Renting in Peterborough in 2026

Peterborough is a city of 83,651 residents as of the 2021 Census, about 90 minutes northeast of Toronto in Ontario's Kawartha Lakes region. It's the largest of Ontario's small-town rental markets in SQRFT's coverage, anchored by a regional hospital and a university, both of which shape the rental mix.

Trent University's main campus sits along the Otonabee River just north of downtown, supporting a sizeable student rental market of houses and basement apartments near campus. Away from the university, Peterborough's rental stock is a mix of century-home conversions downtown, mid-rise apartment buildings, and single-family homes in the surrounding subdivisions — with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre pulling in healthcare workers who need housing close to shift work.

The local economy runs on the following:

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  Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) — the region's largest employer, 3,100+ staff and 450 physicians with privileges
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  Trent University — 2,257 employees at the Peterborough campus, the city's second-largest employer
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  Fleming College (Sutherland campus)
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  General Electric Peterborough (long-standing manufacturing anchor)
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  Quaker Oats / PepsiCo Peterborough plant

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  Peterborough Lift Lock (highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, National Historic Site)
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  Trent University's Champlain College campus on the Otonabee River
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  Millennium Park and the Trans Canada Trail waterfront path
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  Riverview Park and Zoo

Every rental in Peterborough 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