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If you own rental property in Central Ontario, the numbers released this summer should get your attention. In July 2026, the Ministry of the Attorney General released a dataset covering 40,844 Landlord and Tenant Board orders from the first five months of the year. Openroom analyzed that data at the postal code level, and Blue Anchor pulled the figures for our service area. What we found tells a very different story depending on which market you are in.
Oshawa landlords are facing unpaid rent exposure at twice the provincial average. Cobourg landlords, on the other hand, are sitting in one of the lower-risk markets in the province. Belleville and Trenton fall right around the provincial norm. These are not minor statistical differences. They have real implications for how you screen tenants, how much reserve cash you should carry, and how you think about rent pricing going into 2027. Let us walk through the data and what it means in practice.
What the Openroom Postal Code Data Actually Shows
The provincial picture first: across Ontario, 49% of all LTB orders in 2026 are L1 applications for non-payment of rent. Total unpaid rent listed at hearing across the province exceeds $200 million for just the first five months of the year. The average case reaches $13,544 by the time it gets to a hearing, and the total exposure window per case is approximately five months when you account for the 52.4-day average wait for an L1 hearing plus two weeks to three months for Sheriff enforcement after an order is issued. That is a long time to go without rent, and a significant dollar amount to potentially never recover. For a deeper look at how the province compiles this information, see our breakdown of LTB final orders in the Ontario Open Data Catalogue.
Now for the local breakdown. In K8V, covering Trenton and Quinte West, there were 105 total LTB orders in the first five months of 2026, with 74 of those being unpaid rent orders. That works out to 18.2 orders per 1,000 renter households, which is 1.1 times the provincial average. In K8N, covering Belleville, the picture is nearly identical: 119 total orders, 70 unpaid rent orders, 17.5 per 1,000 renter households, also 1.1 times the provincial average. Both markets are running slightly above the provincial norm but not dramatically so.
Cobourg, covered by K9A, tells a more reassuring story: 51 total orders, 33 unpaid rent orders, and 11 per 1,000 renter households. That is 0.7 times the provincial average, meaningfully below the province-wide rate. Cobourg landlords have historically benefited from a mix of longer-tenured renters and slightly different demographic pressures, and this data reflects that.
Then there is Oshawa. In L1H, there were 254 total orders and 182 unpaid rent orders in just five months. That is 32.3 per 1,000 renter households, exactly twice the provincial average. For context, Pickering's L1X postal code led the entire province at 50.6 per 1,000 renter households, so Oshawa is not at the extreme top of the scale, but it is well above average and well above anything we see in the Quinte and Northumberland markets.
Why These Numbers Matter More Than You Might Think
A lot of landlords look at LTB statistics and think about them in terms of bad luck. The reality is that unpaid rent risk is partly structural, and postal code data helps reveal where structural risk is elevated. When a market shows double the provincial average in L1 filings, it is telling you something about local economic conditions, tenant demographics, rental supply and demand dynamics, and the types of properties that dominate that market.
At Blue Anchor, we think about this data in three practical categories: screening rigour, reserve fund sizing, and rent pricing. Each of those decisions should be calibrated differently depending on which market your property is in. An Oshawa landlord who screens tenants the same way a Cobourg landlord does is accepting risk that the data says is not warranted. Similarly, a Cobourg landlord who holds the same emergency reserve as an Oshawa landlord is probably overcapitalizing relative to their actual risk profile.
The $13,544 average unpaid rent figure at hearing is also worth sitting with. That is the amount owed by the time a case reaches the LTB. When you add in the Sheriff enforcement timeline of up to three months after the order is granted, many landlords end up absorbing losses well above that figure before the unit is vacant and re-rented. In a high-volume market like Oshawa, that is not an edge case. It is a predictable cost of doing business if your screening process is not tight enough.
Adjusting Tenant Screening Rigour by Market
The Residential Tenancies Act sets out what landlords can and cannot consider during tenant selection, and Blue Anchor operates strictly within those boundaries. But within those rules, there is significant room to adjust how thoroughly you verify income, how carefully you read rental history, and how much weight you give to credit profile depth versus score alone.
In a market running at 2.0 times the provincial L1 filing rate, like Oshawa, we would recommend treating every application with a higher level of scrutiny. That means verifying employment income directly rather than relying solely on pay stubs, calling previous landlords rather than just accepting a reference letter, and looking carefully at the debt-to-income picture rather than just the credit score headline number. A tenant with a 680 credit score and a clean rental history in a stable employment situation is a meaningfully different risk than a tenant with the same score and a spotty history of short tenancies.
In Cobourg or Port Hope, where the data shows below-average L1 rates, you can apply the same diligence standards but with somewhat more confidence that a qualified applicant is likely to perform. The market itself is less volatile. That does not mean you relax your standards. It means the baseline risk you are working against is lower, which is a good thing.
At Blue Anchor, our tenant screening process is consistent across all our markets, but we do factor in market context when advising landlord clients on application decisions. The data now gives us a much cleaner way to have those conversations.
Reserve Fund Sizing: A Market-Specific Conversation
Most property management industry guidance suggests landlords maintain a reserve fund equivalent to one to three months of gross rent per unit. That range exists for a reason: the right number depends heavily on the age and condition of the property, the local maintenance cost environment, and the risk of rental income disruption. The 2026 LTB postal code data adds another dimension to that calculation.
If you own in L1H Oshawa and your property rents for $2,000 per month, the average unpaid rent exposure at hearing is $13,544 provincially. In a market running at twice the provincial L1 rate, it is reasonable to assume your personal exposure risk is proportionally higher. A reserve of two to three months of rent, approximately $4,000 to $6,000, may not be sufficient to cover a worst-case non-payment scenario from start to Sheriff enforcement. Landlords in high-L1-rate markets should seriously consider whether a larger reserve, or a dedicated vacancy and loss contingency fund, makes sense for their situation.
In K9A Cobourg, where the L1 rate is 30% below the provincial average, a leaner reserve may be defensible, particularly for well-maintained properties with long-tenured tenants. The data supports a more optimistic risk assumption in that market.
This is not about being pessimistic. It is about sizing your financial cushion to match your actual risk environment, which is exactly what the postal code data now allows you to do with much more precision than before.
What This Means for Rent Pricing Decisions
The 2026 rent increase guideline under the Residential Tenancies Act is 2.1%. For existing tenants, that is the ceiling for most units unless you have an approved above-guideline increase. But for new tenancies, rent is set by the market, and market pricing should reflect the total cost of doing business in that market, including the cost of credit risk. Landlords planning ahead should also review the Ontario 2027 rent increase guideline as they model revenue for the coming year.
In a market like Oshawa where L1 filing rates are double the provincial average, the implicit cost of tenant non-payment is higher. Landlords who price rents without factoring in that elevated risk are essentially subsidizing tenants who do not pay. Over a large enough portfolio or a long enough time horizon, that pricing gap compounds into meaningful losses.
We are not suggesting landlords arbitrarily inflate rents. The market will not support pricing that is disconnected from comparable units. But when you are evaluating a new tenancy offer in a high-risk postal code, the rent you accept should reflect the risk environment you are operating in. If two comparable units in different postal codes have identical costs, the one in the higher-L1-rate market should command a modest premium to compensate for the elevated risk profile.
How Blue Anchor Uses This Data for Managed Properties
At Blue Anchor, we manage long-term residential rental properties across Belleville, Trenton, Quinte West, Cobourg, Port Hope, and surrounding areas. The Openroom postal code analysis gives us a structured way to benchmark each market we operate in against the provincial average, and to have more informed conversations with our landlord clients about risk, pricing, and screening strategy.
When we onboard a new property, our process captures existing tenant information, active LTB matters, and management goals from day one through our structured onboarding system. For properties in higher-risk postal codes, that context shapes how we approach tenant screening for the next vacancy and how we advise on reserve fund levels. We also offer tenants access to a renters insurance program that includes $1 million in liability coverage and $100,000 in pet liability coverage for approximately $30 to $42 per month. Tenants who carry renters insurance tend to be more financially responsible overall, and the coverage protects both the tenant and the property owner in the event of accidental damage or liability claims. You can read more about why we built our own renters insurance program and how it benefits tenants.
Our rent collection process relies on Interac e-Transfer and Pre-Authorized Debit for tenants who consent in writing, consistent with Payments Canada PAD agreement requirements and the RTA. We do not require post-dated cheques or PAD as a condition of tenancy, both of which are prohibited under the RTA. Tenants can view their lease, payment history, and submit maintenance requests through our tenant portal. Owner draws are processed by the 15th of the same month rent is collected, which is significantly faster than the industry standard of the 10th of the following month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an L1 application at the LTB?
An L1 is the LTB application form landlords use to apply for an order to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent and to collect the rent that is owed. Before filing an L1, landlords must serve the tenant with an N4 notice, which gives the tenant 14 days to pay the overdue rent or vacate. If the tenant does not comply, the landlord can then file the L1 with the LTB. The 2026 data shows that L1 applications represent 49% of all LTB orders province-wide.
How long does an L1 case take from filing to enforcement in Ontario?
Based on the 2026 Openroom data, the average wait for an L1 hearing is 52.4 days from filing. After an order is granted, Sheriff enforcement can take an additional two weeks to three months depending on the region. In total, landlords should plan for a five-month exposure window from the point a tenant stops paying to the point the unit is vacant and available to re-rent.
Is Oshawa a high-risk market for landlords right now?
Based on the 2026 LTB postal code data, yes. L1H Oshawa is running at 32.3 unpaid rent orders per 1,000 renter households, which is exactly twice the provincial average. That does not mean Oshawa is a bad place to invest, but it does mean landlords there should apply tighter screening standards, carry larger reserves, and price rents with the elevated risk environment in mind.
Does the Cobourg market look safer for landlords?
The data suggests it is lower risk than the provincial average. K9A Cobourg shows 11 unpaid rent orders per 1,000 renter households, which is 0.7 times the provincial average. That is a meaningfully better position than Oshawa or the Quinte markets, though landlords everywhere should maintain professional screening and reserve practices regardless of local averages.
Can a property management company help reduce my L1 risk?
Yes, in meaningful ways. A professional property manager with rigorous tenant screening, consistent rent collection processes, and early intervention protocols when payments are late can materially reduce the likelihood of reaching the L1 filing stage. The goal is always to identify and resolve payment issues before they escalate to the LTB. When escalation is unavoidable, having an experienced manager who knows the N4 and L1 process ensures no procedural errors delay the timeline further.
The Bottom Line for Central Ontario Landlords
The 2026 LTB postal code data is one of the most useful tools Ontario landlords have had access to in years. It moves the conversation from anecdote to evidence, and it gives you a concrete basis for making better decisions about screening, reserves, and pricing in each specific market you operate in. Oshawa landlords face real, quantifiable elevated risk. Cobourg landlords have a genuine advantage. Belleville and Trenton landlords are operating near the provincial average and should calibrate accordingly.
If you own rental property in Central Ontario and want to talk through what this data means for your specific portfolio, Blue Anchor is here to help. Whether you are managing your property yourself and looking for guidance, or you are considering handing off the day-to-day to a professional team, we bring local market knowledge and data-driven thinking to every property we manage. Reach out to us today to start the conversation.
