What's typically included in Kingston rent?

Purpose-built apartment buildings near downtown Kingston commonly include heat and water, with tenants covering their own electricity and internet. Student housing near Queen's University often bundles utilities into the rent to simplify shared-house billing. Always confirm exactly what's covered in writing on the Ontario Standard Lease before signing.

What is Ontario's rent increase guideline for 2026 and 2027?

For most units first occupied on or before November 15, 2018 (Ontario's rent control cutoff), annual increases at renewal are capped by a guideline the provincial government publishes every year. The guideline is 2.1 percent for 2026 and 1.9 percent for 2027. Landlords seeking an increase above the guideline generally need approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board (an Above Guideline Increase application), typically justified by capital expenditures, extraordinary utility cost increases, or municipal tax increases. Units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline entirely.

How does a security deposit work in Ontario?

Ontario does not allow a traditional damage deposit the way most other provinces do. Landlords can only collect a rent deposit equal to at most one month's rent (or one rental period's rent if shorter), and it must be applied as the payment for your last month of tenancy, not held separately and refunded afterward. Ontario landlords cannot charge a separate damage or pet deposit. If damage occurs beyond normal wear and tear, the landlord's recourse is to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board directly, not to deduct from a deposit that does not exist for that purpose.

Does my Kingston landlord have to use the Ontario Standard Lease?

Yes, for most private residential tenancies entered into on or after April 30, 2018. The Ontario Standard Lease is a mandatory government form. If a landlord does not provide it within 21 days of a tenant's written request, the tenant can withhold one month's rent, and the landlord loses the right to collect it once the form is provided. Some tenancy types are exempt (care homes, social housing, some co-ops, and certain shared-accommodation arrangements common near campus), but the large majority of Kingston apartment and house rentals must use this form.

How do I dispute my landlord at the Landlord and Tenant Board?

The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) is Ontario's tribunal for residential tenancy disputes, covering everything from illegal rent increases and maintenance issues to eviction applications. The LTB carries a significant multi-year backlog, and hearings can take months to be scheduled. Bring your Ontario Standard Lease, all written correspondence with your landlord, photos or inspection records, and any notices you received or served. LTB orders are binding and enforceable, including through the Ontario Court of Justice or Superior Court where needed.

Can my landlord enter without notice?

No, with narrow exceptions. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act requires landlords to give at least 24 hours' written notice before entering for a reasonable purpose (repairs, inspections, showings to prospective tenants or buyers), and entry must occur between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Emergencies (fire, flood, gas leak) are the main exception where notice is not required. Repeated no-notice entries can be raised with the Landlord and Tenant Board as a breach of the tenancy.

What if my landlord wants to sell the property?

A sale does not automatically end your tenancy. The new owner takes over the existing lease on the same terms. The one major exception is if the new owner (or an immediate family member) intends to personally move in, in which case the landlord must serve a valid Landlord's Own Use notice with the correct notice period and, since recent amendments, compensation requirements. Showings for a sale still require the standard 24 hours' written notice, same as any other entry.

Kingston, Ontario Canada

Living and Renting in Kingston in 2026

Real neighborhoods, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords in the historic city between Toronto and Montreal, home to Queen's University.

Browse Kingston rentals

Population

138,600

StatCan, 2024

Universities

Queen's, RMC, St. Lawrence

VIA Rail

Yes

Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor

Lake Ontario

Thousand Islands gateway

FFrancis, SQRFT TeamCanadian Rental Market Analysts, SQRFT Editorial Team Updated September 20, 2026 8 min read

Section 1

What we know (and don't) about Kingston rents

Kingston does not currently appear in CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report, which covers only Ontario's 7 largest CMAs, nor is it named in Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report. Rather than estimate or borrow a number from a nearby market, we're telling you plainly: there is currently no verified average-rent or vacancy-rate figure we can cite for Kingston from either primary source.

The practical read

For a real sense of current asking rents, browse live SQRFT listings in Kingston directly. Expect competition to run highest near Queen's University and downtown in the weeks before the fall semester.

Section 2

Where people rent in Kingston

A historic lakefront city with its own economic base — not a satellite of Toronto or Montreal.

Historic city midway between Toronto and Montreal on Lake Ontario, dominated economically by Queen's University, the Royal Military College, and a large federal correctional/military presence — not a satellite of either metro.

Landmarks that anchor each area

Fort Henry National Historic Site

A defining Kingston landmark renters use to orient themselves by area.

Kingston City Hall

A defining Kingston landmark renters use to orient themselves by area.

Thousand Islands gateway

A defining Kingston landmark renters use to orient themselves by area.

SQRFT is building out detailed neighborhood-level pages across Kingston. In the meantime, browse live listings from the rentals index and filter by area.

Section 3

Kingston schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend.

The two boards

Limestone District School Board

LDSB

Serves families across Kingston and the surrounding area with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board

ALCDSB

Serves families across Kingston and the surrounding area with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

How to find a school for your address

1
Use the board's school locator first.Enter the address on the LDSB or ALCDSB site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Check whether the school is capped.Growing subdivisions on Kingston's west end can see designated schools close to non-catchment students.
3
Confirm before you sign the lease.School-driven address decisions do not have a rewind button once you have committed to a lease term.

Public vs Catholic vs private

•
Public (LDSB):free, catchment-based, Kingston's largest school board.
•
Catholic (ALCDSB):free, catchment-based, priority for baptized Catholic families with some open enrolment for others.
•
Private schools:a modest presence, concentrated near downtown Kingston.

Section 4

Kingston universities and post-secondary

Queen's University, the Royal Military College, and St. Lawrence College together enroll roughly 37,000 students.

Queen's University

~28,000 students

Queen's

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of Queen's.

Royal Military College of Canada

~1,000 students

RMC

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of RMC.

St. Lawrence College

~8,000 students

SLC

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of SLC.

Timing tip

Rentals near Queen's University hit peak demand in August and September as students sign leases for the fall semester, and again in the spring for the following year.

Section 5

Getting around Kingston

Kingston Transit runs local routes; VIA Rail connects Kingston to Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

The essentials

•
VIA Rail Kingston station sits on the busy Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor

Commuter access

Kingston's VIA Rail station puts Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal all within a roughly 2-3 hour train ride, which can make rentals near downtown or the station attractive to occasional commuters as well as students, military, and hospital staff.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Kingston in 2026

Rent is the biggest line, but not the only one. Here's how Kingston's fixed costs compare.

Where Kingston wins

•
Diverse, recession-resistant economy.Queen's University, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, federal corrections, and CFB Kingston all anchor stable, non-cyclical employment.
•
Walkable historic downtown.Kingston's compact core keeps many day-to-day errands within walking distance for renters living centrally.
•
No separate damage deposit required.Ontario law caps the move-in deposit at one month's rent applied to your last month, unlike provinces requiring a separate refundable damage deposit.

Where Kingston is expensive

•
HST.Ontario charges 13 percent HST (combined federal and provincial sales tax).
•
Student-driven seasonal competition.Renters competing for units near Queen's University in August and September should expect faster-moving listings.
•
Limited public rent-benchmark data.Without a CMHC or Rentals.ca figure to check against, renters have to rely more on comparing live listings directly rather than a published city average.

For live monthly cost-of-living data, Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index release publishes regional CPI components you can use as a proxy for the broader Kingston CMA.

Section 7

Kingston events, culture, and why people love it here

The last section before we get to the practical answers. If you're deciding whether to move to Kingston in the first place, this is what tips the scale.

Kingston pairs limestone-built 19th-century architecture and a defensible harbour history (Fort Henry, the former Royal Naval Dockyard) with a modern identity built around Queen's University, military institutions, and healthcare — a city that reads as historic first and university-town second.

Major annual events

Kingston Buskers Rendezvous

September

A signature Kingston event drawing large crowds citywide.

Limestone City Blues Festival

August

A signature Kingston event drawing large crowds citywide.

Kingston's sports scene

Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

A hometown team Kingston residents follow closely.

Kingston's climate

Humid continental, moderated somewhat by Lake Ontario, cold winters (January average low around -9°C), warm summers (July average high 26°C).

Section 8

Renting in Kingston: Ontario tenancy law essentials

These rules apply to every Kingston rental. Bookmark this section.

The common rule of thumb is 30 percent of gross monthly income on housing (rent plus utilities). Neither CMHC's Rental Market Report nor Rentals.ca's National Rent Report currently publishes a standalone average rent figure for Kingston, so we won't estimate one. Check live listings on SQRFT for current asking rents in the neighborhood you're targeting, and use our affordability calculator once you have a real number to test.

Try the free rent affordability calculator →

Section 9

Live Kingston rentals on SQRFT

Browse listings across Kingston neighborhoods. All listings verified. Free to list.

Browse Kingston listings

Pricing

What should Kingston rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

See a data-driven rent range for your Kingston property based on our Canadian rental market model.

Sources

Living and Renting in Kingston in 2026

What we know (and don't) about Kingston rents

Where people rent in Kingston

Landmarks that anchor each area

Kingston schools and school boards

The two boards

How to find a school for your address

Public vs Catholic vs private

Kingston universities and post-secondary

Getting around Kingston

The essentials

What it costs to live in Kingston in 2026

Where Kingston wins

Where Kingston is expensive

Kingston events, culture, and why people love it here

Major annual events

Kingston's sports scene

Kingston's climate

Renting in Kingston: Ontario tenancy law essentials

Live Kingston rentals on SQRFT

Related SQRFT content

What should Kingston rent cost?

Where this information comes from