Do landlords have to supply air conditioning?

We found no Alberta rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning. The government's common-problems page lists "heating and air conditioning (if there is any)" among the things a landlord is usually responsible for, which means the landlord looks after AC that exists, not that every unit must have it.

Heat has a floor: heating must be able to reach at least 22°C (71°F) under the Minimum Housing and Health Standards, and the Housing Regulation refers to premises used between September 1 and May 1. The Executive Officer may permit less than 22°C but more than 16°C in extreme cold. If the landlord does not respond, a tenant can contact Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health or apply to the RTDRS or the Alberta Court of Justice.

We found no BC rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning, and no provincial minimum temperature or hot water standard; municipal by-laws may apply. A landlord must keep the rental to health, safety and housing standards (s.32(1)), and primary heating is an emergency repair under s.33.

If AC was part of what you were promised, check your tenancy agreement and ask the landlord in writing. A tenant can apply for dispute resolution for a repair order, a rent reduction or compensation.

We found no Manitoba rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning. The heat rule is specific: at least 21°C (70°F) from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 18.3°C (65°F) overnight, measured 76 cm above the floor in the centre of each occupied room, with no heating season date. Complaints about heat go to the local Environmental Health Office.

For other problems, ask in writing and then send a Tenant's Request for Repairs to the Residential Tenancies Branch, which can order repairs and award compensation for unreasonable delay.

We found no Saskatchewan rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning, and no provincial minimum temperature or heating season. Heat counts as a service or facility that a landlord cannot cut without the tenant's agreement or an order from the Office of Residential Tenancies (s.43(1)). Check your city's by-law for any local heat standard.

A tenant can apply to the ORT under s.70 for an order to comply, a rent reduction or damages. Public Health Inspectors can investigate a lack of heating on a complaint.

Air conditioning is not a vital service in Ontario. Vital services are hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas and heat in season, and a landlord must not withhold or deliberately interfere with them (s.21). So a landlord who supplies AC is not under the vital service rule to switch it on; we found no other Ontario rule on when it must be turned on.

What Ontario does have, from July 1, 2026, is s.36.1: a tenant may install a window or portable air conditioner where the landlord does not supply AC, subject to the conditions in the Act. Where the landlord provides heat, it must be at least 20°C from September 1 to June 15 (O. Reg. 516/06 s.4); some municipal by-laws are stricter. Toronto, for example, requires 21°C from October 1 to May 15 and takes complaints through 311.

We found no New Brunswick rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning. The Act and regulation set no minimum temperature. Where a municipality has adopted the model Residential Properties Maintenance and Occupancy Code, s.25 requires a heating system able to keep habitable rooms at 21°C and, where occupants don't control the heat, 21°C from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., which may be reduced to 18°C at other hours. Fredericton's by-law instead requires a heating system able to keep 70°F. Which municipalities adopt the code varies, so ask yours.

A landlord may not deliberately interfere with heat, water or electric power except in an emergency or for repairs (s.3.1). For a repair complaint, make it in writing; the landlord has 7 days (Reg s.6), then notify a residential tenancies officer.

We found no Nova Scotia rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning, and no provincial minimum temperature. A service such as heat cannot be discontinued without proper notice of a rent increase or the Director's permission (Statutory Condition 2). The province's Renting Guide says a landlord cannot turn off the heat even if rent is owed, and says 20°C to 22°C "should" be the temperature; that is guidance, not a legal rule.

Halifax By-law M-200 requires heating able to maintain 21°C (s.16); we did not check other municipalities. A tenant with a repair problem applies to the Director on Form J.

We found no PEI rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning. Where the owner supplies heat, the Public Health Act Rental Accommodation Regulations require at least 65°F at all times (s.8(3)), with no heating season. The regulations do not apply to tourism-licensed establishments.

A broken heating system is an emergency repair under s.29: the tenant notifies the landlord's emergency contact, makes reasonable attempts and allows reasonable time, and the landlord reimburses within seven days of a written claim with receipts. For other problems, apply to the Director on Form 2(A).

We found no Newfoundland and Labrador rule requiring a landlord to supply air conditioning, and no provincial temperature or heating season. Neither side may disconnect heat, water or electric power without written consent (Statutory Condition 8). The Occupancy and Maintenance Regulations apply only to the municipalities in their Schedule, and say only that premises must be adequately heated.

For a repair problem, send a written Tenant's Request for Repairs, then file an Application for Dispute Resolution with the Residential Tenancies Office. Ask the Office about your situation.