Property Standards Bylaw sets the standards for all properties in Toronto. All property owners are required to repair and maintain their property including owners of properties that are rented out.
If you have concerns about your rental unit, speak to your landlord or property manager and submit a service request. If this issue is not resolved in a timely manner, contact 311 to have the City investigate.
The type of housing you live in determines who is responsible for maintenance and how it is enforced.
The following property standards apply to all properties in Toronto, whether the unit is owner occupied or rented. Additional standards apply to apartment buildings.
If a building has air conditioning provided by the landlord, the bylaw requires that landlords turn it on between June 2 and September 14. But, if it is hot outside, landlords can turn it on earlier as long as the building does not go below 21 Celsius.
The bylaw also requires building owners to ensure that all supplied facilities (including air conditioning) are constructed, installed and maintained to function safely and effectively. All air conditioners and other water-cooled equipment must be equipped with proper devices for the prevention of condensation drainage or discharge onto sidewalks, walkways, driveways and entrance areas or other areas used for pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
Find out more about indoor temperature requirements in apartment units.
Every rental unit must have at least one toilet, one wash basin, one kitchen sink and one bathtub or shower.
Doors, passageways and exits must be free from hazardous conditions and obstructions.
There must be an adequate supply of hot water with a temperature ranging from 45 degrees to 60 degrees Celsius.
All properties have to be kept free of pests, including rodents and insects.
All parts of a property, including the yard must be kept clean and free from accumulations of litter, brush or garbage, and any conditions that are health or fire hazards.
Each room must have at least nine square metres of floor area for each person. Minimum height is 1.95 metres over at least half of the floor area.
There has to be adequate ventilation in all areas of a building. Every ventilation system or unit must be regularly cleaned, kept in good repair and maintained in good working condition.
All stairs, verandas, porches, decks, loading docks, ramps, balconies, fire escapes and other similar structures and all treads, risers, guards, handrails and supports have to be kept in a safe, clean, sanitary condition and in good repair.
The type of housing you live in determines who is responsible for maintenance and how it is enforced. Please view the sections on apartment buildings, multi-tenant (rooming) houses, co-operative housing and condominiums for more information specific to those types of housing.
Ask for the repairs in writing. This is important so that you have a record of your initial request(s) to your landlord.
If you require help to communicate with your landlord, the City of Toronto offers service request forms in many languages, or you can contact the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights(CCHR) for further assistance. It may be useful, to take photos of what is broken and include these with your request for repair.
It is important to keep a record of any written requests for repair: A digital copy, a photocopy or a clear photo of the letter requesting repairs will suffice. Make sure to note the dates of your requests and any replies from your landlord.
If you have already asked your landlord to make repairs to your unit or the rental property and the property owner has not resolved the issue within a reasonable time, you can contact 311 to have the City investigate.
If your landlord has still not made the necessary repairs, you may also file a T6 form: Tenant Application for Maintenance with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Learn more about the Breach of Maintenance Obligations process with the LTB.
Contact the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights(CCHR) to request assistance to file a T6 Form: Tenant Application for Maintenance.
RentSafeTO: Apartment Building Standards is a bylaw enforcement program that ensures apartment building owners comply with building maintenance standards.
The program applies to apartment buildings with three or more storeys and 10 or more units. Condo buildings, townhomes, or units in a private home (basement or main floor apartment) are not part of the RentSafeTO program.
If you live in an apartment building that has three or more storeys and 10 or more units, enforcement will be overseen by the RentSafeTO program.
Under this program, your landlord has 24 hours to respond to urgent service requests (i.e., electricity, heat, water) and seven days to respond to non-urgent service requests.
If you get no action from your landlord and problems persist, you can contact 311 for the RentSafeTO team or email 311@toronto.ca to submit your service request to the City.
Learn how to make a service request to your landlords or submit a complaint to the City through the RentSafeTO program.
Owners of rental apartment buildings are required to register and comply with the RentSafeTO program. Learn how to register or renew your property with RentSafeTO.
If you are a tenant in a RentSafeTO building, learn more about RentSafeTO for tenants.
Multi-tenant houses are commonly known as rooming houses. If you are renting a room in a multi-tenant house and experiencing a problem, such as pests, low or no heat, plumbing problems, leaky ceilings, please talk to your landlord first and submit a service request to your landlord. If you get no action from your landlord and problems persist, contact 311 to have the City investigate.
Learn how to make a service request to your landlords or submit a complaint to the City for multi-tenant houses.
When it comes to co-operative (co-op) housing, the co-op board and its members are responsible for ensuring that the units are maintained according to the Property Standards bylaw. The City will investigate complaints only about the common areas of a co-op housing. You can contact 311 to have the City investigate.
A co-op building is not considered to be a residential rental accommodation due to the fact that co-op members are deemed to be owners. The Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto provides more information regarding co-op housing and how members are not considered tenants.
If the condo unit is owner-occupied, the City will not investigate a complaint about the condition of that unit.
If you are renting an apartment in a condo building and are experiencing a problem, please talk to your landlord first. If the problem is not addressed, you can contact 311 to have the City investigate.