If you're going to pay an average of almost $3,000 per month to rent an apartment in the city, you've got enough of a headache without dealing with a bad Toronto landlord.

There are heaps of issues that can come up between a tenant and landlord, from before you even see your potential living space, to when you've signed to the day-to-day relationship that comes with paying rent. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it pays to know some things in advance.

I spoke to a realtor with experience in Toronto to get the lowdown on what to look out for when you're ready to brave the absolute chaos that is the Toronto rental market.

Here are some tips on finding a good Toronto landlord.

Check if the landlord is allowed to rent to you

First, you should make sure the person you're talking to is the actual owner of the property.

One way to guarantee that is to look up the address using this register. The downside is that it'll cost you about $30, but if you're working with a realtor then they'll be able to guarantee this at no extra cost to you.

Check if the landlord lives in the city

Ryan Podnar, a Realtor and Sales Professional, warns against having landlords that may be absent — like living out of the city or province. If there's an emergency or something breaks, they won't be much help.

Check the contract closely

If a landlord is just going to ask you to sign a contract with a lack of terms, or terms that lack detail, that's a big red flag. That also goes for any landlord asking for a security deposit, which is illegal in Ontario.

Keep an eye out for ridiculous clauses in your contract. Podnar gives the example of landlords who have tried to demand the unit be at a specific temperature during the winter or summer.

Landlords have to provide the tenant with the standard lease form. 

Check for a no pets clause

Outside of condo corporations, a landlord can't prohibit you having pets on the property. If they tell you no pets they're not operating by the rules.

Check for obscene deposit requests

You also might run into landlords with entirely out-of-control deposits. Podnar gave an example of $1,000 key deposits as something he has seen before.

Check for any clauses that discriminate

Some landlords will try to discriminate against tenants based on gender, ethnicity or religion. This is illegal and is an immediate red flag.

Visit the rental unit in-person before you sign a lease

If you go to visit the unit and it's a total mess, then that's an obvious red flag as well and indicates the sort of care you could expect going forward if you were to sign with them.

Don't pay in cash

Some landlords will try to deal only in cash and to avoid giving receipts to their tenant because of the tax implications. This could cause major headaches in the long run, particularly if you have no paper trail that you've paid the rent.

Do online research

"Facebook is a great resource as far as looking for perspective of what landlords are like or what not to look for," Podnar says. The more official resources are the Residential Tenancies Act and the Landlord Tenant Board.

Another way to check for building violations is via RentTO. The catch is that it only applies to apartments that are at least three storeys or 10 units. But if that's what you're in the market for, then you'll be able to see if there's been reports from previous tenants.