A flight simulator for your first Toronto apartment
Practise the whole renting process where mistakes are cheap: spot the scam, find what the landlord didn't mention, take the photos that save you later, and learn who to call. Then see which problems your next city council can actually change.
The journey (First job stage)
- 1Search
Flag listings as legit, suspicious or a scam. Rent far below the CMHC area average is a red flag.
- 2Viewing
Compare the offers, then answer quick viewing questions: water damage, smoke alarms, locks, pests, what's included.
- 3Apply
Bring the right documents, refuse the risky asks, and decide what to do when someone outbids you.
- 4Negotiate
Optional. Haggle with a fictional landlord; game code decides the deal.
- 5Read the lease
Flag clauses that Ontario's rules make void, like no-pet bans or damage deposits.
- 6Move in
Photograph existing damage, decide on contents insurance, and see your first month's numbers.
- 7Live there
Handle problems: who do you contact, and which level of government can act?
- 8Move out
Give proper notice. Your move-in photos settle the final walkthrough.
- 9Report card
A skill-only readiness score, your receipts, and a sourced question for candidates.
Life stages
A stage only becomes playable once its civic lever is backed by an official source.
| Student age 20 | A room or shared unit near campus | Coming soon |
| First job age 23 | Your first solo rental | Playable |
| New job age 27 | Move for a new workplace | Coming soon |
| Moving in with a partner age 30 | A larger unit for two | Coming soon |
| Kids age 34 | A family-sized unit | Coming soon |
| Retirement age 66 | An accessible or downsized home | Coming soon |
Difficulty
Difficulty changes how information is shown, never what is true. Every hidden fact can be worked out from the screen.
| Easy | Costs as plain line items, unknowns flagged for you, commute in minutes. | ×1 score |
| Normal | Some costs only appear in the listing text. Spot them and flag them yourself. | ×1.25 score |
| Hard | Lease-style fine print, commutes given as route legs, and a raw CMHC table to read. | ×1.5 score |
Negotiating
- The landlord is fictional. Gemini may write their words; game code alone sets the price and any extras.
- Floors sit 8% / 5% / 2% under asking on Easy / Normal / Hard.
- Build a strong case (a valid data point, a cheaper comparable place, being a reliable tenant, flexibility, a longer lease, being ready to sign) and the landlord gives extra leeway: down to 12% / 8% / 5% under asking.
- Evidence works only when it's true: if the rent is already under the CMHC area average, the landlord says so.
- The landlord never gives legal advice. Ask about rules and you'll get the official Ontario page.
- No key, a timeout or the demo preset? A scripted landlord answers instead.
Scoring
- Scams caught, viewing issues found, lease problems spotted
- Right documents brought, move-in photos taken
- Best response to each problem, and the right level of government
- Knowing where to report a scam, and moving out with proper notice
Never scored: which home you picked, its price, its commute, your income, your job, or whether you bought insurance. Replays use a new seed so you can't just memorize answers.