Served Vaughan
Also covered: Woodbridge, Maple, Concord, Kleinburg, Thornhill (Vaughan side)
Property maintenance in Vaughan, from heat to cooling rooms
Vaughan wrote a new Vital Services By-law in January 2025. It sets the heat higher than the provincial default and puts a summer ceiling on it, which makes a broken air conditioner a by-law call for part of the year.
Checked 2026-10-03
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Coverage
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Two seasons, one by-law
Between September 15 and May 15 the question is heat at 21 C. From May 16 it becomes cooling at 26 C. A multi-residential building of more than four units without cooling owes its tenants a cooling room instead. So an air conditioner that fails in July is booked with the same urgency as a furnace in January, and the HVAC record shows when the call came in and when the unit held temperature again.
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New towers, new pipes
The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre had 7,722 residents in 3,900 finished units, with 5,649 more under construction and 11,710 approved, at the City's October 2023 update. In 2023 alone the City took over 18 km of new watermain and 15.4 km of sanitary sewer from new subdivisions (City of Vaughan). New buildings bring deficiency lists, warranty items and first year turnovers; builders can hand those to us.
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Who owns which pipe
York Region supplies water wholesale and treats the sewage. The City owns local mains and sewers, with ten lift stations, and answers watermain breaks and backups through Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281, 24 hours a day (City of Vaughan, sewer backup). The owner's lateral runs to the curb box.
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The trades on a Vaughan job
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 Vaughan job, request work.
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What Vaughan's by-laws require
From September 15 to May 15 a landlord provides at least 21 C, or controls that let the tenant hold 21 C. From May 16 to September 14 the air temperature can be no more than 26 C, or the tenant must be able to hold it at or below 26 C. Landlords may not cut off heat, cooling, water, electricity or gas except for reasonable repair periods.
A multi-residential building without a cooling system has to provide a cooling room. The 2024 staff report said single homes without air conditioning would not have to add it.
The City pays 50 percent of the cost of an approved sanitary backwater valve, up to $750 including labour, materials, permit fees and tax, installed by a certified plumber under a plumbing permit and inspected. Apply within a year with the invoice and permit; funding is first come, first served.
A secondary suite built after July 14, 1994 needs a building permit with professionally prepared drawings. One built before that date needs a Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service fire code inspection, and a permit if upgrades are needed. Each additional unit needs one more surfaced parking space.
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Common services in Vaughan
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Questions
What is the maximum summer temperature in a Vaughan rental?
26 C from May 16 to September 14, under the Vital Services By-law 006-2025, or the tenant must have a way to keep the unit at or below 26 C.
What is a cooling room in Vaughan?
A multi-residential building with no cooling system has to provide a cooled room for tenants under the Vital Services By-law. Single homes without air conditioning were not required to add cooling.
Who pays when Vaughan clears a sewer backup?
The City asks for a deposit of $744 on weekdays or $1,451 after hours to investigate, and refunds it if the blockage is on City property. The lateral up to the curb box is the owner's.
How much is Vaughan's backwater valve subsidy?
Half the invoice, up to $750, including the plumbing permit, labour, materials and tax, for an approved sanitary backwater valve installed by a certified plumber.
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Send one work order or your whole portfolio. A person reads every request and replies to the email you give.
- Tell us what you manageThe buildings, the trades you use today and where it hurts.
- We reply with a planHow residents reach us, your approval limit and how the record comes back to you.
- Start with one jobJudge us on the report and invoice it closes with.
