FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything applicants ask us, answered in plain terms. If your question isn't here, email housing@solidstate.coop and we will answer it before you start an application.
No. A credit check is optional at every stage. If you have one you are happy to share, it can make signing up quicker and simpler. If you don't have one, or would rather not, nothing is held against you.
Yes. No Canadian credit file should decide whether you get a home. We look at your income and your references instead, and we will tell you exactly what we need to see.
Yes. We verify income flexibly, including informal and cash income. A T4 or a steady paycheque isn't the only proof we accept.
Community and character references, so someone who knows how you live. That can be a support worker, a community member, an employer, a mentor, or someone you have lived with. If you aren't sure who to ask, we will talk it through with you.
Our homes at Tether are one and two bedrooms, for individuals, couples and smaller families. Tell us who would be living with you when you apply and we'll talk through whether the unit fits your household.
No. Solid State staff and co-op members had the first look at these homes. Applications are open to the public, and that's who they're for now.
What you pay, and how it changes
Rent is affordable from day one, and it steps up on a known schedule rather than at the landlord's discretion. We confirm the exact figure for your unit before you decide anything.
Well below market when you move in. Homes are leased at market rent with a monthly leasing incentive from the landlord, and that incentive brings your starting rent down. We don't publish a single figure because it's confirmed per unit: you'll see the exact rent for the home you're offered before you decide anything.
The leasing incentive steps down once a year, so rent rises gradually and predictably until it reaches full market rent at the end of the incentive period. The increases are timed to the years when income usually grows fastest, and we go through the schedule with you before you sign anything.
That's what the support is for. We check in regularly and provide financial coaching, so you can grow your income, savings and rental history deliberately rather than hoping it works out. If something changes, tell us early.
Your lease sets out what's included, including utilities. We read it through with you before you sign, so you know exactly what you're taking on.
No. Nothing to upload and nothing to pay to apply, and there's no fee to be considered. Applying doesn't commit you to a tenancy either: nothing is decided until you've seen the home and the rent.
From applying to moving in
Every application gets a reply. Here is what happens after you send yours, and what we can and cannot decide on our own.
We read it and get in touch to talk it through, then look at the building with you to see whether the home fits how you live. If it does, we refer you to the landlord.
That depends on what's open when you apply. If a home is ready now, things can move quickly. If they're all taken, you join the waitlist and we come back to you as soon as one frees up. Either way you'll hear from us, and you'll always know where your application stands.
You go on the waitlist. Intake is rolling, so it's worth applying even when all ten homes are taken. We keep your details and come back to you when a home frees up, and joining the waitlist is also what helps us make the case for more homes like these.
We vet and refer; the landlord, Warrington Residential, holds final approval on every referral. We'll tell you where things stand either way.
Neutral, factual documentation: who is moving in, what has been verified, and what support is in place. Nothing about your application goes further than that. Privacy & Your Information sets out what we collect and how we handle it.
Help reading your lease before you sign, financial coaching to grow your income, savings and rental history, regular check-ins as the rent steps up, and someone to call if something goes wrong with the tenancy. We stay with you through the incentive period.
Next step
Start your application, or ask us first
One form, about five minutes, and no credit check at any stage. Nothing you send commits you to a tenancy, and you will always know where your application stands.