Insight: We heard it’s important for property managers, landlords, and tenants to take time to understand and familiarize themselves with the full rental agreement. It’s a key legal document and knowing what’s in it helps everyone understand the responsibilities, and roles from the start.

Tip: Connect with a housing advocate or legal aid service for support to understand your lease, your rights as a tenant, and fair housing laws. They can also help with resolving disputes or addressing concerns around accessibility and discrimination.

Application: Check out our tips on Understanding Rental Agreements, a tool that explains key elements of a rental agreement in a simple way.

Inclusivity: Contracts and agreements often contain a lot of legal terms. Making these documents easy to understand by offering them in accessible formats, writing in plain language, and providing visual guides benefits everyone.

Tip: Review lease agreements with a trusted support person or housing coordinator who can explain key terms and answer questions.

Tip: Make sure the housing agreement explains what happens if a tenant misses a payment or ends the lease early, since these common situations can involve fees, notice periods, or legal steps.

Application: Check out our 10 Tips for Communicating in Plain Language.

Inclusivity: Having a plan for paying bills before taking on that responsibility can prepare people for managing future bills, avoiding late fees, and keeping essential services like heat and water running.

Tip: Create a visual guide to understand the amount, timing, and method of each payment. For example, identify whether the bill is paid online, in-person, or through a service provider.

• Use calendar reminders or a checklist to review scheduled payments regularly.
• Set reminders to update billing addresses or cancel payments to previous services when moving.
• Set end dates for pre-authorized transfers to avoid overpayments.

Insight: We heard that life events like starting a new job, going back to school, or changes to benefits can impact income and monthly costs.

Tip: Discuss how income, bills, and other essential supports might change. Using real-life examples can make it easier and more relevant to talk about.

Application: Check out our Starting a “Just in Case” Fund conversation prompts to help you think through and talk about building a small emergency fund.

Insight: We heard that building comfort with day-to-day tasks can ease stress during housing transitions. This might look like practicing meal planning, building a grocery list or learning to use an appliance.

Tip: Break tasks into steps and practice them in the current living space.

Tip: Try the Pomodoro technique to break tasks into focused work and rest periods. It involves choosing one task to work on for a set time, like 25 minutes, followed by a short 5-minute break. You can use a visual timer or search “Pomodoro timer” online to help keep track.

Insight: We learned that it can be helpful to discuss what might be new or different in a new environment. Part of this should include talking about daily activities like cooking, getting ready, or managing chores.

Tip: If possible, visit the new space and plan how to set it up to make daily routines easier. For example, when thinking about cooking, consider what supplies are needed and where to store them to support the flow of the task.

Insight: We learned that not all supports automatically transfer to the new home location. That means that gaps in supports might happen if they are not coordinated in advance.

Tip: Ask current support providers about what needs to happen to ensure a smooth transition of the services.

Application: Check out our fillable template, Keeping Track of Your Supports During a Move, to stay organized and connected with supports.

Inclusivity: A new home often means new routines and new support needs to help with daily tasks. This can be especially true in the first few months of the transition.

Example: We spent a lot of time with Autistic people talking about supports when moving into a new home to make sure that daily living and household needs were being met.

Autistic person: “I can’t use meal delivery services anymore, and I can’t always find someone to drive me to the grocery store, so someone who comes in and stops you from falling through the cracks is integral.” They also shared that a local community program geared towards independent living taught them how to use the bus system, organise their house, and cook simple meals.

Autistic person: “A friend of mine who just stays next door and in case of any issues which need fixing like maybe under the sink, or furniture and such, that friend of mine is there and can help me.” They shared how having someone to assist with small household maintenance tasks was very helpful when they moved out on their own for the first time.

Inclusivity: Some health and support professionals can help people set up their home in ways that work better for their daily routines. For example, occupational therapists can spot areas where changes or tools can make a big difference in day-to-day life.

Tip: View our Housing Ecosystem Map to learn about different roles in the housing ecosystem and how they can support Neurodivergent people.

Tip: Ask healthcare providers or local health services for referrals.

Insight: We heard that feeling connected to a community plays a big role in how happy people are with their housing. Being able to recognize familiar places and faces can make the new surroundings more comfortable.

Tip: Arrange to meet local service providers, tour the neighbourhood, or attend nearby events.

Tip: Seek out someone who can show people around the neighbourhood, and guide them to places like medical clinics, libraries, grocery stores, or fitness centres.

Application: Check out our Web of Connections template to think about the people and places that are part of daily life and housing experiences.