# Heat and cooling checker for Toronto rentals Updated 2026-10-03. Enter the date, the temperature you measured in the unit, and who supplies heat and air conditioning. The checker compares the reading with the Toronto by-laws and the Ontario heat rule in force on that date. ## The limits - **Heat, Toronto.** At least 21 degrees Celsius, measured 1.5 metres above the floor, in all areas of the unit from October 1 to May 15, where the unit is normally heated at the landlord's expense. Municipal Code Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, section 497-2.1 A (By-law 1511-2025, in force June 1, 2026). - **Heat, Ontario.** Heat is a vital service from September 1 to June 15, at least 20 degrees Celsius, measured 1.5 metres above the floor and one metre from exterior walls. O. Reg. 516/06, section 4. - **Cooling, Toronto.** An installed cooling system runs from June 1 to September 30 to keep the unit at no more than 26 degrees Celsius. Chapter 497, section 497-2.2. The City does not require air conditioning where there is none. From June 1, 2026, a RentSafeTO apartment building that does not cool every unit keeps at least one existing indoor amenity space at 26 degrees or less from June 1 to September 30, unless only construction could achieve it (Chapter 497, section 497-2.3). ## Taking the reading Measure 1.5 metres above the floor and one metre from an outside wall. Write down the room, the time and the reading. Check the coldest room, not only the one with the thermostat. ## When the reading is out A reading below the minimum or above the maximum is a heating or cooling repair. Record it, tell the tenant when someone will attend, and send the job. A tenant who gets no fix can report it to the City through 311, and a City officer may inspect. See [heating and cooling service](https://roundhousegroup.ca/services/hvac/) or [request work](https://roundhousegroup.ca/request-work/). ## Method The checker finds every rule in season on the date you enter, then compares the reading with each limit: - **Toronto heat**, October 1 to May 15: at least 21 degrees, only where the unit is normally heated at the landlord's expense. - **Ontario heat**, September 1 to June 15: at least 20 degrees where the landlord supplies heat. - **Toronto cooling**, June 1 to September 30: no more than 26 degrees, only where air conditioning is provided. Without it, the City sets no limit. Limits are inclusive: 21.0 meets the Toronto minimum and 20.9 does not; 26.0 meets the maximum and 26.1 does not. The Ontario rule does not apply where the tenant controls the temperature and the main heat source can hold 20 degrees; the checker cannot tell that from a reading, so check it yourself. ## Worked example - January 15, 19.5 degrees, heat at the landlord's expense: 1.5 degrees below Toronto's 21 degree minimum, and 0.5 below the Ontario 20 degree level. - July 14, 27 degrees, air conditioning supplied by the landlord: 1 degree above Toronto's 26 degree maximum. - The same July reading in a unit without air conditioning: not regulated by the City. ## Questions ### Does Toronto require a landlord to install air conditioning? No. The City says property owners are not required to install air conditioning or cooling equipment where it does not already exist, and it does not regulate indoor temperature in units without air conditioning. ### Does the 21 degree rule apply if the tenant pays for heat? No. Chapter 497 applies the 21 degree minimum only to a unit that is normally heated at the landlord's expense. ### Why does the checker show two heat limits? Ontario and Toronto set different seasons and levels. O. Reg. 516/06 makes heat a vital service from September 1 to June 15 at 20 degrees. Toronto requires 21 degrees from October 1 to May 15. In September and from May 16 to June 15 only the Ontario rule is in season. ### Where should the temperature be measured? O. Reg. 516/06 measures 1.5 metres above the floor and one metre from exterior walls. Toronto's heat rule measures 1.5 metres above the floor in all areas of the unit, so take readings in more than one room. ## Sources - [City of Toronto By-law 1511-2025, Chapter 497, Indoor Temperature Standards, sections 497-2.1 A, 497-2.2 and 497-2.3, in force June 1, 2026](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2025/law1511.pdf) - [City of Toronto By-law 67-2026, deleting section 629-38 F, in force June 1, 2026](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2026/law0067.pdf) - [City of Toronto By-law 1395-2024, which set the October 1 to May 15 heat and June 1 to September 30 cooling dates](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2024/law1395.pdf) - [City of Toronto, indoor temperatures in apartment units](https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/housing-shelter/rental-housing-rights-information/housing-property-standards/indoor-temperatures-in-apartment-units/) - [O. Reg. 516/06 under the Residential Tenancies Act, section 4, heat as a vital service](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/060516) We only use ECRA/ESA-Licensed Electrical Contractors.