Tenant Resources

The following resources are available to assist tenants:

Rent-Geared-to-Income housing 

If you have low to moderate income, you can apply for one of Northumberland County's Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) units. There are also spaces for seniors and people requiring wheelchair modified units.

RGI assistance makes sure that a person or family does not pay more than 30% of its gross monthly income on rent. There are RGI units in Brighton, Campbellford, Cobourg, Colborne, Hastings, Port Hope and Warkworth. If you are eligible, your name will go on a waiting list when you apply.

RGI housing is one type of ‘affordable housing’ that is in high demand. Waiting lists can be very long for this type of housing.

Subsidized housing 

If you have low to moderate income, visit Northumberland's subsidized housing website to find information on subsidies and other shelter benefits, emergency shelter services and additional supports that are available.

RentSmart

RentSmart is a certification program run in Northumberland County to support and promote successful tenancies. The program offers hands-on skill building in areas such as positive communication between landlords and tenants, understanding rights and responsibilities of a tenancy and finding housing. To learn more about the program check out the RentSmart Website or contact The Help Centre of Northumberland.

The Legal Centre 

Northumberland Community Legal Centre provides free legal services to low-income residents of Northumberland County. The centre assists low income people with a range of legal issues including tenants’ rights (tenants only), Ontario Works, Ontario Disability, Canada Pension Plan, Workplace Safety & Insurance (workers only), Victims of Crime, Employment Insurance, Employment Standards, and Human Rights.

For further information on their services, please contact them at 905-373-4464.

The Help Centre 

The Help Centre of Northumberland offers services to low-income residents of Northumberland County including Housing search support, low income energy support programming, and landlord liaison support. The Help Centre also produces a weekly rental listing. This list is available on their website or in hard copy from their office.

For further information on their services, please contact them at 905-372-2646.

Steps to Justice 

The Steps to Justice website provides information on various legal topics such as tenancy rights, human rights, family court etc. This tool allows you to find commonly asked questions and walk through the answers step-by-step in an easy to use format.