# Property maintenance in Newmarket, from ARUs to community housing

Updated 2026-10-03.

Newmarket's rental market is tight. Renters are 24.2 percent of households but 53.6 percent of households in core housing need. No purpose built rental was finished between 2017 and 2023, vacancy hit 0.3 percent in 2022, and 6.9 percent of renter households report major repairs needed against 3.0 percent of owners ([Town of Newmarket housing report](https://pub-newmarket.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=55874)).

## A fifth of York Region's community housing

The same report puts 19.6 percent of York Region's community housing units in Newmarket. For a housing provider, Roundhouse runs repairs and turnovers on one record a board or funder can read. See [housing providers](https://roundhousegroup.ca/housing-providers/).

## The posted emergency contact

Section 3.9 asks every building of three or more units to post a [24 hour emergency contact](https://www.newmarket.ca/media/file/2017-62-property-standards-bylaw-consolidation). If that number reaches Roundhouse after hours, the call is triaged against your rules: Plumbing, electrical, major appliance and heating or cooling failures, lockouts, and a door that will not lock. Anything else is booked the next business day.

## ARUs carry a plate

Registering an [ARU](https://www.newmarket.ca/business-development/building-renovating/additional-residential-unit) takes an Electrical Safety Authority compliance report, so later electrical work in the unit goes to a licensed electrical contractor, with the contractor's notes kept on the job. See [basement and secondary suites](https://roundhousegroup.ca/buildings/secondary-suites/).

## Main Street

The [Lower Main Street South Heritage Conservation District](https://www.newmarket.ca/business-development/development-planning/planning-strategies-documents/heritage-conservation) holds 72 properties, bounded on the east by the Holland River floodplain. Exterior work on a rental there is checked against the district designation before a quote goes out.

Plumbing is done by licensed plumbers and drain work by licensed drain contractors. Gas work is done by TSSA registered contractors. We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors. Pest control is done by licensed exterminators.

To send a Newmarket job, [request work](https://roundhousegroup.ca/request-work/).

## Local rules

- Every dwelling unit is provided with adequate and suitable heat able to hold at least 21 C, measured 1.5 m above the floor, in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms (section 31.1, as amended by By-law 2025-97 on November 17, 2025). The section sets no dates. Source: [Town of Newmarket, By-law 2025-97 amending Property Standards By-law 2017-62](https://pub-newmarket.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=54383)
- The owner of a building with three or more units, condominiums and co-ops included, posts the manager's contact and a 24 hour emergency contact in a common area (section 3.9). Buildings are kept free of mould (section 34.1), hot water runs between 45 C and 60 C (section 33.7), and occupancy is capped at one person per 9 square metres of habitable floor area (section 27.3). Source: [Town of Newmarket, Property Standards By-law 2017-62 (consolidation)](https://www.newmarket.ca/media/file/2017-62-property-standards-bylaw-consolidation)
- All additional residential units are registered with the Town under By-law 2013-13 after the final building inspection and an Electrical Safety Authority compliance report. The one time fee is $282.82 in 2026, with building permit and inspection fees on top. A registered unit gets a small N plate on the house and the letter B added to its address. Source: [Town of Newmarket, Register your additional residential unit](https://www.newmarket.ca/business-development/building-renovating/additional-residential-unit/register-your-additional)
- For a sewer blockage the Town sends its pre-selected contractor. The owner pays unless the blockage is proven to be on Town property, and the Town reimburses only when its own contractor was used. Source: [Town of Newmarket, Sewer blockage](https://www.newmarket.ca/resident-services/utilities/sewer/sewer-blockage)

## Related pages

- [Housing providers](https://roundhousegroup.ca/housing-providers/)
- [Basement and secondary suites](https://roundhousegroup.ca/buildings/secondary-suites/)
- [Who is responsible for mould in an Ontario rental unit?](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/mould-in-a-rental-ontario/)

## Questions

### What temperature does Newmarket require in a rental?

21 C in habitable rooms and bathrooms, measured 1.5 m above the floor, under section 31.1 of Property Standards By-law 2017-62 as amended in November 2025. That is a degree above the provincial 20 C.

### What does the N plate on a Newmarket house mean?

The house has a registered additional residential unit. Registered units get a small N plate on the house and a B added to the unit's address.

### What must a Newmarket apartment or condo building post in the lobby?

The manager's contact information and a 24 hour emergency contact, in a common area, under section 3.9 of the Property Standards By-law. It applies to buildings of three or more units.

### Should I use the Town's contractor for a Newmarket sewer blockage?

If you want the chance of a refund, yes. The Town reimburses only when its pre-selected contractor was used and the blockage turns out to be on Town property.