same unit, so budget for the peak months, not the average.
One protection worth knowing: utilities like heat, water, electricity, and gas are essential services, and your landlord cannot shut them off — even if you owe rent. In Ontario, for example, landlords must provide adequate heat and hot water even when the tenant pays the bills, with minimum indoor temperatures set by municipal bylaws, and a tenant whose essential service is cut off can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (Form T2).[5] Internet and cable, by contrast, are not essential services and aren’t legally guaranteed — if they’re bundled into your rent, get the cost stated in writing.[5]
Setting up utilities — and the deposit nobody warns newcomers about
If utilities are yours to pay, set up the accounts before move-in day. Electricity and gas come from a provincial or local utility — BC Hydro and FortisBC in British Columbia, Hydro-Québec in Quebec, Toronto Hydro, Hydro One, or a local distributor in Ontario — and you open the account in your own name. A landlord can’t set up service on your behalf.[6] Give yourself a few business days: BC Hydro, for instance, recommends setting up at least five business days ahead, with a small one-time account charge ($13.50 plus GST) on your first bill.[3] Water and sewer are usually municipal and, for renters, typically included in rent or paid by the landlord.
Now the part that blindsides newcomers: you may be asked for a security deposit just to start utility service, if you have no Canadian credit history or don’t pass a credit check. This is separate from your rent deposit, and it can be a few hundred dollars you hadn’t planned for. The rules differ by province:
| Utility setup | Ontario | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit if no credit history | Under Ontario Energy Board rules, a utility can require a deposit — capped at about 2.5× your average monthly bill (monthly billing) or 1.75× (bi-monthly).[4] | BC Hydro may require a deposit of roughly 2–3× your estimated average monthly bill.[3] |
| Getting it back / waiving it | Returned after about one year of on-time payments, with interest; can often be paid in installments over up to six months.[4] | Returned after about two years of good payment — or waived up front with a reference letter from a previous utility showing 12 months of on-time payments.[3] |
| Essential-service shut-off | Landlord can’t cut heat, water, electricity, or gas — even for unpaid rent (Form T2 if they do).[5] | Landlord can’t terminate or restrict a tenant’s essential services.[7] |
⚠Ontario and BC shown as examples. Deposit rules and amounts are set by each province’s energy regulator and utilities — confirm with your provider and the Ontario Energy Board or BC Utilities Commission before relying on a figure.
Two practical moves once you’re set up. First, ask about equalized (budget) billing — most utilities will spread your estimated annual cost over 12 equal monthly payments, which smooths out the winter spikes and makes budgeting predictable.[6] Second, set up auto-pay: a missed utility bill can mean late fees and, eventually, a reconnection charge, and on-time payments are exactly what gets your deposit back and builds the Canadian credit history you’ll want later.
Internet without the traps
Internet isn’t an essential service, but it’s the one you’ll notice first if it’s missing, so sort it in week one. A few things save real money. You almost certainly don’t need the fastest plan — for most households, something in the 75–150 Mbps range is plenty, and the 500+ Mbps tiers are an easy place to overpay.[9] Don’t rent the modem at $12–$15 a month when you can buy your own for around $100 and break even within a year.[9] And read the contract: watch for promotional rates that jump after the first year, and for cancellation terms. Providers routinely offer discounts to keep you, so it’s worth renegotiating annually.
Tenant insurance: the $20 thing renters skip and regret
If you take one thing from this entire guide, take this: your landlord’s insurance does not cover you. It covers the building and the things that came with it — walls, pipes, the stove and bathtub — but not your belongings, not your liability, and not the cost of living elsewhere if the unit becomes uninhabitable.[2] Those are yours to carry, through tenant insurance.
⚠ Why this isn’t optional in practice
The Insurance Bureau of Canada notes that tenants are legally responsible for property damage — accidental or otherwise — and for injuries their visitors suffer. A grease fire that smoke-damages your unit and the neighbour’s, or a guest who slips and is injured, can land on you. Without insurance, a single event can cost tens of thousands out of pocket.[2]
A standard policy bundles three protections.[2] Contents coverage replaces your belongings — furniture, electronics, clothing — after theft, fire, and certain water damage. Personal liability (typically $1–2 million) covers you if you’re found responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property, including legal costs. And additional living expenses pays the extra cost of a hotel or temporary rental, above your normal rent, if a covered event forces you out while repairs are done. All of this usually runs about $15–$50 a month depending on your province and coverage — genuinely one of the best-value insurance products in Canada.[8]
A few things to get right. Aim for coverage that reflects what you actually own — most renters underestimate, so walk room by room and add it up; $30,000 or more in contents and at least $1 million in liability is a common starting point.[8] Know the standard exclusions: overland flooding, sewer backup, and earthquakes are typically not covered, but sewer backup can be added as an inexpensive endorsement — well worth it if you’re in a basement or ground-floor unit — and pests and your roommates’ belongings aren’t covered (each roommate needs their own policy or to be named on yours).[8] Many landlords now require tenant insurance as a lease term; in Ontario, failing to keep required insurance can give a landlord grounds to seek termination, so treat a lease requirement seriously.[8] And if you’re on a low income, ask your caseworker — in Ontario, Ontario Works and ODSP may cover the cost of contents insurance.[2]
Tenant insurance is the rare case where the responsible choice is also the cheap one — a few dollars a month against a five-figure risk.
Document the unit before you unpack
Before the furniture goes in — ideally on the day you get keys — walk the empty unit and create a record of its condition. Check the walls, floors, appliances, cupboards, windows, and fixtures, and photograph or video every existing flaw: a stain, a scuff, a chip, a slow drain.[7] Then complete a condition inspection report with your landlord and have you both sign it. This is the single best protection for your deposit, because at move-out it’s the proof that the damage was already there.[7]
In British Columbia this is formalized — a Condition Inspection Report is part of the move-in (and move-out) process and is tied directly to your deposit’s return.[7] Ontario has no mandatory form, but a dated set of photos plus a written, signed list does the same job. Here’s the efficient move: the room-by-room photos you take for your insurance home inventory and the photos you take to document the unit’s condition are essentially the same task — do them in one pass, and you’ve protected both your belongings and your deposit at once.
Your first-week setup checklist
Run this in the first few days. The starred items need to happen before or on move-in day; the rest can follow that week. Tick as you go — it saves your progress.
Your move-in setup & protection checklist
An afternoon now; a smooth year after.
Where to turn
- Your electricity / gas utility — BC Hydro & FortisBC (BC), Hydro-Québec (QC), Toronto Hydro / Hydro One / your local distributor (ON). For deposit and billing rules: the Ontario Energy Board or BC Utilities Commission.
- Insurance Bureau of Canada — ibc.ca — free consumer info on tenant insurance and what it covers; compare quotes from several insurers or a broker.
- Canada Post — canadapost.ca — mail forwarding (a paid service) so nothing goes to your old address.
- Canada Revenue Agency — My Account — update your address to protect your tax refund and benefit payments.
- Your provincial tenancy authority — for deposit rules, essential-service protections, and the condition inspection report (BC’s Residential Tenancy Branch; Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board).
Do these eight things in your first week and you’ve turned a signed lease into a home that actually works — with the power on, your stuff protected, your deposit defended, and your mail following you. It’s an afternoon of admin against a year of avoided headaches, and tenant insurance alone makes it worth the time.
Move-In Setup & Protection Plan
Your first week on one page — utilities, tenant insurance, the move-in inspection, and address changes, with the starred items that must happen by move-in day.
Open the worksheet →Sources & further reading
- Government of Ontario / Ontario tenant guidance — responsibility for utilities is determined by the lease; the landlord must state which utilities are included, and cannot charge extra for an included utility unless the lease says so and the tenant agrees in writing. Confirm with your provincial authority. ontario.ca — renting: your rights
- Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) — a landlord’s insurance covers the building, not a tenant’s belongings or liability; tenants are legally responsible for property damage (accidental or otherwise) and for injuries their visitors suffer; tenant insurance is strongly recommended (in Ontario, social-assistance programs may cover contents-insurance costs). ibc.ca — tenant insurance
- BC Hydro — new-customer setup: open an account in your name (a $13.50 + GST charge appears on the first bill); a security deposit of roughly two to three times the estimated average monthly bill may be required if you have no credit history, returned after two years of good payment or waived with a 12-month on-time reference letter from another utility. Set up at least five business days ahead. bchydro.com — new customers
- Ontario Energy Board — electricity and gas utilities may require a security deposit from customers without payment history; for electricity, the maximum is about 2.5× the average monthly bill (monthly billing) or 1.75× (bi-monthly); deposits can be paid in installments over up to six months and are returned after about a year of good payment, with interest. oeb.ca — your rights
- Government of Ontario, Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 / Ontario tenant guidance — heat, water, electricity, and gas are essential services a landlord cannot shut off, even for unpaid rent; landlords must provide adequate heat and hot water (minimum indoor temperatures apply); internet and cable are not essential services; a tenant whose essential service is withheld can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (Form T2). tribunalsontario.ca/ltb
- Hydro-Québec — equalized (equal payments) billing spreads estimated annual consumption over 12 equal monthly installments for predictable budgeting; a landlord cannot apply for electricity service on a tenant’s behalf (the contract must be in the occupant’s name). Other provincial utilities offer similar account and billing options. hydroquebec.com — equalized payments
- Government of British Columbia / WelcomeBC — before move-in, inspect the unit with the landlord, photograph any existing damage, and complete a Condition Inspection Report that both parties sign; it is used to support the return of the deposit at move-out, and BC ties the deposit directly to completing the report. Confirm your province’s process. www2.gov.bc.ca — condition inspections
- Insurance Bureau of Canada and Canadian insurers (industry standard) — a standard tenant policy includes contents, personal liability ($1–2 million), and additional living expenses, typically about $15–$50/month; common exclusions are overland flooding, sewer backup (addable by endorsement), earthquake, pests, and roommates’ belongings; many landlords require tenant insurance as a lease term (in Ontario, failing to maintain required insurance can be grounds to seek termination). Confirm coverage with your insurer. ibc.ca — tenant insurance
- Canada Post and consumer guidance — mail forwarding is a paid Canada Post service set up at canadapost.ca; update your address with the CRA, your provincial health plan, driver’s licence, bank, and employer; compare internet plans on actual need (75–150 Mbps suits most households) and own rather than rent your modem to save over time. canadapost.ca — mail forwarding
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