Finding an apartment in Toronto is arguably the worst part of living in the 6ix. It's a tedious, degrading and lengthy process that requires a lot of money and time—two things that suck to stress about.
The fastest way to get approved by a landlord to live in their condo is to ensure you have a good enough income to cover the rent comfortably.
Good income really means 30% or less of the total income/annual income the applicant has is going towards housing. Sometimes you can push it to 40%. But once it gets to near 50%, then the landlord or the listing agent starts having concerns.
Additionally, your credit score also matters. A good credit score is anything above the 720 range, but anything over 700 is still considered good.
References are very important as well. If you have good references from previous landlords, add them to your initial application. If you're condo hunting in Toronto, then references from landlords within the city would help boost your chances too.
When applying, landlords usually ask for a lot of information that can sometimes be awkward to send.
For example, if you reside in the city but are staying at an Airbnb until you can find a place, you should probably include that information. Leaving that information out can be read differently to the landlord and possibly result in a rejection.
The biggest mistake is not disclosing certain information or submitting an application that's half-filled because you don't want to share some information or you're trying to do it in a rushed manner.
It's all about first impressions, especially in regards to a landlord.