One of the most common sources of conflict between landlords and tenants in Ontario is maintenance. Who fixes the leaky faucet? Who pays when the furnace dies? What happens if a tenant breaks something? Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act and local property standards bylaws set out the rules — and understanding them protects both your investment and your relationship with your tenant.
The Landlord's Core Obligation
Under Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords are required to:
"maintain a residential complex, including the rental units in it, in a good state of repair and fit for habitation and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards."
This obligation exists regardless of what the lease says. You cannot contract out of it. Even if a tenant signs something agreeing to waive maintenance, that clause is unenforceable.
The standard applies whether the problem existed before the tenant moved in or developed during the tenancy — unless the tenant caused it.
What Landlords Are Responsible For
In practical terms, this means you're responsible for maintaining and repairing:
Structural and Building Systems
- Foundation, roof, walls, and windows
- Plumbing and pipes (including fixing leaks)
- Heating systems — you must provide adequate heat (Ontario municipalities require a minimum of 20°C from September 1 to June 1 in most jurisdictions, though exact requirements vary by municipality)
- Electrical systems
- Common areas: hallways, laundry rooms, parking lots, and landscaping in multi-unit buildings
Appliances You Provide
If you supply a stove, fridge, dishwasher, or washer/dryer, you're responsible for keeping them in working order. If they break through normal use, that's on you. The key phrase is "through normal use" — wear and tear over time is your problem, intentional damage is not.
Pest Control
If there's a mouse problem, cockroaches, or bedbugs, the landlord is generally responsible for extermination. For more detail, see our pest control obligations guide — even if a tenant's habits contributed to the problem. This is a landlord obligation under most municipal property standards bylaws as well.
Exterior and Grounds
Snow removal from common walkways, exterior lighting, and maintaining safe entry points are typically landlord responsibilities. Make sure your lease clearly states who handles lawn care and snow removal for houses and semi-detached units — this is one of the few areas you can shift to the tenant by agreement.
What Tenants Are Responsible For
Tenants have their own obligations under Section 33 of the Residential Tenancies Act:
- Keep the unit "ordinary cleanliness" — the standard is reasonably clean, not spotless
- Repair or pay for damage they, their guests, or their household members cause
- Not interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of other tenants or the landlord
Practical Examples of Tenant Responsibility
- A tenant breaks a window: tenant pays
- A tenant's child puts a hole in the wall: tenant pays
- A tenant leaves food out and attracts mice: tenant may bear some responsibility, though this can be disputed
- A tenant doesn't report a dripping tap and it causes water damage: tenant could be held partly responsible for the resulting damage (not the original drip)
The "Ordinary Wear and Tear" Standard
This concept trips up a lot of landlords and tenants. Normal wear and tear — small nail holes, carpet that's worn after years of use, minor scuffs on walls — is not something you can charge a tenant for. It's the cost of doing business as a landlord.
What you can charge for: large holes in walls, stained or burned carpet, broken fixtures, damage beyond what normal aging would produce.
Documenting the unit's condition at move-in and move-out with photos and a written checklist is the only reliable way to distinguish between the two when a dispute arises.
Emergency Repairs: How Fast Do You Have to Respond?
The Residential Tenancies Act doesn't specify exact timelines for repairs, but urgency matters. Courts and the LTB consider:
- Safety hazards (no heat in winter, flooding, gas leak): respond immediately — within hours, not days
- Essential services (no hot water, major plumbing failure): within 24–48 hours
- Non-urgent repairs (dripping faucet, squeaky door): reasonable time, typically within a few weeks
For London, St. Thomas, and Sarnia, local property standards bylaws also set minimum requirements. Check with your municipality for specifics.
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What Happens If You Don't Make Repairs?
Tenants have real remedies when landlords fail to maintain the property:
- File a T6 application with the LTB (Tenant Application About Maintenance). The LTB can order you to do the repairs and may order a rent abatement — meaning the tenant pays reduced rent or gets money back.
- Contact municipal bylaw enforcement. Inspectors can issue orders and fines.
- Apply for a rent reduction if a service or facility they were paying for is no longer being provided.
Ignoring maintenance complaints doesn't make them go away — it tends to make them more expensive.
Practical Tips for Landlords
Create a maintenance request process. Ask tenants to submit requests in writing (email or text works fine). This creates a record and helps you prioritize.
Respond promptly, even if you can't fix it immediately. Acknowledge the issue and give a timeline. Silence is what turns minor frustrations into LTB applications.
Do annual inspections. With 24 hours written notice, you can inspect the unit once per year. This lets you catch small problems before they become big ones.
Build a trades list. Having a reliable plumber, electrician, and HVAC tech on speed dial means faster response times and less stress when things break.
Document everything. Keep records of all repair requests, your responses, and invoices. If a dispute ends up at the LTB, documentation is what wins cases. See our full landlord record keeping guide for a practical system.
When It Gets Complicated
Shared responsibility situations — where both the landlord's deferred maintenance and the tenant's behavior contributed to a problem — are genuinely complicated. So are situations involving condominiums, where the condo corporation's responsibilities can overlap with yours as a unit owner/landlord.
This is where having an experienced property manager like Prospera Properties makes a real difference. We track maintenance requests, coordinate repairs, document everything, and know how to handle the difficult conversations when something goes wrong. Staying on top of maintenance isn't just about being a good landlord — it protects the value of your property and keeps you out of the LTB.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a landlord legally required to maintain in an Ontario rental unit?
Under Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords must maintain the rental unit in a good state of repair and fit for habitation. This includes the structure (roof, walls, foundation), plumbing, heating, electrical systems, appliances provided by the landlord, common areas, and pest control. The obligation exists regardless of what the lease says and cannot be waived.
What is the minimum heating temperature a landlord must provide in Ontario?
Most Ontario municipalities require landlords to maintain a minimum indoor temperature of 20°C in rental units during the heating season. In London, the requirement runs from September 1 to June 1. Heating failures must be addressed urgently — within 24 hours if the temperature falls below 10°C, and within a reasonable time for less severe situations.
Is a landlord responsible for pest control if the tenant caused the infestation?
Generally yes. Even if a tenant's behaviour contributed to the problem, the landlord is still responsible for arranging professional extermination. You may be able to recover costs from the tenant afterward through the LTB, but you cannot refuse to treat an infestation as leverage. Delayed response gives the tenant grounds for a T6 maintenance complaint and possible rent abatement.
What counts as normal wear and tear versus tenant damage in Ontario?
Normal wear and tear includes minor scuffs on walls, small nail holes, slight carpet wear from foot traffic, and faded paint over time. Damage beyond normal use — large holes in drywall, burned carpets, broken fixtures, deep scratches in flooring — is the tenant's responsibility. The distinction is based on what a reasonable person would expect from regular occupancy over time.
What can a tenant do if a landlord refuses to make repairs in Ontario?
Tenants have several options: file a T6 application with the LTB (which can result in a repair order and rent abatement), contact municipal bylaw enforcement for property standards violations, or apply for a rent reduction if a service they were paying for is no longer being provided. Ignoring a maintenance complaint rarely ends well for landlords.