Most winter emergencies in a rental are set up in the fall: a furnace nobody serviced, a hose bib left open, a vacant unit with the heat turned down. Here are the rules that start the season, then the list.
The rules that start the season
- Heat is a vital service from September 1 to June 15, at a minimum of 20 degrees Celsius (O. Reg. 516/06, section 4).
- In Toronto, where the heat is provided at the owner's expense, every area of the unit is kept at 21 degrees Celsius or more, measured 1.5 metres above the floor, from October 1 to May 15 (Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, section 497-2.1 A, By-law 1511-2025, in force June 1, 2026).
- Toronto requires plumbing to be protected from freezing (Chapter 629, section 629-37). A building vacant for 90 days or more has its utilities disconnected or otherwise secured (section 629-24).
- The landlord keeps the smoke alarms and, where the Fire Code requires them, the carbon monoxide alarms working, and tests them every year and after every change in tenancy (O. Reg. 213/07, article 6.3.3.8 and section 2.16).
- TSSA advises having every fuel-burning appliance inspected each year by a TSSA registered contractor.
Before the heat goes on
- Furnace or boiler serviced by a TSSA registered contractor, and the filters changed.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested and recorded.
- Outdoor hose bibs shut off from inside and drained.
- Eavestroughs cleared, and downspouts pointed away from the walls.
- Weatherstripping and caulking checked on windows and doors.
- The sump pump tested, where there is one.
- Pipes in unheated spaces insulated: garages, crawl spaces and outside walls.
- Vacant units: the heat left on and checked on a schedule, or the water shut off and drained.
- Who clears snow and ice from walks and exits, written down.
Each visit into an occupied unit needs 24 hours written notice (section 27 of the Residential Tenancies Act). Put the furnace, the alarms and the windows on one visit and one notice.
Keep the proof
A dated photo of each item done. If a pipe freezes in January, the first question is whether the heat was on and the pipe was protected, and the photo answers it.
Roundhouse runs the list in one visit per unit, with gas work by TSSA registered contractors and a report of each item. See heating season service or request work.
Reviewed October 3, 2026
