• Housing
• Living in Ontario
• Housing Basics

Making a Service Request to Your Landlord

If you have issues with the condition of the apartment that you are renting (such as plumbing problems, no or low heat, a broken window) or the common areas of your building, talk to your landlord or building manager and submit a service request in writing.

Even though this guide is from the City of Toronto's RentSafeTO program,  you may still find it helpful to use it as a service request form to help you get the repairs you need.

Record Keeping

Make service requests in writing and keep copies of your requests. Your landlord must track these service requests and keep copies from the past two years. You can request to see these records. You can learn more about general landlord record-keeping requirements on the City of Toronto's RentSafeTO page.

Response from Landlord

Your landlord needs to respond to urgent service requests within 24 hours. Service requests are urgent if they are related to vital services, such as:

• hydro (electricity)
• gas
• heat
• hot or cold water
• breach of building security
• problems with the outside of the building

When the service request is not urgent, your landlord needs to respond within seven (7) days. Allow your landlord a reasonable amount of time to make the repairs.

If you get no action from your landlord and problems persist you can contact the property standards office of your municipality. If that doesn't help you can contact the Landlord and Tenant Board about your issue.

You can also use the Navigate Tribunals Ontario online tool and customize your search to access resources on your rights and and responsibilities. The tool is designed to help you navigate the rules set out by the Landlord and Tenant Board.