See Schedule F of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation bylaw for the bylaw description.
Category: Membership, long-term guests, relocation & unit allocation
Membership, long-term guests, relocation & unit allocation
Includes information about:
– external waiting lists (non-residents)
– membership process (becoming a member)
– floor plans
– leaving Woodsworth
– long-term guests
– priority waiting lists
– member absences, sublets, principal residence, home businesses allowed but no short term rentals
– proof of principal residence
– relocations, waiting lists and moves
– returning members (former members)
– teens (Turning Sixteen’s)
– wheelchair adapted units
– procedures based on Member Approval and Unit Allocation bylaw
EXTERNAL – NON-RESIDENTS OF WOODSWORTH
People who do not live in Woodsworth and have never been members of Woodsworth. Sorry, our external waiting list is full and CLOSED.
External waiting lists and moving into Woodsworth
If you have started the membership process but have not moved in yet. Or wanted a brief introduction to Woodsworth’s procedures for becoming a member and getting an apartment in Woodsworth.
Internal residents and external applicants
Membership in Woodsworth
Membership process (becoming a member), criteria, households, occupancy standards for units, principal residence documentation and more.
Floor plans – apartment and townhouse floor plans; types and sizes of units.
Relocations & moves
Includes unit condition, member deposits, maintenance issues
Unit allocation
Management is responsible for unit allocation, based on the Member Approval and Unit Allocation bylaw. External waiting list, floor plans, occupancy standards (number of residents needed for different sized units), allocating units between internal and external waiting lists.
Waiting lists and occupancy standards
Find out about units that you may request. Internal and external waiting lists.
INTERNAL – RESIDENTS OF WOODSWORTH
Members, approved long-term guests who live in Woodsworth with members, young people who have grown up in Woodsworth (Turning Sixteens (ages 16-19) or those who were previously members of Woodsworth and wish to move back (Returning Members).
Leaving Woodsworth
About moving out of Woodsworth, required written notice, what it means.
Long-Term Guests
How to become a long-term guest. How your long-term guest can become a member. The Board approves long-term guest and membership status. The Management facilitates it. The Membership Committee works on membership issues only.
Member absences, sublets, home businesses, principal residence
What is principal residence. Sub-occupancy. No Airbnb. Home businesses are permitted with certain rules and appropriate insurance.
Principal residence in Woodsworth – proof
This is a list of approved documents that internal applicants for membership can use to verify that Woodsworth is their home. Those who live here must provide two pieces of documentation from the list. Also includes Photo ID options.
Priority Waiting List and Priority Moves
What the bylaws say about priority moves in the Member Approval and Unit Allocation (Membership) Bylaw.
Returning Members
A former member may apply to become a member again. This applies to those who were members for at least 2 years. Any time as guest or long-term guest does not count. Proof is required.
Teens between 16 and 19: “turning 16s”
About membership for 16-19 year olds who live in Woodsworth. The Membership Committee is responsible for member information sessions and applications for membership. The Board approves membership. The “turning 16” process is a more relaxed process only open to applicants who are residents between the ages of 16 and 19.
Wheelchair adapted units
Woodsworth has a handful of units with adapted kitchens that are designated for those who use wheelchairs. There is a separate protocol in the Member Approval and Unit Allocation (membership) Bylaw for allocating these.
PROCEDURES based on Member Approval and Unit Allocation bylaw
Unit allocation procedures – internal and external waiting lists
Includes internal and external waiting list and making and responding to offers of units. Who can’t join the waiting list. Timelines for contacting people. Move-in dates. Special situations (priority moves and wheelchair adapted units.)
Time requirements for joining the waitlists, offers, refusals, moving dates – Membership Bylaw, Schedule B
Includes internal and external waiting lists, unit offers. This document mirrors the Membership Bylaw layout, from Article 1 to Article 7.
Membership Bylaw: member approval and unit allocation #84
The bylaw has details for all applicants and for unit allocations including relocations in Woodsworth.
Occupancy Agreement
This must be signed by all Woodsworth members.
Moving into and around Woodsworth: a guide to bylaws and policies about maintenance
Woodsworth has a number of bylaws and policies that outline the unit maintenance responsibilities of the co-operative and the members. The by-laws and policies tell you what you can expect, including unit condition.
Co-signer agreement for an applicant’s or member’s financial obligations
Organizational Bylaw, Schedule D: Co-signer Agreement
To: Woodsworth Housing Co-operative Inc.
133 Wilton Street, Toronto, ON, Canada
From Co-signer(s): ____________________________________________
[Include address, phone, e-mail, if available] ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Applicant: ____________________________________________
I wish to assist the applicant to obtain housing at the Co-op. My relationship to the Applicant is: [Insert relationship, such as
– “The Applicant is my son” or
– “The Applicant is my friend.”]
____________________________________________
I understand that the Co-op may accept the Applicant as a member if I agree to be responsible for the Applicant’s financial obligations.
In consideration for the Co-op accepting the Applicant as a member and permitting the Applicant to live at the Co-op, I agree to pay all housing charges and other financial obligations of the Applicant to the Co-op when due.
I understand and agree to the following points:
• I am directly and principally responsible for these obligations. I am not merely a guarantor or surety.
• The Co-op can do any of the following things without my consent, without notice to me and without releasing me from my obligations under this Agreement:
• change the terms of the membership or occupancy of the Applicant
• allow the Applicant to move to a different unit with a different housing charge
• change the amount payable by the Applicant because of changes in the housing charges for the Applicant’s unit
• change the amount payable by the Applicant because of changes in the Applicant’s income if the Applicant receives geared-to-income assistance or subsidy
• extend time to the Applicant for payment or performance of obligations
• take or not take steps to enforce payment of money or performance of obligations by the Applicant
• The Co-op does not have to bring legal action or exercise other remedies against the Applicant or any other person before requiring payment of money or performance of obligations by me. I will remain responsible both before and after the Co-op does this.
• I cannot cancel or revoke the obligations I have agreed to in this document.
I agree that the co-op can receive, through its employees or agents, credit information about me from any credit agency or other source.
I acknowledge that I have had the opportunity to obtain legal advice and I have obtained any legal advice I wish prior to signing this document.
Signed:
Date: ______________________
___________________________
Co-signer
Witness: __________________
Print Name:
I authorize the Co-op to give the Co-signer any information it may have about me at the present time or in the future. I agree that I cannot cancel or revoke this authorization.
Signed:
Date: ______________________
___________________________
Applicant
Witness: __________________
Print Name: }
Note: To be signed by all persons in Applicant’s household sixteen or older, including members and non-member occupants.
Note: Adjust above if applicant is already a member and is asking for a new unit or a separate unit (such as the child of an existing member).
Woodsworth Co-op’s waiting lists
Woodsworth Housing Co-operative – Membership and Housing Update
Updated: August 4, 2026
Sorry, our waiting list is closed.
Housing Applications – Important Notice
Woodsworth Co-op is not currently accepting new housing applications due to the high number of applicants already on our internal and external waiting lists.
Woodsworth advertises an information session for external applicants within the co-op and on the CHFT website
Looking for Other Co-op Housing?
If you are seeking co-op housing elsewhere in Toronto, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) maintains a list of housing co-ops, including those with open waiting lists.
- CHFT – How to Apply to a Co-op
Information on application processes, subsidies, and market (full) rent.
You may also find helpful information through the City of Toronto and other housing resources:
- Access community housing – City of Toronto
- TenantsRights.ca – Housing Co-ops vs. Rentals
- Organizations That Can Help – Housing Help and Support
If you’ve already attended a Woodsworth external information session
– and the Board of Directors has approved your membership
You may wish to contact the Woodsworth Management Team to ensure that:
- Your contact information is up to date, and
- Your waiting list request meets Woodsworth’s occupancy standards.
Please notify Management if your household composition has changed since your membership approval or your contact information needs to be updated.
⚠️ Note: Some unit allocation procedures in the Membership Bylaw have been updated.
If you need further assistance, please contact the office. Management is responsible for maintaining the waiting lists and handling unit allocations.
See more information here including occupancy standards and moves.
If you live in Woodsworth and wish to relocate to another unit
see Relocation, the Internal Waiting List and Unit Allocation.
External waiting lists and moving into Woodsworth
This explainer is for people who do not live in Woodsworth but wish to get an apartment or townhouse in the co-operative.
There are two steps to moving into a unit in Woodsworth Housing Co-op.
– First, you must apply for membership. However the external route to membership is only open when there is a reasonable path to residency. See Vacancies
– Once your application is approved by the Board of Directors, you will join the external waiting list, as housing units are offered through the waiting lists.
If you already live with a Woodsworth member—such as a long-term guest, resident teen, or returning member — you would follow the similar internal membership process. See Membership guide
Membership process:
To be placed on the external waiting list, external applicants must first attend an information session. These sessions are held infrequently and only when the external waiting list is open.
At this time, we do not anticipate opening the external waiting list in the near future, as it is currently full.
When an information session is scheduled and the external waiting list opens, Woodsworth will:
– Announce it to members through the Weekly Newsletter so they can
– inform family and friends
– Publish the notice on the Woodsworth website
– Ask the Co-op Housing Federation of Toronto to post the information on its website
Membership approval
All new members moving into the co-op must complete the membership process outlined in Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw #84. This includes:
– Attending an information session
– Being interviewed by the Membership Committee
– Receiving final approval from the Board of Directors
Membership criteria:
See Criteria
About Woodsworth’s housing stock
Woodsworth has apartments in the mid-rise building at 133 Wilton Street, townhouses on George Street South, Albert Franck Place, and Frederick Street. There are also street access units on Wilton Street. Only the 1-bedroom units in the mid-rise building are stair-free accessible units. Woodsworth also has three (3) wheelchair-adapted units.
Unit allocation and waiting lists
Housing units are offered through waiting lists. External applicants are offered units based on their position on the External Waiting List. Woodsworth staff are responsible for managing waiting lists, offering units, and coordinating move-ins.
When applying for membership, external applicants indicate their requested unit size and type on the membership application form. Management transfers these requests to the appropriate external waiting lists after approval by the Board of Directors.
Occupancy standards
Applicants will only be offered units for which they qualify under the Occupancy Bylaw.
Specifically, Article 9.3(a) sets out the minimum number of occupants required for each unit size.
Applicants will only be offered a unit that they qualify for based on the Occupancy Bylaw’s occupancy standards:
Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.3 (a) describes the minimum number of persons for each of the co-op’s unit sizes.
|
Unit size |
Minimum people |
Exceptions |
| 1 bedroom | Minimum – 1 occupant | None |
| 2 bedroom | Minimum – 1 occupant in mid-rise and Wilton Street only | 2 occupants required for 2-bedroom townhouses. |
| 3 bedroom | Minimum – 3 occupants | None |
| 4 bedroom | Minimum – 4 occupants | None |
The number of persons does not include short-term guests or visitors.
The number of persons does includes babies and children.
The Ontario Family Law Act determines whether a child is considered the member’s child for the purposes of housing in Woodsworth.
There is no maximum number of people except as set by the City of Toronto bylaws.
Your household
If your household composition has changed since your Board approval, you must notify Management.
Any new co-residents over the age of 16 must apply for long-term guest status. Management will assist with this process; however, Board approval is required. Approved long-term guests may attend the next annual internal membership information session. Note that those who become members in your unit have equal rights and responsibilities as you. (Membership Bylaw, Article 2.3.3 (c) Long-term guests applying for membership)
There are rules about pets and number of pets. See Rules Bylaw, Article III.
Unit offers and acceptance
Management is responsible for issuing unit offers and coordinating all tasks related to moving into Woodsworth. All members are required to sign an Occupancy Agreement for their unit.
Woodsworth’s members have approved a bylaw which includes alternating between internal and external waiting lists. While there will likely be a long wait to be offered a unit, it should speed up the process. For more information see
Alternating between internal and external waiting lists
Timelines, offers, refusals and contact rules
There are timelines for replying to unit offers from Management and to move-in dates.
Co-op tries to reach you within 3 business days.
You have 3 business days to respond.
No response is counted as a refusal.
After three (3) refusals you are bumped to the bottom of the list – for more information, see #9 on this summary of the rules: https://www.woodsworthcoop.ca/index.php/unit-allocation-procedures/
Refusal count does not depend on how many preferences or size units you’ve listed.
One refusal is counted per offer that meets your criteria, not per type of unit.
Limiters (Special Requests)
Applicants may specify preferences such as unit location or other features. However, if an available unit does not match these preferences, the household will be skipped and not offered the unit. This is not considered a refusal under Article 4(h) of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw.
Please note that adding special requests or limiters may delay the time it takes to be offered a unit.
Changes to unit requests
Applicants may change their requested unit size, unit type, or location preferences at any time without affecting their position on the waiting list, in accordance with the Membership: Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation, Article 4(g).
If your household size or makeup has changed, your accommodation needs (accessibility) or ability to pay for a unit has changed, you should consider adjusting your unit request.
Move-in timelines
If a household on the external waiting list accepts a unit that has been offered to them, they will not be required to take occupancy and commence payment of the housing charges until the first day of the third month following the offer, approximately sixty (60) days.
If the unit is vacant earlier, the household must make all reasonable efforts to move in and commence paying the housing charges earlier, if it can be done without financial loss to them. (Membership Bylaw, Article 6.2.8 Moving date: taking occupancy in Woodsworth)
The move must happen on the specified date.
Once a unit is accepted, you’re removed from all other waiting lists for Woodsworth.
The members in the household must sign the Occupancy Agreement. See Management.
Maintaining your application
If you are on a waiting list, it is essential that Woodsworth management has your current contact information, including your mailing address, phone numbers, and email address.
Your place on the external waiting list
To check your position on the external waiting list or to update your contact information, please contact the Office by phone at 416-363-3418 or by email using the Contact Woodsworth link.
Please note that Woodsworth also maintains a priority waiting list for special circumstances, particularly for disability-related accommodation, as required under human rights legislation. As a result, it is not possible to determine an exact position on the waiting list.
For more information:
Unit allocation, time lines (offers, refusals), and more: unit allocation
Unit types and floor plans.
Other related topics: Membership, long-term guests, relocation & unit allocation
For details, see the Membership Bylaw, Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation