# Vacant unit winter checklist

Updated 2026-10-03.

A vacant unit still has to be kept warm enough not to freeze, and nobody is inside to notice a small leak before it becomes a large one. This checklist runs on a set visit schedule instead.

## Before the unit sits empty

- Leave the heat on and set to a minimum temperature, never off, for any period through the heating season.
- Shut off water to any fixture that will not be used, where the layout allows it without affecting other units.
- Check for any known freeze risk area: an exterior wall pipe run, an unheated room, a garage with plumbing.
- Confirm windows and doors close and lock properly.

## Visit schedule while it is empty

- Check on a set interval through the winter months, more often in an older building or a unit with a known freeze history.
- On each visit: confirm heat is running, check under sinks and around the water heater for any sign of a leak, and confirm no window has been left open.
- Log the date and what was checked, so a gap in the record is visible.

## If something is found

- A frozen or burst pipe is treated as an emergency call, not a routine one.
- A dropped thermostat or a failed heating system in a vacant unit still needs a same day response in freezing weather.

## Before the next tenant moves in

- Run the heating and cooling systems and confirm both work before move-in day.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries.
- Complete the [move-in inspection record](https://roundhousegroup.ca/resources/move-in-move-out-inspection/) before handing over the keys.

See [HVAC, heating and cooling](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/hvac/) and the [Toronto rental maintenance calendar](https://roundhousegroup.ca/resources/ontario-rental-maintenance-calendar/).

## Sources

- [City of Toronto By-law 1511-2025, Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, in force June 1, 2026](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2025/law1511.pdf)
- [Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 629, Property Standards, sections 629-24 and 629-37](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_629.pdf)

We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.