Renting in Cobourg in 2026

Cobourg is a town of 20,519 residents as of the 2021 Census, the county seat and largest municipality in Northumberland County on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It sits about 45 minutes east of Oshawa and just over an hour east of Toronto, making it a realistic option for commuters willing to trade a longer drive for lake-town living.

Cobourg's rental market blends a walkable historic downtown near the lakefront with newer subdivisions on the town's north side. A mix of manufacturing employers, Northumberland Hills Hospital, and county government jobs anchor local demand, while the beach and marina draw retirees and Toronto-area buyers looking for a smaller, lake-adjacent community.

The local economy runs on the following:

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  Northumberland Hills Hospital — the town's largest single employer (staff counts vary by source, roughly 400+ direct staff and 850+ including physicians, midwives, and volunteers)
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  Belden Canada Inc. and Lakeland Multi-Trade — long-standing manufacturers, 40+ years in Cobourg
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  Canada Candy Company and Baxter's Bakery — food manufacturing
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  Custom Plastics International and Beneco Packaging — plastics manufacturing, recently expanded
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  Corporation of the Town of Cobourg and Northumberland County government offices

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  Victoria Hall (1860 National Historic Site, now the town hall)
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  Cobourg Beach — over a kilometre of sand on Lake Ontario
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  Cobourg Marina and waterfront promenade
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  Northumberland County Courthouse

Every rental in Cobourg 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
• Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
• Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board
• Ontario LTB