TORONTO HOUSING SOCIETY
CIVIC TECH FEB 2026

RADICAL
TRANSPARENCY

FORGING POWER EQUITY IN TORONTO'S RENTAL MARKET
SCROLL OR PRESS ↓
02 // PHILOSOPHY

RADICAL
TRANSPARENCY

Information asymmetry is the primary tool of market exploitation. By forcing a higher standard of disclosure we bring greater trust to the seeker-provider relationship and encourage more dignified standards across the city.

DATA
INFORMATION
KNOWLEDGE
POWER
03 // ABOUT

TORONTO
HOME ZONE

Grassroots initiative for the private rental market
Rights and responsibilities in every listing
Manual review to eliminate scams
Peer to peer rental engagement
149K+
RENTERS
NEWCOMERS
PRIVATE LANDLORDS
JANUARY DATA
362 APPROVED AND 461 DECLINED
44 PERCENT APPROVAL RATE
LEARN MORE: tohs.ca/about
04 // VOLUNTEER OPERATIONS
01
FORMATTING

The Posting Format

A mandatory structure that embeds rights education into the listing forcing transparency before first contact

02
AUDIT

Manual Vetting

Every post is audited against the residential tenancy act to neutralize illegal deposits and predatory terms

03
IMPACT

Data Sovereignty

Our dataset allows us to set pricing caps based on hard evidence creating a community governed price floor

05 // THE DATA
RENTALS
Unit Description
Approval Move In Dates
Price and Inclusions
Roommate Preferences
Location
Rental Terms and Rights
Poster Relationship
Rent Control Status
Intersection
Features and Utilities
SEEKING
Budget
Unit Type
Preferred Lease Type
Approval Move In Dates
Preferred Locations
Dependants and Pets
Parking Needs
Furnishing Needs
MANUAL COLLECTION. ALL APPROVED POSTS.
THZ POST EXAMPLE
06 // PLATFORM

TORONTO
HOUSING
SOCIETY

Building a better standard for Toronto renting.
A launchpad of actionable tools and strategies for rental seekers and providers.

[ SCRAPPY + LIGHTWEIGHT ] GOOGLE SHEETS | APPS SCRIPT | GA4
SQUARESPACE | MANUAL CURATION
[01] ACCESS
Listing Filter
TOHS.CA/FILTER
[02] INSIGHTS
Live Rental Data
TOHS.CA/INSIGHTS
[03] RIGHTS
Term Finder
TOHS.CA/TERMS
07 // IN PRACTICE
33% 2025 MARKET SHARE

SHADOW
MARKET

Standard regulations assume a landlord relationship. The reality for many is a legal vacuum.

Occupants have zero protection under the Residential Tenancy Act

Primary tenants have been seen to exploit the lack of oversight through predatory pricing or purposeful misinformation

Newcomers often confuse international rental systems with Toronto's terms

01
FORMAT

Full Rent Disclosure

Transparency encouraging fairness by primary tenants

02
LEGAL

Roommate Agreement

A structural patch acting as a binding community contract

03
EDUCATION

Term Translation

Mapping local rental terms to equalize market knowledge (WIP)

IN PROGRESS

RENTAL
TRANSLATOR

A tool designed to bridge the systemic gap between international housing laws and the Ontario RTA. Select an origin to see the shift.

RELOCATING FROM:
...
08 // +YOU
tohs.ca/ctfeb26

SHIFTING THE
DEMAND.

We are changing the fundamental right of housing—not just through access, but through the demand for dignity in the places we call home.

[ QUERY ] Where else is radical transparency needed in our rental landscape?
[ OPP 01 / LEVERAGE ]
Propose ways to leverage community authority to fix systemic gaps.
[ OPP 02 / EXTRACTION ]
Analyze the 2025 community survey to find stories within the data.
[ OPP 03 / TRANSLATION ]
Contribute to the city comparison tool.
GET INVOLVED