# Maintenance emergency checker

Updated 2026-10-03.

Pick what the tenant reports. The checker says whether Roundhouse answers it as an emergency, 24 hours a day, or books it in office hours, and gives the reason. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 from outside.

## The two classes

- **Emergency, answered 24/7.** A plumbing, electrical, major appliance, heating or cooling failure, a lockout or a door that will not lock.
- **Routine, booked in office hours.** Everything else, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, with 24 hours written notice to the tenant.

## What the law fixes

The Residential Tenancies Act does not define an emergency. It does list the vital services: hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas and, from September 1 to June 15, heat. Toronto adds a 21 degree minimum from October 1 to May 15 where the landlord pays for heat, and a 26 degree maximum from June 1 to September 30 where air conditioning is provided.

Answering fast is not the same as entering without notice. Section 26 allows entry for a repair without written notice only in an emergency or with the tenant's consent at the time.

We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.

## Not a dispatch line

This page sorts a report. It does not send anyone. See [what counts as a maintenance emergency](https://roundhousegroup.ca/answers/what-counts-as-a-maintenance-emergency-ontario/) and [what happens after hours](https://roundhousegroup.ca/after-hours/).

## Method

Each report maps to one class, and the class does not change with the date. Roundhouse answers these as emergencies, 24 hours a day: Plumbing, electrical, major appliance and heating or cooling failures, lockouts, and a door that will not lock. Everything else is routine and booked in office hours, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

The date changes only the legal note on two reports:

- **No heat.** Heat is a vital service from September 1 to June 15 under O. Reg. 516/06.
- **Air conditioning the landlord supplies.** Toronto sets a 26 degree maximum from June 1 to September 30.

## Worked example

- No heat reported on October 20: emergency. Heat is also a vital service on that date, and Toronto's 21 degree minimum applies where the landlord pays for heat.
- The same report on July 10: still an emergency, answered 24/7. Heat is not a vital service on that date.
- A dripping tap: routine on any date.

## Questions

### Which reports does Roundhouse answer at night?

Plumbing, electrical, major appliance, heating and cooling failures, lockouts and a door that will not lock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anything else sent after hours is booked the next business day.

### Does an emergency mean the trade can walk in without notice?

No. The class sets how fast we answer. Entry is a separate rule. Under section 26 of the Residential Tenancies Act, the landlord may enter for a repair without written notice only in an emergency or when the tenant consents at the time of entry. A stopped fridge is answered at once, and the visit happens with the tenant's consent or on 24 hours written notice.

### Does the class change with the date?

No. A heating or cooling failure is answered as an emergency all year. The date changes the legal note: heat is a vital service from September 1 to June 15, and Toronto's cooling limit runs from June 1 to September 30.

## Sources

- [Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, sections 2, 21, 26 and 27](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17)
- [O. Reg. 516/06 under the Residential Tenancies Act, section 4, heat as a vital service](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/060516)
- [City of Toronto By-law 1511-2025, Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, sections 497-2.1 A and 497-2.2, in force June 1, 2026](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2025/law1511.pdf)