What does an Ontario landlord have to do about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?

Article 2.13.2.1 puts a smoke alarm in the hallway serving each sleeping area, or between the sleeping area and the rest of the unit where there is no hallway, and on each storey without a sleeping area. The alarm is either battery-operated or wired to a circuit with no disconnect switch, and meets CAN/ULC-S531.

Section 2.13 does not apply where the alarms were installed under the Building Code as it read on or after April 6, 1998. When those alarms are replaced, the replacement cannot give less protection than the Code in force when the suite was built.

A house with two residential units, one above the other or sharing an interior exit, falls under Section 9.8 instead. It requires at least one smoke alarm on each storey of each unit, or interconnected alarms wired to a circuit on each storey and in the shared means of escape.

Section 2.16 applies to a building with a residential occupancy where there is a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or a storage garage, or where the homes are heated by a forced-air fuel-burning appliance outside the building.

• In a suite with a fuel-burning appliance, flue or fireplace: next to each sleeping area, and on each storey without a sleeping area.
• With the appliance in a service room outside the suite: in the service room, and in every suite that shares a wall or a floor and ceiling with it.
• With a storage garage: in every suite that shares a wall or a floor and ceiling with the garage.

The alarm can be hardwired, battery-operated or plugged in. It sits at the manufacturer's recommended height, or on or near the ceiling, and next to a sleeping area it has to be heard throughout that area with the doors closed.

For both alarms, Articles 6.3.3.8 and 6.3.4.8 require the landlord to test them every year, after every change in tenancy, after a battery is replaced, and after any change to the circuit a hardwired alarm is on. The test is the alarm's own test feature.

Each alarm is replaced within the time frame in the manufacturer's instructions, with a unit that gives no less protection than the one it replaces was required to give.

The tenant tells the landlord as soon as they know an alarm is disconnected, not working or impaired. The landlord gives each tenant a copy of the manufacturer's maintenance instructions, or approved alternative instructions, for both alarms.

The Fire Code sets the test. The record shows it happened. The change in tenancy is the test you are most likely to miss, so put it on every turnover scope and keep the date and a photo with the job.

A hardwired alarm or a new circuit is electrical work, and the contractor files the ESA notification. Fuel-burning appliances are serviced by TSSA registered contractors. See HVAC for Toronto rentals or electrical repairs.

We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.