The whole residential complex, including every rental unit in it, kept in a good state of repair, fit for habitation and compliant with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. That is section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act, and it applies even if the tenant knew about the problem before signing.
Reviewed 2026-09-26
In Toronto, the main maintenance standards are Chapter 629 of the Municipal Code. The owner has to repair, maintain and keep the property clean to those standards, act immediately on any unsafe condition, and keep every supplied facility working safely. A unit that does not meet the standards cannot be rented or offered for rent.
Repairs have to be done in a good workmanlike manner: the part works as intended, and the finish reasonably matches the materials around it.
Ordinary cleanliness of the unit, under section 33. The repair of undue damage caused wilfully or negligently by the tenant, another occupant or a guest, under section 34. Toronto's by-law adds that occupants keep exits clear and co-operate with the landlord in meeting the standards.
Section 21 bars a landlord from withholding the reasonable supply of a vital service it is obliged to supply: hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas, and heat in season. A lost vital service is the repair that cannot wait for a notice.
A tenant can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board within one year. Section 30 lets the Board order a rent abatement, order specific repairs by a deadline, pay the tenant's costs, or, for serious breaches, block rent increases until the work is done. The Board must consider whether the tenant told the landlord first, which is why the date a request came in, and what was done about it, matters.
Every job carries the date it was reported, what was found, photos and what was done. See how we work with property managers, rental repairs, or plan the year with the Toronto rental maintenance calendar.
We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.
The landlord, in almost every case. Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord keep the unit and the building in a good state of repair, and normal wear and tear is the landlord's cost. The tenant pays only for undue damage caused wilfully or negligently by the tenant, another occupant or a guest, under section 34.
Yes, for appliances the landlord supplied. The Landlord and Tenant Board's maintenance brochure says everything the landlord provides must be kept in working order, appliances included, and a replacement does not have to be a newer model. If the tenant broke it through misuse, the repair is theirs under section 34. See appliance repairs.
Yes. Section 20 (2) of the Residential Tenancies Act says the repair obligation applies even if the tenant was aware of the state of non-repair before entering into the tenancy agreement.
Not ordinary cleaning. Section 33 makes the tenant responsible for ordinary cleanliness of the rental unit, unless the tenancy agreement requires the landlord to clean it.
One year. Section 29 (2) says no application may be made more than one year after the day the alleged conduct occurred.
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