What does a landlord need to provide a tenant?

We found no provincial housing standard covered here that requires a landlord to install air conditioning, but if your rental comes with it, it has to be kept working; Alberta lists air conditioning (if there is any) as usually the landlord's responsibility. In Ontario, air conditioning is not a vital service. From July 1, 2026, an Ontario tenant whose landlord does not supply air conditioning can generally install a window or portable unit after giving written notice, and the landlord may enter on 24 hours' notice to inspect it. If the landlord pays the electricity, it can charge a seasonal rent increase limited to the actual cost.

Yes, where the landlord supplies the heat, and four provinces set a minimum temperature: Alberta 22°C, Manitoba 21°C from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 18.3°C overnight, Ontario 20°C from September 1 to June 15, and PEI 65°F (about 18°C) at all times. In BC, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador the tenancy Act sets no figure, so check your municipality's by-law. A landlord cannot cut off heat it supplies to pressure a tenant. See when does a landlord have to turn on the heat for details.

Yes. Alberta requires hot water between 46°C and 60°C, Manitoba and Ontario at least 43°C, and PEI hot and cold running drinkable water at adequate pressure. New Brunswick's model code (44°C) and Newfoundland and Labrador's occupancy rules apply only in the areas that have adopted or are listed under them, and BC, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia leave the details to municipal by-laws. Hot water is also a vital service in Ontario and Manitoba.

The research we reviewed found nothing in the tenancy rules about fire extinguishers, smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms. The Acts do require landlords to follow the health, safety and building standards that apply, so any such requirement would come from fire or building rules rather than the tenancy Act. Ask your local fire department or municipality what your building needs, and your tenancy office if the landlord will not act on a required safety item.

It depends on the lease. Housing standards cover basics such as heat, water and plumbing, but a fridge, stove, oven or laundry machines usually come down to what the rental includes. Once the landlord supplies an appliance, it must keep it in repair: Alberta's government lists landlord-supplied appliances as usually the landlord's responsibility, and Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick require landlords to maintain the services, facilities and items they provide.

Only if the lease includes one. If it does, the landlord has to keep it working. In Newfoundland and Labrador, a washer and dryer that is no longer provided may be treated as a rent increase, and in Nova Scotia removing an included service counts as a rent increase, so a landlord cannot simply take it away. If you want in-suite laundry, check the listing and the lease before you sign.

Ask for it in writing first. Most provinces covered here set a deadline: 21 days in Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Ontario, 20 in Saskatchewan, and 10 in Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. Several attach a consequence: rent can be held back or suspended in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador until the copy arrives (it is then due), New Brunswick tenants can pay rent to a residential tenancies officer, and Nova Scotia tenants can give notice to end the tenancy or pay rent in trust. In BC, Manitoba and PEI, the tenancy office can order the landlord to hand it over.

Several provinces require it. Alberta landlords must serve a notice of landlord with a name and address within 7 days after you move in; Manitoba landlords must give their name, phone number and address in writing; Ontario leases must state the landlord's legal name and address for notices; and Newfoundland and Labrador landlords must give their name, phone number and address when the agreement is made. Saskatchewan requires the address and phone number in writing for oral agreements, and contact details posted in multi-unit buildings that have common areas. If your landlord will not give one, contact your province's tenancy office.

We found nothing in the tenancy rules we reviewed about what goes down the toilet, but they do require the home to meet housing standards, which in Alberta include working plumbing, and blocked water or sewer pipes and plumbing fixtures are emergency repairs in BC and PEI. If the plumbing cannot handle normal use, ask the landlord in writing to fix it. Keep in mind that you must repair damage you cause through carelessness, so if a blockage is traced to something you flushed, you may have to pay for it.

A landlord rents out the home and, by law, must keep it in good repair and fit to live in, keep the services the lease includes working, and give you a copy of the lease. Landlords also have to follow their province's rules on entering your unit, raising rent, handling deposits and ending a tenancy. For the full picture, see what rights do landlords have and what are my rights as a tenant.

A landlord that supplies water cannot cut it off to pressure you in any province covered here: it is a vital service in Ontario and Manitoba, an essential service under BC's rules, and protected in the other provinces by the Act or housing standards. Housing standards also require running hot and cold water. If your water is off, use the landlord's emergency contact and then your tenancy office; see can a landlord charge for water for each province's rule.

In the provinces covered here the core duties are broadly similar: hand over a home that is in good repair, fit to live in and up to the health, safety and housing standards that apply, keep it that way, and keep any service or item the lease includes in working order. Landlords must also give you a copy of the signed lease (within 10 to 21 days in most provinces covered here, while New Brunswick sets no number of days), and a landlord that supplies heat, water or electricity generally cannot cut it off to pressure you. Your side is to keep the unit reasonably clean and to repair damage you or your guests cause, but normal wear and tear is not yours to fix.

We found no rule in the tenancy Acts we reviewed that requires a landlord to supply curtains or blinds. Whether they come with the rental depends on the listing and the lease, so confirm it in writing before you sign. If the landlord does supply them, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick expect the landlord to keep the items and services it provides in repair.

There is no tenancy rule we found that lists grab bars as something every landlord must supply. In SQRFT's reading, a request for one is a disability accommodation question under human rights law. In Alberta, BC, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario, landlords must accommodate a tenant's disability up to the point of undue hardship, and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission names a bathtub grab bar as an example of a medical need a landlord must accommodate. We found no rule on who pays, so ask your landlord in writing, include the supporting medical information, and contact your province's human rights commission if the request is refused.