Ontario Landlord Guide › What repairs is an Ontario landlord responsible for?

What repairs is an Ontario landlord responsible for?

Last updated October 24, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Short answer: Almost everything that keeps the unit in a good state of repair and fit to live in. Section 20(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord responsible for providing and maintaining the building and the units in good repair, fit for habitation, and in line with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. It applies even if the tenant saw the problem before signing (s. 20(2)). The tenant is responsible for ordinary cleanliness (s. 33) and for undue damage they, someone living with them or their guest cause on purpose or through carelessness (s. 34).

Official source: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (ontario.ca/laws) · Last checked Oct 2026

Who fixes what

Situation	Who is responsible	Where it comes from
Wear and breakdown: a furnace, fridge, leaking tap or roof that fails with normal use	Landlord	RTA s. 20(1)
A problem that was there when the tenant moved in and they knew about it	Landlord, still	RTA s. 20(2)
Appliances you supplied: fridge, stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher, hot water tank	Landlord: keep them in good repair and safe to use	RTA s. 20(1); O. Reg. 517/06 s. 40
Mice, rats, cockroaches or other insects in the building	Landlord: keep the complex reasonably free of them	RTA s. 20(1); O. Reg. 517/06 s. 46(1)
Heat, water, hydro or fuel you supply under the lease	Landlord can't withhold or interfere with it	RTA s. 21(1)
Ordinary cleaning of the unit	Tenant, unless the lease makes it your job	RTA s. 33
Damage the tenant, an occupant or their guest caused on purpose or through carelessness	Tenant	RTA s. 34
A lease clause that says the unit is rented "as is" or that the tenant does all repairs	The clause is void; the duty stays with you	RTA ss. 4(1) and 20

The standards part matters too. Your city's property standards by-law applies where there is one. Where there isn't (and in some cases the regulations set out), the province's maintenance standards in O. Reg. 517/06 apply (RTA s. 224(1)). The appliance and pest rows above quote those provincial standards; if your city's by-law applies instead, check what it requires. Look up your own municipality's by-law before you assume which rules cover your rental.

What the tenant can ask the LTB for

A current or former tenant can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board on Form T6 (Tenant Application about Maintenance) if they think you breached s. 20(1) (s. 29(1), para. 1). They have up to one year to apply (s. 29(2)); the LTB's T6 instructions say that if the problem has been fixed, the year runs from the date it was fixed. If the LTB finds a breach, it can, among other things (s. 30(1)):

order a rent abatement,
order you to do specific repairs by a set date,
make you pay the tenant for repairs they arrange, for their own property damaged by your breach, and for other reasonable out-of-pocket costs,
in a serious breach, stop you from taking or giving notice of a rent increase until the work is done, or
end the tenancy.

The T6 instructions say the most the LTB can order is $50,000. One detail works in your favour: when it picks a remedy, the LTB has to consider whether the tenant told you about the problem before applying (s. 30(2)). That is why a dated record of every repair request, and of what you did about it, is worth keeping.

Tenants can also raise repair problems at a hearing about unpaid rent. Under the September 2026 changes, that now has conditions, including paying half the arrears before the hearing; see the half-arrears rule.

Worked example: a leaking kitchen tap

Monday, November 2, 2026, 9 a.m.: the tenant texts that the kitchen tap is leaking under the sink. You reply the same morning, and note the date and time in your log.
Same day: you give written notice to enter on Tuesday, November 3 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to repair the tap. The notice has to give at least 24 hours, the reason, the day and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (s. 27(1), (3)). If water is pouring through the ceiling, that is an emergency and you can enter without notice (s. 26(1)). More in our landlord entry guide.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026: the plumber replaces a worn cartridge. Normal wear, so it's your cost. You log the visit, the invoice and a photo.
If the plumber had found that the tenant cracked the trap by forcing something down the drain, that would be undue damage under s. 34. Fix it first, keep the plumber's note, and recover the cost through the steps in our tenant damage (N5 and L2) guide.

Where the toolkit helps: The toolkit's Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Form records each room's condition at move-in and move-out, with notes linked to a photo log, so normal wear and tenant damage are easier to tell apart. The LTB-Ready Evidence Pack's communication log keeps every repair request and reply dated. See what is inside the $19 toolkit

Mistakes to avoid

Putting repairs on the tenant in the lease. The clause is void (s. 4(1)) and you keep the duty. See illegal lease clauses.
Waiting until rent is paid to fix something. The repair duty doesn't pause for arrears. Use the N4 and L1 for the rent and fix the problem separately.
Turning off heat or water to get leverage. Withholding a vital service you supply breaks s. 21(1). See the heat rules.
Entering without proper notice to do non-urgent work. Illegal entry is its own tenant application (s. 29(1), para. 6).
No record of the unit's condition at move-in. Without one, telling wear from tenant damage becomes your word against theirs. Use a move-in inspection checklist.

Official sources

Not legal advice. This site is general information written by a small Ontario landlord, based on official Ontario and Tribunals Ontario sources as of October 24, 2026. Laws and LTB forms change; check the linked official source before you act, and talk to a lawyer or licensed paralegal (or call the LTB at 1-888-332-3234) about your situation. Not affiliated with the Government of Ontario, Tribunals Ontario or the Landlord and Tenant Board. Full disclaimer.