What's typically included in Oshawa rent?

Purpose-built apartment buildings near downtown Oshawa commonly include heat and water, with tenants covering their own electricity and internet. Student housing near Ontario Tech University and Durham College 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 Oshawa 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 Oshawa 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.

Oshawa, Ontario Canada

Living and Renting in Oshawa in 2026

Real neighborhoods, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords in Durham Region's anchor city, home to Ontario Tech University.

Browse Oshawa rentals

Population

175,383

StatCan, 2024

Universities

Ontario Tech, Durham College

GO Transit

Yes

Lakeshore East line to Toronto Union

Region

Durham

Eastern edge of the GTA

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 Oshawa rents

Oshawa does not have a standalone profile in CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report, which covers only Ontario's 7 largest CMAs, and Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report does not name Oshawa in its report text either. 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 Oshawa from either primary source.

The practical read

For a real sense of current asking rents, browse live SQRFT listings in Oshawa directly, or compare against neighboring Toronto for a GTA-wide benchmark, keeping in mind Oshawa sits at the outer edge of that market.

Section 2

Where people rent in Oshawa

Durham Region's anchor city, with its own GO Transit line rather than a direct-satellite relationship to Toronto.

Historic home of General Motors Canada and anchor city of the Durham Region at the eastern edge of the Greater Toronto Area, with its own GO Transit line rather than a direct-satellite relationship to Toronto.

Landmarks that anchor each area

Parkwood National Historic Site (former GM founder R.S. McLaughlin estate)

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

Lakeview Park waterfront

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

Canadian Automotive Museum

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

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

Section 3

Oshawa schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend.

The two boards

Durham District School Board

DDSB

Serves families across Oshawa and Durham Region with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Durham Catholic District School Board

DCDSB

Serves families across Oshawa and Durham Region 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 DDSB or DCDSB site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Check whether the school is capped.Growing subdivisions on Oshawa's north 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 (DDSB):free, catchment-based, Durham Region's largest school board.
•
Catholic (DCDSB):free, catchment-based, priority for baptized Catholic families with some open enrolment for others.
•
Private schools:a modest presence, concentrated near downtown Oshawa.

Section 4

Oshawa universities and post-secondary

Ontario Tech University and Durham College share a campus and together enroll roughly 24,000 students.

Ontario Tech University

~12,000 students

Ontario Tech

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

Durham College

~12,000 students

Durham College

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

Timing tip

Rentals near the shared Ontario Tech / Durham College campus hit peak demand in August and September as students sign leases for the fall semester.

Section 5

Getting around Oshawa

Durham Region Transit runs local routes; GO Transit connects Oshawa to Toronto.

The essentials

•
GO Transit Lakeshore East line ends at Oshawa GO station, into Toronto Union Station

Commuter access

Oshawa GO station is the eastern terminus of the Lakeshore East line, which can make rentals near downtown or the station attractive to Toronto-bound commuters as well as students and GM/Ontario Tech employees.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Oshawa in 2026

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

Where Oshawa wins

•
Established industrial and institutional base.General Motors Canada's Oshawa Assembly plant, Ontario Tech University, and Lakeridge Health together anchor a stable local job market.
•
GO Transit access without downtown-Toronto pricing.Oshawa sits at the eastern edge of the GTA, giving commuters Toronto access at typically lower rents than closer-in suburbs.
•
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 Oshawa is expensive

•
HST.Ontario charges 13 percent HST (combined federal and provincial sales tax).
•
Student-driven seasonal competition.Renters competing for units near the Ontario Tech / Durham College campus 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 Oshawa CMA.

Section 7

Oshawa 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 Oshawa in the first place, this is what tips the scale.

Oshawa's identity runs through its automotive history — General Motors Canada has built cars here for over a century — layered with the newer presence of Ontario Tech University and a wave of GTA-priced-out renters and buyers moving east along the Lakeshore East GO corridor.

Major annual events

Fiesta Week Oshawa

July

A signature Oshawa event drawing large crowds citywide.

Oshawa Peony Festival

June, Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens

A signature Oshawa event drawing large crowds citywide.

Oshawa's sports scene

Oshawa Generals (OHL)

A hometown team Oshawa residents follow closely.

Oshawa's climate

Humid continental, moderated by Lake Ontario, cold winters (January average low around -7°C), warm summers (July average high 27°C).

Section 8

Renting in Oshawa: Ontario tenancy law essentials

These rules apply to every Oshawa 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 Oshawa, 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 Oshawa rentals on SQRFT

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

Browse Oshawa listings

Pricing

What should Oshawa rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

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

Sources

Living and Renting in Oshawa in 2026

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

Where people rent in Oshawa

Landmarks that anchor each area

Oshawa schools and school boards

The two boards

How to find a school for your address

Public vs Catholic vs private

Oshawa universities and post-secondary

Getting around Oshawa

The essentials

What it costs to live in Oshawa in 2026

Where Oshawa wins

Where Oshawa is expensive

Oshawa events, culture, and why people love it here

Major annual events

Oshawa's sports scene

Oshawa's climate

Renting in Oshawa: Ontario tenancy law essentials

Live Oshawa rentals on SQRFT

Related SQRFT content

What should Oshawa rent cost?

Where this information comes from