Does Rent Waterloo manage the property after the lease?

No. Rent Waterloo is a leasing service. We can introduce a property manager if you want ongoing management.

Rent Waterloo | Leasing desk for Waterloo Region landlords and renters

Q: Do renters pay anything?

No. Ontario law does not allow a landlord or anyone acting for a landlord to charge a tenant or applicant a fee, and Rent Waterloo never does. Screening reports are paid for by the landlord.

Q: How are applicants screened?

With a landlord-paid credit and background report that includes an Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board record search and document-fraud checks. Income is considered together with credit, references and rental history, never as a ratio on its own, which is what Ontario's Human Rights Code and its tenant-selection regulation require.

For landlords and investors

The Investor Landlord Desk

You bought the unit as an investment. We fill it with a tenant who has been screened properly, on paperwork that follows Ontario's rules, and we only get paid when the lease is signed.

New-build investors: the HST rental rebate claim needs a signed 12-month lease with the first tenant. You get the lease and the paperwork your accountant will ask for, in one package.

Send us your unit Doing it yourself? Get the free starter kit

What it costs

75% of one month's rent, plus HST

when the Rent Waterloo renter list fills your unit and no other brokerage is involved.

One month's rent plus HSTwhen another brokerage brings the tenant and takes half. The standard MLS arrangement.

Paid only on a signed leaseNothing up front. Nothing on renewal. Not leased in 21 days? We keep working at no extra cost and you can cancel without penalty.

Pricing

Priced from live comparables

Active and leased comps for your building, not a guess. Softer markets punish a wrong first price.

Exposure

MLS and every major portal

Professional photos, realtor.ca, Rentals.ca, Zumper and Facebook Marketplace, plus our renter list first.

Screening

Landlord-paid reports on every applicant

Credit, background, a Landlord and Tenant Board record search and document-fraud checks. Renters are never charged.

Paperwork

Standard Lease plus a protective schedule

Agreement to Lease with first and last month's rent, then the Ontario Standard Lease and a schedule that protects the unit.

Waterloo

Rental licence checklist

Most low-rise rentals in the City of Waterloo need a licence under rules tightened July 1, 2026. You get the checklist with the listing.

Between tenants

Turnover packages

Clean, paint touch-up, lock rekey, photos and a condition report, booked once and done by verified trades. From $895 plus HST.

Exit

When you sell

A unit with a good tenant in place sells well to the next investor. The desk lists exits too.

How it works

From empty unit to signed lease in about three weeks

Every step is the same for every unit, which is why it runs fast. Units in the same building are batched and run faster still.

Pricing and agreementComparables pulled for your building, asking rent set with you, listing agreement signed, RECO Information Guide delivered.

Photos and launchProfessional photos, MLS listing to realtor.ca, plus Rentals.ca, Zumper and Facebook Marketplace. The renter list hears first.

Showings and screeningBatched showings. Every applicant completes the same application and a landlord-paid screening report.

SelectionA short list with the facts side by side. Income weighed with credit, references and rental history, as the Human Rights Code requires. You choose.

Signing and move-inAgreement to Lease, first and last month's rent, Ontario Standard Lease with schedule, move-in kit, keys, proof of tenant insurance, invoice.

For renters

The Verified Renter Pass

Tell us what you need once. When a matching unit comes up in one of our buildings, you hear about it before it hits the portals, with showing times ready.

Free, and it stays free. You will never be charged an application fee, a finder's fee or a screening fee by Rent Waterloo or by any landlord we represent. Ontario law does not allow it.

A note on who we work for: on the units we list, the desk acts for the landlord. We can give you information about them but not advice, unless you sign a representation agreement with us. The RECO Information Guide explains the difference in plain language.

Join the list

Cost

Nothing, ever

No application, finder's or screening fees. Reports are paid by the landlord.

One application

Fill it in once

One application shared across every unit you apply for through the desk.

First look

New buildings first

Units the desk leases in Rainbow Lake, the Bright Building and other new buildings, before they hit the portals.

Straight answers

Know the rules

Deposits, notices, what a landlord can and cannot ask, in plain words.

Start here

Two doors. Pick yours.

Landlords: expect a call within one business day with a pricing read for your building. Renters: you are on the list the moment you submit. Prefer to talk? Call or text 519-841-9098.

Landlords

Send us your unit

No fees until your lease is signed.

Your name

Phone

Email

Building

Unit or address

Bedrooms

Available from

Rent you have in mind (optional)

Anything we should know

Renters

Join the renter list

First look at new buildings. Never a fee.

Your name

Phone (optional)

Email

Buildings you are interested in

The Flats at Rainbow Lake, Kitchener Bright Building, Kitchener Gaslight District, Cambridge Anywhere in Waterloo Region

Move-in month

Bedrooms

Monthly budget

People in the home

Anything else (parking, pets, furnished)

Both forms are handled by William Forbes, Salesperson, Corcoran Horizon Realty, Brokerage. Before any services are provided you receive the RECO Information Guide. See privacy and consent.

Straight answers

Questions landlords and renters actually ask

The rules below are Ontario law, not house policy. The desk is built around them.

Who pays Rent Waterloo?

The landlord, and only when a lease is signed. 75% of one month's rent plus HST when the renter list fills the unit, one month's rent plus HST when another brokerage brings the tenant and takes half. Nothing on renewal.

Do renters pay anything?

No. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act does not allow a landlord, or anyone acting for a landlord, to charge a tenant or an applicant a fee, commission or key money. Screening reports are paid for by the landlord. If anyone asks you for an application fee in Ontario, walk away.

How are applicants screened?

Every applicant completes the same application and a landlord-paid report with credit, background, a Landlord and Tenant Board record search and document-fraud checks. Income is considered together with credit, references and rental history, never as a ratio on its own, which is what Ontario's Human Rights Code and its tenant-selection regulation require. The desk also keeps the reasons for each decision on file, which protects the landlord.

What about the HST rebate on a new condo?

Investors claim the new residential rental property rebate after signing a 12-month lease with the first tenant. The desk leases on a 12-month term and hands over the lease package the accountant will ask for.

Does Rent Waterloo manage the property afterwards?

No. This is a leasing service. If you want ongoing management we can introduce a local property manager. At turnover, the desk leases the unit again.

What deposits can a landlord take?

Last month's rent only, up to one month, and it earns interest each year at the provincial guideline rate. A refundable key deposit at replacement cost is allowed. Damage deposits and pet deposits are not.

Is a lease in the City of Waterloo different?

Most low-rise rental units in Waterloo need a rental housing licence, with requirements that tightened on July 1, 2026. Apartment buildings are exempt. Kitchener licenses only lodging houses (five or more tenants sharing facilities) and Cambridge has no general rental licence bylaw as of September 2026, so the checklist matters mostly in Waterloo. You get it with your listing.

Market snapshot

Where rents sit right now

Asking rents in Waterloo Region have softened through 2026 and landlords compete for good tenants. Pricing a unit right on day one is what keeps it from sitting.

Market	1 bedroom	2 bedrooms	Trend	Source
Kitchener	$1,677	$1,975	down 4 to 5% year over year	Zumper, August 2026
Waterloo	$1,915	$2,234	CMHC expects Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo rents to stay flat through 2026	Rentals.ca, July 2026; CMHC mid-year update, 2026
Cambridge	median $2,030, all unit types		above Kitchener's $1,799 median	Zumper, August 2026
Realtor-listed units, Kitchener-Waterloo	$1,683	$2,054	457 active MLS rentals, average $2,159	MLS via mynextkwhome, July 2026
Purpose-built vacancy, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	4.1% (condo apartments 0.8%)		multi-decade high	CMHC, October 2025 survey

Figures are asking rents and survey results at the dates shown, not appraisals. Fresh comparables are pulled for your building before a price is set.

Who operates the desk

William Forbes, Salesperson, Corcoran Horizon Realty

Rent Waterloo is a leasing desk operated by William Forbes, Salesperson, The Rego Team, Corcoran Horizon Realty, Brokerage. Numbers first: comparables, cashflow and fundamentals before opinions, with a focus on new developments and investors across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

Main office: #101 50 Grand Ave S, Cambridge, ON · 519-841-9098 · william@regoteam.com · williamforbes.ca