RentSafeTO works to ensure that owners and operators of apartment buildings meet building maintenance standards through initiatives like evaluations. View the City's interactive map for evaluation results of buildings across Toronto.
RentSafeTO: Apartment Building Standards is a bylaw enforcement program that ensures that building owners and operators comply with building maintenance standards. The program includes conducting building evaluations, audits, and investigation potentials bylaw infractions, so that the hundreds of thousands of Toronto residents living in rental buildings have clean, safe, and secure homes.
If you own one or more rental apartment buildings with three or more stories and 10 or more units, you are required to register and renew annually to comply with the program. RentSafeTO program requirements are applicable to Toronto Community Housing and other social housing providers; however, they are exempt from the registration/renewal fees.
Residents need to contact their landlord first to make service requests for issues such as electrical issues, pests, low or no heat, plumbing problems, leaky ceilings, or problems in common areas of the building. If you get no action from your landlord and problems persist, you can submit a service request online at https://www.toronto.ca/311, or call 311.
If you are renting an apartment in a building that is not part of the RentSafeTO program, such as a condo building, townhome, or a unit in a private home (basement or main floor apartment), and are experiencing a problem, you should talk to your landlord first. If the problem is not addressed, you can contact 311 to submit a service request for an investigation by the City.
Building owners and operators that do not comply with the bylaw requirements can face enforcement action by RentSafeTO officers who can issue orders and charges, and undertake medial action which can result in substantial fine and costs.
Building owners/operators must register their building(s) with RentSafeTO and pay the applicable registration fee. The registration fee includes the original building evaluation. Building owners/operators can register, renew and update any incorrect building and contact information through the RentSafeTO portal. A login number and PIN are required to access the portal, which are provided to building owners/operators by the City.
Learn more about the RentSafeTO registration and renewal process and view more information about RentSafeTO fees and fines.
Information about the bylaw requirements and a Building Owners Handbook can be downloaded from the RentSafeTO for Building Owners webpage. Copies can be requested by emailing RentSafeTO or by calling the general inquiry line.
City staff attend Toronto apartment buildings to conduct various inspections, including RentSafeTO building evaluations and building audits.
Building evaluations are done for every registered building in Toronto at least once every three years. During this process, staff inspect common areas, mechanical and security systems, parking and exterior grounds. Buildings with evaluation scores of 50 per cent or below must undergo a full audit. Building evaluation results can be viewed and downloaded from the City's interactive webpage. Evaluation results must also be posted on the Tenant Notification Board.
Building audits differ from building evaluations. Audits are conducted on buildings with scores of 50 per cent or below include a comprehensive inspection of all common areas from rooftop to basement, as well as a tenant engagement component.
Learn more about RentSafeTO building evaluations and audits.