Moving out on your own in Canada: rent the first apartment, learn the tenancy procedures, build credit, and get the licence and health card for your province — each with its live guide.
Written November 9, 2026 · Edited November 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Applies in: across Canada
Moving out on your own is the first time the paperwork is all yours: the lease, the procedures if the tenancy goes wrong, the credit file, the licence, and the health card. This checklist works the list in the order that matters — the tenancy first, then the credit and the two cards. Each item links to the live guide that walks it in full, so this page stays a checklist and never becomes a second copy of any guide.
Two items in this list are province-specific, and they say so on the item itself. The Landlord and Tenant Board item is Ontario-only. The driver's-licence and health-card items each point at the guide for the reader's own province or territory.
The short answer
Rent the apartment, learn your province's tenancy procedures, start building credit, get the licence and health card for your province, and change your address everywhere it matters. The Board item below is Ontario-only; the licence item covers six provinces and the health-card item covers all thirteen jurisdictions.
The checklist
Work down this list and check each item off only when it is done.
What this checklist does not cover
This checklist states no rent amount, fee figure, or deposit figure for any item, because those figures sit on the official pages the linked guides cite and change by province — check the figure on the page that governs you. It has no bank-account item: the only first-bank-account guide on this site covers opening an account as a newcomer, not a first account generally, so the item is left out rather than pointed at a guide that does not fit. It does not cover buying a first home, a mortgage, or moving to a new province — those are separate processes with their own guides.
Rent the first apartmentWork the application pack, the lease, and the move-in condition inspection before you sign.
2
Learn your province's tenancy proceduresThe grid walks the procedure your province uses when a tenancy goes wrong.
3
Start building creditA secured card and steady habits build the file a landlord reads.
4
Get your driver's licence in your provinceUse the licence guide for your province; six province guides are live on this site.
5
Get your health card in your provinceEvery province and territory has a health-card guide live on this site; pick yours.
6
Change your address everywhere it mattersTell the CRA, Service Canada, and your province, then your bank, employer, and utilities.
Questions people ask
Is the Landlord and Tenant Board item Ontario-only?
Yes. The Landlord and Tenant Board is Ontario's tribunal, so the [Board guide](/guides/how-to-take-a-landlord-to-the-landlord-and-tenant-board-in-ontario/) covers Ontario only. For the procedure in any other province, use the [landlord-tenant procedure grid](/guides/landlord-tenant-procedure-grid-in-canada/), which walks each province's route.
Which driver's licence guide do I use?
The one for your province. Licence guides are live for Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and the checklist item below links all six. Guides for the other provinces and territories are not on this site yet.
Which health card guide do I use?
The one for your province or territory. Health-card guides are live for all thirteen jurisdictions, and the checklist item below links all thirteen, so pick the one that governs you.
Do I need a credit history to rent my first apartment?
Not necessarily. The [renting guide](/guides/how-to-start-renting-your-first-apartment-in-canada/) walks the application pack for a renter with no Canadian credit file, including what a landlord may ask for and what should not count against you. Start building credit at the same time, with the [credit guide](/guides/how-to-start-building-credit-in-canada/).
What do I do if the tenancy goes wrong?
Use the [landlord-tenant procedure grid](/guides/landlord-tenant-procedure-grid-in-canada/) to find your province's route, and in Ontario use the [Landlord and Tenant Board guide](/guides/how-to-take-a-landlord-to-the-landlord-and-tenant-board-in-ontario/). Keep your lease, your receipts, and your inspection notes from the day you move in.
Why is there no bank-account item on this list?
The only first-bank-account guide on this site covers opening an account as a newcomer to Canada, which does not cover a first account generally. Rather than point at a guide that does not fit, this checklist leaves the item out until a general first-account guide exists.
Do I have to tell the CRA and Service Canada separately that I moved?
Yes. The CRA does not pass your new address to any other department, so updating the CRA does nothing for your Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, or Old Age Security file, and updating Service Canada does nothing for your tax file. The [address guide](/guides/how-to-change-your-address-in-canada/) walks the order: Canada Post forwarding first, then the CRA, Service Canada, and your province.