Bylaw enforcement - vital services - fuel - hydro - gas - water - utilities - turned off

Definition: A vital service is the provision of fuel/gas, hydro/electricity, or water (no hot/cold water).

If Landlord Pays for the Service

For a rental unit, every landlord is required to provide vital services such as fuel, gas, hydro/electricity, or water (no hot/cold water). If the landlord of a rental unit is obligated to pay for a vital service and has breached a contract with the supplier of the vital service for failure to pay, the provider can discontinue the vital service. 

However, the City Clerk must be notified in writing by the service provider at least 30 days prior to the discontinuation of the service. If the City receives a notice indicating service will be discontinued, the owner of the property will be issued a warning letter from ML&S regarding the discontinuation of vital services, the requirements under the bylaw and the outcome for failure to comply.

If the service is discontinued without advance notice to the City Clerk, Municipal Licensing & Standards will contact the service provider and the owner of the property and the service may be re-instated.

Important note: If you wish to file a complaint, a service request can submitted for investigation by Municipal Licensing & Standards online at http://www.toronto.ca/311, or call 311.

A property owner can cut off a vital service for any rental unit under the following scenarios:

  1. A landlord may cease to provide a vital service only when such cessation is necessary to alter or repair and only for the minimum period necessary to effect the alteration or repair OR
  2. a public utility may cease to provide a vital service if the tenant has expressly agreed to obtain and maintain the vital services

Property Owners or Tenants Who Pays for the Vital Service

If a private property owner or tenant has agreed to obtain and maintain the vital service (gas, water, hydro), then the property owner or tenant is responsible for contacting the service provider and making arrangements to restore the service.

Municipal Licensing & Standards does not investigate situations where the tenant is responsible for paying for the service and it has been discontinued as a result of non-payment.

Suppliers of Vital Services

A supplier of a vital service cannot cease to provide the vital service to a rental unit unless notice of the intended discontinuance of the vital service has been given in writing to the City Clerk at least 30 days before the supplier ceases to provide the vital service.

Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 835

Requirements for Providing Notice

Any such requirement would be imposed by the Residential Tenancies Act that governs the relationship between the landlord and tenant

Related Information

Read more about Toronto's Bylaws.