I have had my phone ringing off the hook over the last few days, and not because anyone wants to buy or sell a house, and not because anyone wants to lease ... instead, I've been answering phone calls from upset Realtors and their clients, because my client chose to go with a tenant that had a great credit history.

My client had a condo for lease, downtown, and the listing specifically requested a credit check/report, along with several other pieces of information, attached to the offer.  There were several offers on the condo, but two agents did not submit the complete information for their clients.  One had a simple Fico score and no history, and the other had a piece of paper that had clearly been 'cut and pasted' to make it look a little bit better (not even sure if the information belonged to that person). Needless to say, only one person got the condo... the others are very upset and can't understand why ...

I wish all realtors explained to their clients EXACTLY what having bad credit or no history, can mean. If clients don't have good credit history, it may help the client a lot more, to tell them how to go about cleaning it up, what to do, what not to do; than to make false promises, or try to convince the listing agent that their client is a good risk.  In the end, regardless of our advice or opinion, it is up to the Landlord, who he decides to go with.

For all clients out there (tenants or buyers), who may not know what their credit file looks like, or what kind of information is found there, I strongly suggest you contact your local Credit Bureau and have a look at your file as soon as possible.  The file may have errors you're not even aware of.  Mistakes are made all the time. It is your responsibility to make sure your credit report is accurate.  It can be changed, by notifying your local Bureau. They will tell you what to do, if and when you contact them.  Sometimes, unfortunately, for various reasons, people don't have the best credit - but this can be fixed, and sometimes, quite quickly.  Again, it is your responsibility to ensure you keep on top of it, and to ensure you check on a regular basis, to ensure changes are made.

If you don't know what to do, ask.  I am more than happy to help my clients ensure all is well, before we start looking.  If your Realtor can't help you, he/she should be able to point you in the right direction. 
I will start, by providing you with the following information:

Equifax Canada
http://www.equifax.ca
Consumer Relations Department
Box 190 Jean Talon Station
Montréal, Qc
H1S 2Z2
Tel.: 514-493-2314
1-800-465-7166
Fax: 514 -355-8502

Trans Union Canada
http://www.tuc.ca/TUCorp/home.asp
Consumer Relations
709 Main Street W Suite 3201
Hamilton, On
L8S 1A2
Tel.: 1-800-663 9980
Fax: 905-527-0401

Northern Credit Bureaus
http://www.creditbureau.ca/ENGLISH/english.htm
336 Rideau Boulevard
Rouyn-Noranda, QC
J9X 1P2
Fax: 1-800-646-5876

If you are looking to lease or buy a property, start out by checking your own credit (which can be done online, quite quickly); and ensure that there is no information there that does not apply to you. 

Pay your bills on time. If you don't have any bills, and if you don't have a credit history, get a credit card quickly, use it (be responsible), and pay the debt immediately, and start making (good) history. :)