What's typically included in Ottawa rent?

Older purpose-built rental buildings in Centretown, Sandy Hill, and Vanier commonly include heat and water in the rent, with tenants paying their own electricity and internet. Newer high-rise rentals and condo rentals are more mixed, and secondary suites (basement apartments) are usually all-inclusive since separate metering is rarely practical. Confirm exactly what's included in writing on the Ontario Standard Lease before you sign.

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 who want to raise rent 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 Ottawa 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), but the large majority of Ottawa apartment and condo 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.

Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Living and Renting in Ottawa in 2026

Real rents, real districts, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords navigating Canada's federal capital rental market.

Browse Ottawa rentals

Avg 1BR

$1,593

CMHC, Oct 2025

Avg 2BR

$1,916

CMHC, Oct 2025

Vacancy rate

2.9%

CMHC, Oct 2025

YoY change

-2.4%

Rentals.ca, Jul 2026

FFrancis, SQRFT TeamCanadian Rental Market Analysts, SQRFT Editorial Team Updated September 20, 2026 11 min read

Section 1

What Ottawa rents look like in mid-2026

Ottawa's rental market cooled modestly through 2026. The average asking rent for apartments and condos was $2,145 per month in July 2026, according to the Rentals.ca and Urbanation National Rent Report, down 2.4 percent year-over-year as more purpose-built supply came online across the city.

2.9%

Purpose-built rental vacancy

CMHC · Oct 2025

-2.4%

Average asking rent, year over year

Rentals.ca · Jul 2026

$2,037

National average asking rent, for comparison

Rentals.ca · Jul 2026

On CMHC's in-place averages, what existing tenants actually pay across the broader purpose-built stock, a one-bedroom averages $1,593 and a two-bedroom averages $1,916 (October 2025 survey), both below the asking-rent figure because asking rents capture newer supply and turnover units. For the full monthly breakdown, we publish the Ottawa Rent Report on the last business day of each month.

$1,593

Average 1-bedroom, in-place

CMHC · Oct 2025

$1,916

Average 2-bedroom, in-place

CMHC · Oct 2025

$2,145

Average asking rent, apartments and condos

Rentals.ca · Jul 2026

The practical read

Ottawa's federal-government-anchored job market keeps demand steadier than more cyclical cities, but 2026 supply growth has finally given tenants more room to negotiate, especially outside the core. Landlords in Kanata and Orleans are seeing longer time-to-lease than downtown Centretown or the Glebe.

Section 2

Where Ottawans rent: the district guide

Ottawa spans a large amalgamated city plus its urban core, with rental character shifting sharply from the downtown federal core to the suburban edges.

Centretown

Highest-density core, government offices, ByWard Market nightlife, Rideau Canal, walkable to Parliament Hill.

Ottawa East

Sandy Hill, Vanier, Overbrook — student and young-professional rentals near uOttawa, more affordable than the core.

Ottawa West

Westboro and Hintonburg have gentrified into trendy, walkable strips; further west toward Bayshore is more suburban and affordable.

Ottawa South

Glebe and Old Ottawa South are leafy, family-oriented, close to Carleton; South Keys/Riverside South are newer suburban growth areas.

Kanata / Stittsville

Tech-sector suburb (Kanata North tech park) with newer subdivisions, a long commute from the downtown core.

Orleans

Family-oriented suburb in the city's east end, largely single-family housing, strong Francophone community presence.

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

Section 3

Ottawa schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend, and Ottawa also has a large Francophone school system to consider.

The three boards

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

OCDSB

Serves families across the City of Ottawa with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Ottawa Catholic School Board

OCSB

Serves families across the City of Ottawa with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Conseil des ecoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario

CEPEO

Serves families across the City of Ottawa 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 OCDSB, OCSB, or CEPEO site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Check whether the school is capped.Popular schools in growing suburbs like Kanata and Orleans regularly close to non-designated students. The locator will flag it.
3
Decide on French immersion or Francophone schooling.Ottawa has a large Francophone population and a full French-language public board (CEPEO) alongside English-stream French immersion in OCDSB.
4
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 Francophone vs private

•
Public (OCDSB):free, catchment-based, Ottawa's largest English-language school board.
•
Catholic (OCSB):free, catchment-based, priority for baptized Catholic families with some open enrolment for others.
•
Francophone public (CEPEO):free, French-language instruction for Francophone and Francophile families across the city.
•
Private schools:concentrated in the central and west-end neighborhoods, tuition typically $10,000 to $30,000+ per year.

Section 4

Ottawa universities and post-secondary

Ottawa's two large universities and biggest college drive significant rental demand in the city's eastern and southern core.

University of Ottawa

~45,000 students

uOttawa

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the uOttawa campus.

Carleton University

~32,000 students

Carleton

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the Carleton campus.

Algonquin College

~21,000 students

Algonquin

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the Algonquin campus.

Saint Paul University

~700 students

Saint Paul

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the Saint Paul campus.

Timing tip

Rentals near uOttawa (Sandy Hill, Centretown) and Carleton (Glebe, Old Ottawa South) typically hit peak demand in July and August as students sign leases for the fall semester. If you are a landlord targeting students, list early.

Section 5

Getting around Ottawa

OC Transpo's light rail network has reshaped which neighborhoods are considered transit-connected over the past several years.

The essentials

•
Line 1 Confederation:runs east-west from Tunney's Pasture through downtown to Blair, with an extension to Trim in the far east end.
•
Line 2 Trillium:runs north-south from Bayview, extended south to Riverside South and the Ottawa airport.
•
Federal employment base:a large share of Ottawa's jobs are federal-government-driven, which supports stable, less cyclical rental demand near LRT stations serving downtown.
•
Cross-river transit:OC Transpo connects to Gatineau, Quebec's STO system, relevant for renters considering either side of the river.

Car-optional zones

If you value a car-optional lifestyle, look at Centretown, the Glebe, and anywhere directly on the Confederation or Trillium Line. Kanata, Stittsville, and Orleans are far more car-dependent.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Ottawa in 2026

Rent is the biggest line, but not the only one. Here's how Ottawa's fixed costs stack against the rest of Canada.

Where Ottawa wins

•
Below Toronto and Vancouver on rent.Ottawa's average asking rent of $2,145 sits meaningfully below Canada's most expensive markets while still offering a large, high-paying job market.
•
Stable federal-government employment.A large share of local jobs are federal-public-service-driven, which supports steady, less cyclical rental demand.
•
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 Ottawa is expensive

•
HST.Ontario charges 13 percent HST (combined federal and provincial sales tax) versus 5 percent GST-only in Alberta.
•
Winter heating costs.Ottawa's cold winters (January average low around -14°C) mean higher heating bills than most other major Canadian rental markets.
•
Downtown core rents.Centretown and the Glebe carry a premium over the citywide average, similar to other major-city downtown cores.

For live monthly cost-of-living data, Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index release publishes the Ottawa CMA component broken down by category.

Section 7

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

As Canada's federal capital, Ottawa hosts the Canadian Tulip Festival every May, along with a full annual calendar of national events centered on Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal.

Major annual events

Canadian Tulip Festival

May

Visit the official site for dates and programming.

Winterlude

February, Rideau Canal Skateway

A signature Ottawa event drawing large crowds citywide.

Canada Day on Parliament Hill

July 1

A signature Ottawa event drawing large crowds citywide.

RBC Bluesfest

July

A signature Ottawa event drawing large crowds citywide.

Ottawa's climate

-14°C

January average low, among the coldest of any G7 national capital

Environment Canada 1991-2020

26°C

July average high

Humid continental

Cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers

Ottawa's professional sports

Ottawa Senators (NHL)

One of Ottawa's major professional sports franchises.

Ottawa Redblacks (CFL)

One of Ottawa's major professional sports franchises.

Ottawa Charge (PWHL)

One of Ottawa's major professional sports franchises.

Section 8

Renting in Ottawa: Ontario tenancy law essentials

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

The common rule of thumb is 30 percent of gross monthly income on housing (rent plus utilities). On Ottawa's July 2026 average asking rent of $2,145, that means a gross household income of roughly $86,000 a year to stay within that guideline for an average unit. Ottawa's large, stable federal-government employment base means more renters can hit that target here than in Toronto, but downtown Centretown and Westboro still push well past it.

Try the free rent affordability calculator →

Section 9

Live Ottawa rentals on SQRFT

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

Browse Ottawa listings

Pricing

What should Ottawa rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

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

Sources

Living and Renting in Ottawa in 2026

What Ottawa rents look like in mid-2026

Where Ottawans rent: the district guide

Ottawa schools and school boards

The three boards

How to find a school for your address

Public vs Catholic vs Francophone vs private

Ottawa universities and post-secondary

Getting around Ottawa

The essentials

What it costs to live in Ottawa in 2026

Where Ottawa wins

Where Ottawa is expensive

Ottawa events, culture, and why people love it here

Major annual events

Ottawa's climate

Ottawa's professional sports

Renting in Ottawa: Ontario tenancy law essentials

Live Ottawa rentals on SQRFT

Related SQRFT content

What should Ottawa rent cost?

Where these numbers come from