Indoor Temperatures in Apartment Units

What the City is Doing

In 2024 and 2025, City staff worked in partnership with the global C40 Cool Cities Network  to identify measures to address the risks of high indoor temperatures on tenants and residents in apartment units.

The City has several initiatives in place to:

• Provide education and services to vulnerable groups at increased risk for heat-related illnesses.
• Work with landlords to meet City requirements.
• Support building improvements that reduce energy and water consumption.

These initiatives include:

• A/C Assistance Program
• Heat Relief Strategy
• Heat Relief Network
• Hot Weather Plan for Landlords
• High Rise Investment Support Program (HI-RIS)
• Taking Action on Tower Renewal (TATR)
• Toronto Green Standards
• Hardship Fund

Bylaw Requirements

The following requirements are in place when heating or cooling are provided by the property owner.

Property Standards Bylaw

• If air-conditioning is provided by the property owner, it must be operated between June 1 to September 30 to maintain a maximum temperature of no more than 26°C. As of June 1, 2026, this requirement will appear in the Heating Bylaw (renamed the Indoor Temperature Standards Bylaw).
• Property owners are required to maintain existing air conditioning systems in good working condition.
• Property owners are not required to install air conditioning or cooling equipment where it does not already exist.
• City bylaws do not prohibit window air conditioning units in apartment buildings. Building owners are responsible for ensuring window air conditioning units are installed and maintained to function safely and effectively.
• Regarding air conditioning requirements, property owners and tenants should consult their lease agreement and may want to seek legal advice and information on how the Residential Tenancies Act  applies.

Learn more about air-conditioning requirements in the Property Standards Bylaw.

Download the frequently asked questions on window air conditioning in apartment buildings.

Heating Bylaw (to be renamed Indoor Temperature Standards Bylaw on June 1, 2026)

• If heating is provided at the property owner’s expense, a minimum temperature of 21°C must be maintained between October 1 and May 15.
  • From September 15 to October 15 and May 1 to June 1, the weather may be warmer, which can cause indoor temperatures to be above 21 degrees Celsius. This can create uncomfortable living conditions for tenants.
  • If the weather outside means that the building is 21 degrees Celsius without heat, property owners and landlords can turn the heat down or off.

Apartment Building Bylaw

• Building owners and operators registered with the City’s RentSafeTO: Apartment Building Standards program are required to post information about an air-conditioned space in the building (if accessible to all tenants) and the details of the nearest location of a publicly accessible air-conditioned location on their tenant notification board.

Learn more about RentSafeTO building owner requirements.

In addition, the City also encourages landlords to create a hot weather plan to help prepare and support tenants during extreme heat.

Cooled Indoor Amenity Spaces

• Apartment buildings in the RentSafeTO program that do not provide air conditioning in every rental unit and have an indoor amenity space must ensure this space stay at or below 26°C from June 1 to September 30.
• This does not apply if construction is needed to meet the requirement.

Indoor Amenity Spaces Definition

• An indoor amenity space is a shared, accessible area. It’s open for all building occupants. People can use it for recreation or social gatherings.
• Hallways, lobbies and laundry rooms are not considered amenity spaces.

Requirements

• This space must maintain a temperature of not more than 26°C.
• The daily hours of operation of this amenity space needs to be posted on the tenant notification board.
• If the amenity space has operable windows or outdoor ventilation, the building owner/operator must follow the cooled amenity space requirement. This applies when a portable A/C, wall unit, a window heat pump, fans, shades and window tints can work without construction.

Exemptions

Buildings are exempt from the requirement to have a cooled amenity space if:

• The building already provides cooling to all tenanted units.
• The building does not have an existing indoor amenity space, as defined above.
• Construction (as defined by the Building Code Act, 1992) is the only way that the building can comply. In this case, a report from a licensed contractor (for example, an electrician or an engineer) is needed to prove that construction is required.

City staff will conduct inspections to ensure building owners are following the bylaw requirements. An exemption will be provided, only if the building owner can demonstrate that they meet one of the three criteria above.

Building owners are still be required to continue to post on their tenant notification board the name, address and map to the closest air-conditioned location, like a community centre, shopping mall, or library.

Learn more about Vital Services in Rental Units and requirements in the Heating Bylaw.

Submitting an Indoor Temperature Complaint

If you have concerns about your rental unit, speak to your landlord or property manager and submit a service request. Your landlord/property owner is required to respond to urgent service requests (such as vital services) within 24 hours and non-urgent service requests within seven days. If an urgent vital services request (for example, no heat) is submitted via 311, the City will aim to contact you within 24 hours. Learn more about the service standards for RentSafeTO service requests.

Note that the City does not regulate indoor temperatures of apartment units without air conditioning.

If this issue is not resolved in a timely manner, you can report the issue to the City by calling 311 or submitting your request online:

• Report excessive heat or temperature in a rental unit with air conditioning.
• Report excessive heat or temperature in a rental unit without air conditioning by submitting a non-enforceable service request; this request will not be investigated but could be used to inform the City’s future policy and regulatory considerations.
• Property standards and maintenance violations (such as inadequate heat).

Each issue is addressed by the City on case-by-case basis to make sure reasonable, fair and appropriate actions are taken. If there is a possible bylaw violation, the officer may conduct an investigation, which could include education, mediation, and/or enforcement actions.

Guidance on Indoor Thermal Safety and Building Retrofits

This best practice guidance document is a tool to support residential property owners and operators in understanding their building’s cooling needs, identifying and evaluating potential cooling options, and determining what action may be most effective to cool rental units. It also provides information about available resources and funding offered through the City of Toronto. For quick reference, a summary of the guidance document is also available.

While keeping rental units cool is an important health and safety measure, it is not a mandatory requirement unless you are a property owner or operator that currently provides air conditioning. If you are, the air conditioning must be operated from June 1 to September 30 of each year to maintain an indoor temperature of no more than 26 degrees Celsius.

Questions about the guidance document may be directed to MLSconsultations@toronto.ca.