Ontario Landlord Guide › What temperature must a landlord keep a rental at in Ontario?

What temperature must a landlord keep a rental at in Ontario?

Last updated October 23, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Short answer: If heat is your job under the lease, it is a vital service from September 1 to June 15, and the rooms must reach at least 20°C, measured 1.5 metres above the floor and one metre from outside walls. You can't cut it off or let it lapse. Your city's by-law can set a higher number: Toronto requires 21°C from October 1 to May 15 in units heated at the landlord's expense.

Official source: O. Reg. 516/06 (General regulation under the RTA), s. 4: heat as a vital service (ontario.ca/laws) · Last checked Oct 2026

The provincial rule: 20°C from September 1 to June 15

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, heat is a "vital service" during the part of the year set by regulation (s. 2(1)). O. Reg. 516/06 sets that period as September 1 to June 15 (s. 4(1)). During it, heat must keep the room temperature at least 20°C at 1.5 metres above the floor and one metre from exterior walls, in all living space and in areas tenants normally use, such as laundry and recreation rooms, but not lockers or garages (s. 4(2)).

The rule doesn't apply where the tenant controls the temperature and the main heat source can reach 20°C (s. 4(3)). A working thermostat in the unit usually puts the dial in the tenant's hands, but the system still has to be able to reach 20°C.

What you can't do

Withhold heat you're supposed to supply. A landlord can't withhold the reasonable supply of a vital service the lease makes the landlord's job, or deliberately interfere with it, at any time before an eviction order is enforced (s. 21(1)). That includes while a tenant owes rent.
Let the gas bill go unpaid. If you pay the supplier and they cut the service off because you didn't pay, the Act treats it as you withholding it (s. 21(2)).
Rely on a space heater. Portable heating equipment can't be the main heat source in a unit (O. Reg. 517/06, s. 15(4)).

Tenant pays for heat? You still keep the system working

Section 21 covers heat you supply under the lease. If the tenant pays the gas or hydro bill in their own name, they buy the fuel, but you are still responsible for keeping the unit in good repair and meeting maintenance standards (s. 20(1)). The provincial maintenance standards require heating equipment that can keep the unit at 20°C (O. Reg. 517/06, s. 15(1), (3)). They apply where no municipal property standards by-law covers the building (s. 224(1)). Many cities, including Toronto, have their own by-law, so check yours.

City by-laws can be stricter: the Toronto example

Toronto's Indoor Temperature Standards by-law (Municipal Code Chapter 497, in force June 1, 2026) requires every landlord to keep a minimum air temperature of 21°C at 1.5 metres above the floor in all areas of a rented unit from October 1 to May 15 (s. 497-2.1). It applies only to units normally heated at the landlord's expense, and you don't have to run the heat if the unit is already at 21°C. The City says that in the warmer weeks from September 15 to October 15 and May 1 to June 1, you can turn the heat down or off if the unit stays at 21°C without it. Outside Toronto, look up your own municipality's property standards or heating by-law.

If the furnace breaks

Fix it fast and keep a record. Write down when the tenant told you, when you called a technician, each visit, parts ordered and when heat came back.
Tell the tenant in writing what is happening and when the repair is expected. If you need to enter, give 24 hours' written notice unless it's an emergency or the tenant agrees at the time; see landlord entry rules.
Know what the tenant can ask for. A tenant can apply to the LTB if a landlord breached the repair duty or withheld a vital service (s. 29(1)). For a repair breach, the LTB can order a rent abatement, order the work done by a set date, make the landlord pay for repairs the tenant arranges and the tenant's reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, or end the tenancy (s. 30(1)).

Worked example

You rent the main floor of a house in Toronto and the lease says heat is included. On Friday, October 30, 2026 the tenant texts that the furnace has stopped.

October 30 is inside the provincial September 1 to June 15 period, so heat is a vital service and the provincial minimum is 20°C.
It is also inside Toronto's October 1 to May 15 period, and you pay for the heat, so the by-law minimum is 21°C. Aim for the higher number.
Book a technician the same day, tell the tenant in writing when they are coming, and log every step with the date and time.
The same furnace failure on Tuesday, June 15, 2027 would still fall under the provincial rule, even though Toronto's 21°C period ended on Saturday, May 15, 2027.

Where the toolkit helps: The toolkit's LTB-Ready Evidence Pack includes a communication log, so every heat complaint, technician visit and written update to the tenant is recorded with a date if a tenant ever applies to the LTB. See what is inside the $19 toolkit

Avoid these mistakes

Turning heat down to push out a tenant who owes rent. Use an N4 and L1; withholding heat breaks s. 21 and harassing a tenant breaks s. 23.
Assuming heat season ends in May everywhere. The provincial vital service period runs to June 15.
A lease that's unclear about who pays for heat. Say it plainly in the lease; see the Ontario standard lease guide.
Skipping the fall check. Have the furnace serviced before September 1 so the season starts with heat that works.

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 23, 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.