# Water in a basement apartment, with the tenant in place

A basement apartment takes water differently than a unit upstairs. The tenant is often standing in it, the fix usually involves the foundation, and a city subsidy changes what the job should include.

## Four ways in, checked before the quote

- **A foundation crack.** Water through the wall after rain.
- **A window well.** A well that fills and overflows into the unit.
- **A floor drain.** Backing up from the sewer side.
- **Grading and downspouts.** Roof and surface water sent at the wall.

Sealing a wall crack does nothing for a backed up floor drain, so we check all four first.

## Sump pumps, backwater valves and the subsidy

Where a sump pump or backwater valve is the right fix, the work is scoped to match the City of Toronto's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program, with subsidy eligible items called out separately for the owner's application.

## Working around the tenant

Belongings are moved clear before anything starts, and the tenant is told what will be noisy, what is off limits and for how long.

## What the report shows

Photos of the entry point, the repair and the finished wall or floor, the contractor's finding on the cause, and an invoice with the subsidy eligible items listed apart.

See [basement leaks and waterproofing](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/waterproofing/).

## Related pages

- [Maintenance Work for Ontario Trades](https://roundhousegroup.ca/trades/)
- [Quality control and work order reports](https://roundhousegroup.ca/work-order-reports/)
- [What Order Does a Rental Turnover Follow?](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/rental-turnover-checklist/)

## Questions

### Does the city help pay for a backwater valve or sump pump?

The City of Toronto's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program covers a share of the eligible cost of a backwater valve, a sump pump and a few related items, up to a set amount per property. The owner applies; we scope the work to what the program covers.

### Does the subsidy cover disconnecting downspouts?

No. The program lists downspout disconnection as not eligible, even though it is one of the best ways to keep water off the foundation. We quote it separately and say so.

### Can the tenant stay while the work happens?

Usually, for a backwater valve or sump pump. Excavation or major foundation work is scoped separately, and you know before booking if the unit has to be cleared.

### Is water coming in now an emergency?

Yes. Access follows the Act's emergency entry rule rather than a 24 hour notice, and section 20 puts the unit's state of repair on the landlord whichever floor it is on.

## Sources

- [City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program](https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/basement-flooding/basement-flooding-protection-subsidy-program/)
- [Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, section 20](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17)

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