Summary:
Overview of landlord and tenant responsibilities, service provider obligations, and how to report service disruptions in Toronto.
Residential Rental Units - Vital Services
Vital services are essential utilities required for a rental unit to be habitable. These include:
- Water (hot and cold)
- Gas / fuel
- Electricity (hydro)
- No heat / Low heat during the heating season (October 1 to May 15), during which landlords must ensure a minimum indoor temperature of 21°C in all habitable rooms
Reporting a Vital Services Issue – Eligibility:
A Vital Services SR can be initiated if:
- The property is a residential rental unit
- A vital service is not working, reduced, or disconnected
- The landlord is responsible for the service
What is exempted?
- If the tenant or private owner is responsible for the utility account
- A commercial property
Landlord Responsibilities
Landlords must:
- Always maintain all vital services
- Provide sufficient heat during the heating season (minimum 21°C)
- Not discontinue a vital service due to tenant non-payment if the landlord is the utility account holder
- Ensure that any service interruptions for repairs are temporary and as short as possible
Municipal Licensing & Standards (ML&S) enforces compliance under Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 835.
Disconnection by a Service Provider:
Utility providers must:
- Provide 30 days written notice to the City Clerk before disconnecting a vital service to a rental unit
- After receiving the notice, Municipal Licensing & Standards (ML&S) issues a warning letter to the landlord.
- If a service is disconnected without the required notice, ML&S will contact both the provider and the landlord and may take steps to restore the service
Residents may:
- Call 311 to report and have an ML&S Bylaw Office investigate
- Submit a service request online or through the 311 mobile app
Once submitted:
- An ML&S Municipal Standards Officer (MSO) will be assigned to the request within 24 hours
What can bylaw officers do?
They can:
- investigate property standards issues to check for bylaw violations
- work with landlords to meet their responsibilities within the bylaw
If needed, they can issue:
- orders or notices requiring owners to fix property issues within a certain time frame (up to 30 days, depending on the issue)
- issue fees and/or charges if necessary
They cannot:
- address landlord-tenant disputes including rent increases or lease conditions.
- resolve property line disputes
