Virtual showings became a necessity during the pandemic, but in 2025 they are a choice. And choices have trade-offs. The question Ontario landlords are asking now is not whether virtual showings are possible, but whether they are actually worth the investment of time, tools, and trust. That is a different question than whether you should offer them, which we cover in our related article on whether Ontario landlords should offer virtual showings in 2025. This article focuses on the return: what do you actually get back?
At Blue Anchor, we manage long-term residential rentals across Belleville, Trenton, Cobourg, Oshawa, Picton, and Quinte West. We have run virtual showings, in-person showings, and self-showings across all of those markets. We have seen what converts, what wastes time, and what creates problems down the road. The honest answer to whether virtual showings are worth it is: it depends on what you are optimizing for, and most landlords have not thought that through clearly enough.
This article breaks down the actual value proposition of virtual showings in the Ontario rental market right now, including where they pay off, where they fall short, and how to decide what makes sense for your specific property and situation.
What "Worth It" Actually Means for a Landlord
Before you can answer whether virtual showings are worth it, you need to define what you are measuring. Most landlords instinctively think about time savings. And yes, not driving to a property three times a week to show it to people who cancel last minute has real value. But time is only one dimension.
The fuller picture includes: how quickly the unit fills, the quality of applicants who come through, the likelihood that a virtual viewer converts to a signed lease, and whether the tenant who moves in based on a virtual showing ends up being a good long-term fit. A virtual showing that saves you two hours but attracts a tenant who causes problems six months later was not worth it.
In our experience managing rentals across Belleville and the broader Quinte region, the landlords who get the most value from virtual showings are those who treat them as a filtering tool, not a replacement for due diligence. They use virtual showings to narrow the field, then invest their time in the applicants who are genuinely serious. That approach changes the ROI calculation entirely.
The Time Savings Are Real, But Unevenly Distributed
Let us be direct: virtual showings do save time. A well-produced video walkthrough or a live video call showing can eliminate the need for multiple in-person appointments with prospective tenants who are not serious or not qualified. In markets like Oshawa or Cobourg, where a landlord might be fielding 20 or 30 inquiries for a single vacancy, that filtering function is genuinely valuable.
The time savings are most pronounced when you are dealing with out-of-town applicants. Ontario has a significant population of people relocating for work, especially between the Greater Toronto Area and communities like Belleville, Trenton, and Picton. These applicants cannot easily come in person before committing to a showing appointment. A virtual option lets them self-select before anyone wastes a trip.
However, the time savings are less significant in slower markets or for properties that attract mostly local applicants. If you are renting a two-bedroom unit in Trenton and most of your inquiries come from people already living in the area, the logistics of in-person showings are not that burdensome to begin with. In those cases, the time argument for virtual showings weakens considerably.
At Blue Anchor, we have found that the time savings from virtual showings are real but front-loaded. You save time early in the funnel. You do not necessarily save time later, because serious applicants still want to see the unit in person before signing, and you still need to do thorough tenant screening regardless of how the showing happened.
Conversion Rates: What the Numbers Tell Us
Here is a number that surprises most landlords: virtual showings typically have lower conversion rates than in-person showings. That is not a knock on virtual showings. It is actually part of how they are supposed to work. Virtual showings are meant to filter out people who are not serious or not a fit, so the pool of applicants who proceed to apply should be smaller but more qualified.
The problem arises when landlords treat a virtual showing as a complete substitute for an in-person visit rather than a step in the process. When a tenant signs a lease based solely on a video they watched, you are more likely to see move-in complaints about things that were visible but did not register on screen: noise levels, natural light at different times of day, the feel of the neighbourhood, parking logistics. These are not defects you hid. They are simply things that do not translate well to video.
In our experience, the best outcomes happen when virtual showings are used to qualify interest and in-person showings are used to close. Tenants who have already done a virtual showing and then come in person are typically more decisive. They already know the layout. They are coming to confirm, not to explore. That makes in-person showings faster and more productive when virtual showings precede them.
The Tenant Quality Question
One concern we hear from landlords is that virtual showings attract less serious applicants. The thinking is that someone willing to rent a place they have never physically visited is either desperate or not paying close attention, neither of which is a great sign. That concern is not entirely unfounded, but it is also not the whole picture.
The Ontario rental market in 2025 includes a large segment of renters who are comfortable making significant decisions digitally. Younger renters in particular are accustomed to researching, comparing, and committing to housing online. Refusing to offer any virtual option can actually screen out well-qualified tenants who simply prefer a more efficient process.
What matters more than the format of the showing is what happens after it. At Blue Anchor, we apply the same screening standards regardless of how a prospective tenant first viewed the property. We verify income, check credit, contact references, and review rental history. A tenant who came through a virtual showing and passes that process is just as valuable as one who toured in person. The showing format is not a proxy for tenant quality. Your screening process is. You can read more about how we approach that in our breakdown of tenant screening red flags for Belleville rental properties.
Hidden Costs Landlords Do Not Account For
Virtual showings are often framed as free or nearly free. That is not quite accurate. Producing a quality virtual showing takes time and sometimes equipment. A shaky phone video filmed in poor lighting does not represent your property well and may actually hurt your ability to attract good tenants. A proper walkthrough video, or a live video call showing conducted thoughtfully, requires preparation.
There is also the cost of misrepresentation risk. If a tenant feels the virtual showing did not accurately represent the property, you may face a difficult move-in conversation or, in worse cases, a tenant who is unhappy from day one. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, a tenant cannot simply break a lease because the unit looked different than expected in a video, but a dissatisfied tenant from the start is a management challenge you do not want.
The hidden costs also include the time spent managing inquiries that do not convert. Virtual showings can increase the volume of low-commitment inquiries because the barrier to asking for a showing is lower. You may end up spending more time responding to people who were never serious applicants. This is manageable, but it is worth factoring into your assessment of whether virtual showings are saving you time overall.
One alternative worth considering is the self-showing model, which addresses some of these issues by letting prospective tenants tour the property independently using a lockbox or smart lock system. We have written about why self-showings can be a safer option for landlords who want to reduce their time investment without fully moving to virtual-only formats.
When Virtual Showings Deliver the Best Return
To be clear, we are not arguing against virtual showings. We are arguing for using them strategically. There are specific situations where the return on virtual showings is genuinely strong.
Properties in high-demand markets where you are fielding a large volume of inquiries benefit most. If you are managing a rental in a desirable part of Belleville or near a major employer in Oshawa, virtual showings let you process more interest without proportionally more time. The filtering function is worth the most when the funnel is wide.
Properties that photograph and film well also benefit more from virtual showings. A bright, well-maintained unit with good natural light and clean finishes will represent itself well on video. A unit with quirky layouts, unusual ceiling heights, or features that need context to appreciate may actually be undersold by a virtual showing, leading to lower interest from qualified applicants who would have loved it in person.
Out-of-province or out-of-region applicants are another strong use case. Ontario attracts renters from across the country, and offering a virtual option for people who cannot easily travel to view a property in Picton or Cobourg before committing to a move is a genuine service that can help you attract a broader pool of qualified candidates.
At Blue Anchor, we also find virtual showings particularly useful during winter months in Central Ontario, when weather makes in-person showings logistically harder and when prospective tenants are less likely to drive to a showing for a property they are only mildly interested in. A virtual showing in January can maintain momentum on a listing without requiring anyone to navigate icy roads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tenant legally back out after signing a lease based on a virtual showing?
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, a signed lease is a binding agreement. A tenant cannot void a lease simply because the property looked different than it appeared in a video, provided the landlord did not misrepresent material facts. If a landlord deliberately concealed a defect or made false claims about the unit, that is a different matter. The practical takeaway is to ensure your virtual showing accurately represents the property, including any known issues, to avoid disputes at move-in.
Do virtual showings affect how quickly a unit rents?
In most cases, offering virtual showings alongside in-person options speeds up the process by increasing the number of qualified applicants who engage early. Units that only offer virtual showings with no in-person option may take longer to fill because serious applicants often want to visit before signing. The fastest results typically come from a hybrid approach: virtual first, in-person for serious applicants.
What equipment do I need to run a decent virtual showing?
A modern smartphone with a good camera is sufficient for most properties. The more important factors are lighting, preparation, and pacing. Film during daylight hours, declutter the space, and move slowly through each room. For live video call showings, a stable internet connection matters more than camera quality. If you want a polished listing video, a basic gimbal stabilizer (available for under $100) makes a noticeable difference.
Should I offer virtual showings for every property I own?
Not necessarily. Properties in slower markets with mostly local applicants may not benefit enough to justify the extra preparation. Properties in high-demand areas, or those attracting out-of-region applicants, are better candidates. Consider your typical applicant profile and how much of your showing time is currently spent on unqualified prospects. If that number is high, virtual showings are probably worth it. If most of your in-person showings are already converting to applications, the marginal benefit is lower.
How does Blue Anchor handle showings for properties it manages?
At Blue Anchor, we use a combination of approaches depending on the property and the market. We assess each listing individually and recommend the showing format that is most likely to attract qualified applicants efficiently. For many properties, we use self-showings as a practical middle ground that saves landlord time without the limitations of a fully virtual process. We also apply consistent screening standards regardless of how a prospective tenant first viewed the property.
The Bottom Line
Virtual showings are worth it for Ontario landlords in 2025, but only when they are used as part of a deliberate strategy rather than as a default or a shortcut. The return is real when you are dealing with high inquiry volume, out-of-region applicants, or properties that present well on video. The return is weaker when virtual showings replace rather than complement in-person visits, or when they are used without the screening rigour that actually determines tenant quality.
At Blue Anchor, we help landlords across Belleville, Trenton, Cobourg, Oshawa, Picton, and Quinte West think through these decisions as part of how we manage their properties. If you are trying to figure out the right showing strategy for your rental, or if you want to understand what full-service property management actually looks like in practice, we are happy to talk. You can also explore our Belleville property management services or learn more about what we do in Cobourg and Oshawa. The right showing format is one piece of a larger puzzle, and getting the whole picture right is what protects your investment over the long term.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Ontario landlord-tenant law is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed paralegal or lawyer familiar with Ontario tenancy law.
