TOHSTORONTO
HOUSING SOCIETY

TOOL / COMPLIANCE · TORONTO HOME ZONE

Posting formats
& rules.

Every post is manually reviewed against the rules below. There are two formats - one for renters seeking a place, one for hosts offering one - read the rules for whichever applies to you, then copy the matching format into your post.

Jump to: Requirements · Formats · Decline reasons · Rent cap

Collage of renters writing rental listings on laptops at home, used as the posting format hero image
TOOL / COMPLIANCE
THZ
43°39' N
79°23' W
POSTING: FREE FOR THZ MEMBERS|REVIEW: MANUAL REVIEW|RENTALS: DIGNIFIED, AFFORDABLE ONLY

01 / POSTING REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers manually screen every post and profile to keep Toronto Home Zone safe and trusted. Reviews take time - please only message the Admin Page for technical issues or to report suspicious behaviour, not for status updates on a pending post.

Privacy

By posting, you agree to our Information Use Policy. Posts with phone numbers or business self-promotion will be declined.

Requirements that apply to every post, seeking or offering:

01Personal profile, Toronto-area unit

Post from a personal Facebook profile - no business Pages or anonymous accounts. Offering posts must be for a unit inside Toronto (Etobicoke, City of Toronto, York, North York, East York, or Scarborough).

02Fits the rent cap, 28+ days

Price must fit our posted maximums - private room $1,750, 1-bedroom unit $2,800, 2-bedroom unit $3,400(studios and 3+ bedroom units are assessed case-by-case) - and the term must be 28 days or longer. See the Rent Cap section below for the full guide. Shorter-term searches and listings belong in the group's dedicated short-term thread, not a standalone post.

03Exact format, legal terms

Use the copyable format on this page exactly - don't remove sections. Follow the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and Ontario Human Rights Code; only renters (not agents or businesses) can post short-term rentals here.

04Photos required for Offering posts

Original photos of the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are required for every Offering post - stock photos or images pulled from a listing site aren't accepted.

05Bedrooms need a real window

A bedroom must be a genuine sleeping room with a window - this applies most often to basement rooms. A basement sleeping space without a window is not a legal bedroom and can't be listed as one; describe it as a den instead.

COPY-PASTE FORMATFREE

02 / CHOOSE YOUR FORMAT

Seeking or offering?

Open the format that matches what you're posting, fill in every bracket, then copy the whole thing into your Facebook post. Posts using the wrong format, or missing sections, are the most common reasons for a decline.

Fill in every bracketed section · Do not delete or reorder lines · Informational purposes only - not legal advice.

03 / WHY POSTS GET DECLINED

Common decline reasons.

01

Incomplete format

A required section (relationship to unit, rent control, total rent, etc.) is missing or left as a bracketed placeholder.

02

Missing photos

Offering posts need original photos of the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen - stock or listing-site photos aren't accepted.

03

Bedroom without a window

A sleeping room needs a window to count as a bedroom - this applies most often to basement rooms. Without one, describe it as a den instead.

04

Over the rent cap

Price exceeds our posted caps for the unit type. See the Rent Cap section below before you post.

05

Under 28 days

Standard Seeking and Offering posts must be for 28+ day terms - shorter stays belong in the group's dedicated short-term thread.

06

Sublet vs. roommate mismatch

Sublets and off-lease roommate arrangements are legally different (see Rental Terms). Pick the option that matches your actual arrangement.

07

Discriminatory or illegal terms

Preferences like “students/professionals only,” blanket no-pets clauses, or single-occupancy-only requirements violate the RTA and Ontario Human Rights Code and will be declined.

04 / RENT CAP

2026 THZ rental listing maximums.

To keep listings affordable and dignified, Toronto Home Zone applies a rent cap to offering posts:

Private room
$1,750/month
Studio unit
Assessed case-by-case
1-bedroom unit
$2,800/month
2-bedroom unit
$3,400/month
3+ bedroom unit
Assessed case-by-case
WHY

Where these numbers come from

Originally derived from the City of Toronto's affordable rental housing maximums, then adjusted using our own community's historical data at the time they were introduced - typical member budgets and the price points of the majority of offering posts at that time. Moderation disputes over pricing have dropped to nearly zero since, and the caps haven't needed to change.

DENS

How dens are counted

A den (a room without a window or door) is not counted as a bedroom when assessing the cap. A “2-bedroom + den” listing is assessed as a plain 2-bedroom unit, not a 3-bedroom unit. See Bedrooms need a real window above for the full rule.

RANGES

How variable pricing is assessed

If a listing shows a range or a discounted starting price, moderators use the maximum price shown to check it against the cap.

These maximums are firm. If your listing exceeds these rates, there are other platforms better suited for high-cost rentals - we're committed to keeping this space for accessible housing.

RELATED RESOURCES

Browse current posts · Sublet vs. off-lease roommate · Free Roommate Agreement template · Rent Cap guide