# What does RentSafeTO require of a Toronto apartment building owner? Updated 2026-10-03. Registration every 12 months, and a set of maintenance systems the City audits: service requests, pest control, cleaning, waste, repair planning, logs and a tenant notification board. RentSafeTO is Chapter 354 of the Toronto Municipal Code, and it covers purpose built rental buildings with three or more storeys and ten or more rental units, other than long term care homes, licensed retirement homes and housing co-operatives. ## Service requests The owner or operator needs a process that records the date and time of each request, the unit and the problem, and whether it is urgent, and keeps every response. Urgent requests get a response within 24 hours, everything else within 7 days. Urgent means a lost vital service or a breach of building security, suite security or the building envelope. ## Pests Common areas are inspected for pests at least every 30 days, and any area within 72 hours of a report. Treatment is done by a pest control operator licensed by the Ministry of the Environment. Once the owner knows about pests, it has to stop their spread and eliminate them wherever they are found. ## Plans the building keeps - A cleaning plan, with common areas checked for cleanliness every day. - A waste management plan. - A state of good repair plan: a five year forecast of roof, elevator, facade, window, mechanical and other capital work, given to any tenant within 60 days of asking. - An electrical maintenance plan, made with a licensed electrical contractor. - A vital service disruption plan. ## Logs and trades Where the law requires a certified tradesperson, for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing among others, the owner has to show one was used. Every service on fuel burning appliances, heating, cooling, ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems is logged with the date, what was done and the tradesperson's name. Records are kept for at least 24 months. ## New in 2026 From June 1, 2026, a building that does not cool every unit keeps at least one existing indoor amenity space at 26 C or less from June 1 to September 30, unless only construction could achieve it (Chapter 497, section 497-2.3). From June 15, 2026, each building posts a green, yellow or red sign showing its latest score. ## Where Roundhouse fits Each Roundhouse job records the date, the work and the trade who did it, which is what the logs ask for. We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors. See [maintenance for rental apartment buildings](https://roundhousegroup.ca/buildings/rental-apartment-buildings/), [pest control](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/pest-control/), or plan the year with the [Toronto rental maintenance calendar](https://roundhousegroup.ca/resources/ontario-rental-maintenance-calendar/). ## Related pages - [Who is responsible for bed bugs in an Ontario rental?](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/bed-bugs-landlord-responsibility-ontario/) - [Who is responsible for mould in an Ontario rental unit?](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/mould-in-a-rental-ontario/) - [What can a landlord do when a tenant refuses entry for repairs in Ontario?](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/tenant-refuses-entry-for-repairs-ontario/) ## Questions ### Does RentSafeTO apply to every Toronto rental? No. RentSafeTO covers purpose built rental buildings with three or more storeys and ten or more rental units, and excludes long term care homes, licensed retirement homes and housing co-operatives. Houses, small multiplexes and rented condo units fall under Toronto's general property standards in Chapter 629 instead. See [property maintenance in Toronto](https://roundhousegroup.ca/areas/toronto/). ### How fast does a RentSafeTO building have to answer a service request? Within 24 hours for an urgent request and within 7 days for any other, under section 354-3.1 C. Urgent means a loss of fuel, electricity, gas, heat, or hot or cold water, or a breach of building security, suite security or the building envelope. ### How long do RentSafeTO records have to be kept? At least 24 months from the date each record was created, kept secure and accessible, under section 354-4.1 C. ### Can a unit be rented to a new tenant while it has pests? No. Section 354-6.1 bars renting a unit to a new tenant if the owner or operator knows there are pests in it, if there is a confirmed property standards order on it, or if a vital service is cut off in the building. ### What are the RentSafeTO colour-coded signs? From June 15, 2026, each building posts a green, yellow or red sign near the main entrance based on its latest score, replaces it within 14 calendar days of a change, and tells tenants and prospective tenants the rating before a lease is signed, on signing, and every year (section 354-3.2 C). ## Sources - [Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/toronto-code-354.pdf) - [City of Toronto, RentSafeTO building owner requirements](https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/housing-shelter/rental-housing-rights-information/rentsafeto-for-building-owners/rentsafeto-building-owners-requirements/) - [Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 629, Property Standards](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_629.pdf) - [City of Toronto By-law 1511-2025, Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, section 497-2.3, in force June 1, 2026](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2025/law1511.pdf) - [City of Toronto, indoor temperatures in apartment units](https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/housing-shelter/rental-housing-rights-information/housing-property-standards/indoor-temperatures-in-apartment-units/)