Renting in Chatham in 2026

Chatham is a community of 45,171 residents as of the 2021 Census, the largest urban centre within the single-tier Municipality of Chatham-Kent (population 103,988) — an amalgamation formed in 1998 from the former City of Chatham, Kent County, and 22 constituent townships, towns, and villages. Chatham itself is not a separate incorporated municipality; it serves as Chatham-Kent's administrative seat and largest population centre. It sits roughly an hour southwest of London and about an hour northeast of Windsor via Highway 401.

The local economy includes the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, automotive-parts manufacturers Dana Canada and Continental/Vitesco Technologies, GreenField Global's ethanol plant, Corteva Agriscience, and a federal Service Canada office processing CPP and disability pensions. Nearby Tilbury adds Autoliv and Mahle to the wider area's automotive-manufacturing base. Downtown, Tecumseh Park and the Chatham-Kent Museum anchor a historic core that includes some of Canada's most significant Underground Railroad heritage sites. Chatham-Kent is bordered by Walpole Island First Nation and the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, both named in the municipality's own land acknowledgment.

The local economy runs on the following:

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  Chatham-Kent Health Alliance — 200-bed hospital network with sites in Chatham and Wallaceburg; roughly 1,500 staff and 200 physicians
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  Dana Canada — manufactures heat shields for exhaust manifolds, catalytic converters, and turbochargers
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  Continental/Vitesco Technologies — actuator design, development, and testing
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  GreenField Global — large ethanol production plant
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  Corteva Agriscience — agricultural seed-breeding and biotechnology facility
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  A federal Service Canada office processing CPP and disability pensions out of the Judy LaMarsh Building, with roughly 300 employees represented by PSAC Local 647

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  Tecumseh Park — War of 1812 history overlooking the Thames River, part of the Tecumseh Parkway driving route
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  Chatham-Kent Museum and the Chatham Cultural Centre
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  Capitol Theatre, opened 1930, and the Thames Art Gallery
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  First Baptist Church and BME Freedom Park — Chatham was one of Canada's principal Underground Railroad terminals, and the Black Mecca Museum tells that history

Every rental in Chatham is governed by the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act. Key rules that apply regardless of town size:

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  Rent increases are capped by the annual provincial guideline.Most existing tenancies can only be raised once every 12 months, up to that year's guideline percentage, with 90 days' written notice.
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  No separate damage deposit.Landlords may only collect last month's rent as a deposit; it cannot be used for damage.
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  Landlord entry requires 24 hours' written notice.For repairs, showings, or inspections.
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  Disputes go to the LTB.Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board handles applications from both landlords and tenants.
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  No legally required move-in inspection report.A written move-in inspection is good practice but is not an Ontario RTA requirement.

Deep guides for each of these topics are in the SQRFT guide library.

• Statistics Canada 2021 Census Profile
• Lambton Kent District School Board
• St. Clair Catholic District School Board
• Ontario LTB