Stand Out on your Housing Application with a Renter Cover Letter

If you’re searching for an affordable place to live in Waterloo Region, you may feel the pressure of a tight housing market. With so many people competing for affordable rentals, it can be hard to make your application stand out. Adding a Renter Cover Letter could help, giving landlords insight into why you’d be a great tenant. This summary of the Renter Cover Letter Toolkit by the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (CCHR) shows you how to create a strong cover letter while protecting yourself from discrimination.


What is a Renter Cover Letter and Why Use One?

A renter cover letter introduces you to a landlord and highlights why you’d be a great tenant. CCHR’s templates suggest including contact information, rental history, credit history, proof of income, and a brief description of yourself. While this can make your application memorable, it’s not a fix for systemic discrimination, which requires policy change.

Information Landlords Are Allowed to Request

Ontario's Human Rights Code protects tenants from discrimination based on race, age, gender, or income source. By law, landlords can ask for credit references, rental history, and proof of income but cannot use this information to unfairly discriminate. For example, landlords cannot deny an applicant based on the source of their income, like if they receive public assistance.

Avoiding Information That Could Lead to Discrimination

Some legally requested information, like credit history or income source, can still lead to bias. Tenants should focus on providing information that strengthens their applications without inviting discrimination. Be sure to choose details to include carefully, emphasizing your reliability over specific income sources.

What to Do if Asked Discriminatory Questions

If a landlord asks discriminatory questions, you can choose to politely decline, change the subject, or provide a truthful answer. For example, if asked about receiving public assistance, emphasize your steady income and dependability.

Deciding What to Include in Your Cover Letter

The toolkit provides two templates—Basic Cover Letter and Detailed Cover Letter. The basic template includes only essential details, while the detailed one offers more information including a rental objective and “About Me” section. Both templates have their pros, cons and place, and it is up to your discretion, perhaps with the assistance of a Housing Advisor, to figure out which works best for you.

Looking for housing can be overwhelming, but remember you’re not alone. At Starling Community Services, we offer guidance on housing applications and tenant rights, and can connect you to resources for secure housing in Waterloo Region.