Eva Foote, a 26-year-old actor and musician, has by no means had a long-term rental. As a substitute, she moved between 15 sublets in 9 cities. She appreciates the liberty of not having a lease, however the impossibility of discovering a secure place to reside inside her price range has her refusing to settle in Toronto.

I moved to Toronto 4 years in the past, after graduating from the Nationwide Theater College of Canada in Montreal. I used to be desperate to pursue a profession as an actor, and everybody from my professors to my new agent inspired me to maneuver to Toronto.

I obtained an element time job as a server at $12 an hour. On a great evening, I may make $100 in ideas. This purchased me time to audition, but it surely additionally meant that my hire price range was solely $800, which was not sufficient to get my very own place. To discover a place, I posted on Fb asking for leads. A buddy of a former coworker wanted to hire out his one-bedroom condominium to Yonge and in faculty—however just for a month. The hire was $1,475, properly over my price range, however he nonetheless hadn’t discovered one and was determined. He gave it to me for $650.

The unit was spacious, painted electrical orange and embellished with private images. It was exhausting to not really feel like a visitor, sleeping in your individual mattress and utilizing all of your utensils. I put my garments in my suitcase, and on a number of nights I invited buddies over to stick with me. Nonetheless, I used to be grateful that I discovered a spot — and extremely grateful to the neighborhood of my fellow artists who had generously helped me discover a place (and would proceed to take action time and again).

When my month was up I needed to hustle to get one other sublet in line. Every week after my transfer, I used to be already searching for my subsequent dwelling. Fortunately, a buddy of mine was renting out her room for $700. The condominium was situated above a restaurant in Kensington Market, and she or he shared it with two folks I did not know. I took it for 2 months.

Her room was cluttered, however I cherished the bustling sound of the market—a notable departure from my earlier downtown sublet. Although the place had its appeal, being a short-term renter in a shared condominium posed some challenges. At one level, I noticed a mouse crawling into the range. I informed the opposite tenants about it, however as a result of I used to be solely a subletter, I knew there wasn’t a lot I may do.

From there, I rented a small room for $850 in a West-Finish townhouse {that a} buddy had left vacant whereas she was on tour. Then, in September 2019, I used to be employed by the Stratford Pageant Conservatory as a performer, and I moved to a spot close to the theater. The gig ran till March 2020. I weathered the primary few months of the pandemic at my dad and mom’ home in Burnaby, then rented a room at a buddy’s home in Edmonton earlier than deciding to attempt Toronto once more in September 2021.

Whereas I used to be investigating Rental choices, I used to be employed again in Stratford, the place I lived and labored till October. Subsequent, I used to be employed to seem within the Toronto stage manufacturing fall in your knees, However it didn’t begin till the top of November. Not having an accident someplace within the interim, I made a decision to maneuver to Berlin, the place I used to be capable of keep in my sister’s condominium. It was fantastic. Subletting is usually difficult and isolating, but it surely may also be thrilling. There’s a sense of journey that comes with being untethered for lease.

Since commencement, I’ve lived in 9 cities and 15 sublets. I spend a number of time researching locations to reside and calculating the hours of labor wanted to afford the most cost effective lodging. I preserve my stuff in my automobile and in storage items. Typically I yearn for continuity and dream of proudly owning a potted plant. For the second time I’m glad that I obtained to expertise so many new locations. It is an important privilege to be cell. On the finish of the day, I preserve going.