[kingkelly]

Im from the suburbs, so im not familiar with the Toronto paring.

A parking spot is very important to me when looking for condos since I have a car, but Ive seen some ads say that the parking permit is only 10$/month to park on the street, and not having a parking spot come with the condo is no big deal.

Im wondering if this is actually true, and if I can leave my car parked on the street over night? Are these permits hard to get?

Any info would be great, thanks!

 

[GraphicMatt]

You can read all about parking permits here: http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/parking/index.htm

It's $10 a month if you have one car and no on-site parking with your residence. They're all based on availability - they'll only sell so many per parking zone.

It really depends on where you're looking to live. In some places, you'll always be able to grab a spot in front of your building. In others, it'll be way more annoying. I live on a street where there tends to be a lot of street parking available, but I'm still glad I have a spot because I know I'd hate those odd nights where there aren't any spaces available and so you you circle the block for 20 minutes.

It's a peace of mind thing.

If you're buying a condo, having a parking space should help your resale value too. You can (usually) rent it out if you ever decide to go car-free, too.

 

[Chuck]

I had a parking permit when I lived in Chinatown, and it was a disaster. On weekends, I'd sometimes have to circle the block for 30 minutes before finding a spot 20 minutes from my house. If you live anywhere south of Bloor, avoid getting a parking permit at all costs. Whatever the parking costs at your building, it's worth it.

 

[CDL.TO]

South of Bloor is a bit too much of a generalization. I lived at Dundas and Ossington and there was always parking available right out front of the house. But any busy neighborhood (like Chinatown) should be expected to be bad.