No heat in your apartment? Toronto landlords have 24 hours to respond, or face city enforcement

Those rules are now a part of the Indoor Temperature Standards Bylaw — the city’s old Heating Bylaw, which was renamed on June 1, 2026. Here’s what it requires, what happens when a landlord ignores it and how to protect your wallet while you wait for a fix.

What does a Toronto landlord owe you when it gets cold?

When heating is included in rent, the City of Toronto says units must stay at or above 21 degrees Celsius from Oct. 1 to May 15. That includes rented condo units. If you’re a landlord renting out your unit, it’s incumbent on you to follow the bylaw.

The city treats heat as a vital service, alongside hot water, which is required to come out of the tap at 45 to 49 degrees Celsius. Landlords can’t cut off a vital service under any circumstances, the city says — even if a tenant is behind on rent or has damaged the unit.

The rules aren’t totally black and white — there is one grey area. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, landlords can use their judgment: if it’s warm enough outside that the building stays at 21 degrees without heat, the heat can be turned down or even off completely. Once the unit drops below that mark, the obligation kicks in.

What happens if your landlord doesn’t respond within 24 hours?

Step one is to reach out directly to your landlord or property manager and put the request in writing. Landlords are required to keep copies of their responses and track no-heat requests as part of their record-keeping, according to the city.

If your request goes unanswered or the problem isn’t resolved within 24 hours, call 311 or submit a service request online. For urgent vital-service requests such as no heat, the city says it aims to contact you within 24 hours.

At that point, a bylaw enforcement officer may investigate. Many cases are resolved through education or mediation. Landlords who don’t comply can be ticketed and the set fine for failing to maintain 21 degrees is $500. If a landlord is summoned to court and convicted, the city says fines can reach $100,000, or up to $10,000 for each day the violation continues.

Can you get money back for a cold apartment?

Toronto city enforcement will get the heat back on, but not money back in your pocket. For that, the route runs through the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), Ontario’s tribunal for rental disputes.

Tenants can file a Tenant Application about Maintenance (Form T6) when a landlord hasn’t met health, safety, housing or maintenance standards. Possible remedies that are available include a rent abatement — where the board orders the landlord to return part of the rent you paid while the problem went unfixed — or an order that blocks rent increases until serious repairs are completed.

According to the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), a legal clinic that specializes in tenant rights, applications must be submitted within one year of when the maintenance problem happened.

That’s why a paper trail is vital. A dated written request, a 311 reference number and your own temperature log can all help show how long you went without adequate heat. Keep receipts for any extra costs you’ve incurred to stay warm, like the purchase of a space heater, and ask a legal clinic whether they can be included in your claim.

One serious caution though: you can’t just stop paying rent. The LTB process is the way to recover money, and unpaid rent can put your tenancy at risk.