Too Hot to Rent? Toronto's New 26°C Apartment Cooling Rule Starts June 1

Toronto has long had a rule about how warm a rental has to be in winter. As of June 1, 2026, it now has a rule about how cool parts of an apartment building have to be in summer. If you rent in Toronto — or you manage a building there — this is a small but practical change worth understanding before the heat arrives. Here is a plain-language breakdown of what actually took effect and, just as importantly, what did not.

What changed on June 1, 2026

The City of Toronto's long-standing Heating Bylaw has been renamed the Indoor Temperature Standards Bylaw, and it now covers cooling as well as heat. Under the new cooling piece, apartment buildings in the city's RentSafeTO program that do not provide air conditioning in individual units must make sure at least one indoor amenity space stays at no more than 26°C during the warm season — June 1 to September 30 each year.

RentSafeTO is Toronto's registration and enforcement program for purpose-built rental apartment buildings (generally those that are three or more storeys and have ten or more units). If your building falls under RentSafeTO, this rule may apply to it.

What counts as a "cooled amenity space"

This is the part that surprises people. The rule does not require your own unit to be air conditioned. It requires the building to offer access to one shared, cooled space that residents can use to get relief from the heat.

The City defines an amenity space as a shared, accessible area open to all residents for recreation or social use — think a community room or lounge. Spaces that simply move you through the building do not count:

• Hallways — not an amenity space
• Lobbies — not an amenity space
• Laundry rooms — not an amenity space

So a landlord can't point to a breezy corridor and call it compliant. The cooled space has to be somewhere people can actually sit and cool down.

What landlords must — and must not — do

Two limits keep this rule narrower than the headlines suggest:

• No duty to install air conditioning. Building owners are not required

to put in air conditioning or cooling equipment where none already exists. The rule is about using available cooling (portable units, fans, shades, window tints, ventilation) to hold a common room at or below 26°C — not about a costly retrofit.

• No rule for your individual unit's temperature. If your apartment itself

gets dangerously hot, this bylaw does not set a maximum for your unit. It addresses a common cooled space for the building.

There is also a practical carve-out: the requirement does not apply where meeting it would require construction. And if a building already provides air conditioning (in units or common areas), the owner must operate it from June 1 to September 30 to keep things at or below 26°C — they can't simply switch it off to save money in a heat wave.

The winter rule still applies too

The cooling change sits alongside Toronto's existing heat requirement. Where a building provides heating, it must be kept to a minimum of 21°C during the colder months. If your landlord lets the heat drop below that in winter — or now fails to keep the cooled amenity space at or below 26°C in summer — that is a property-standards issue the City can enforce.

What to do if your building isn't complying

If you think your building should have a cooled amenity space and doesn't, the usual path is:

1. Tell your landlord or property manager in writing and keep a copy. Give

them a reasonable chance to fix it.

1. Call 311 (or use the City's online service request) to report a

property-standards concern. The City can inspect and order the owner to comply.

Toronto's official page explains the standard and how to report a problem: toronto.ca — Indoor Temperatures in Apartment Units, with the building-owner side set out under RentSafeTO building requirements.

A note for renters outside Toronto

This is a City of Toronto bylaw, not a province-wide law. Most other Ontario municipalities do not have a maximum indoor-temperature standard, and the Residential Tenancies Act does not set one either. Wherever you live, though, a landlord still has to keep a rental in a good state of repair and fit to live in, and serious heat problems can sometimes be raised with the Landlord and Tenant Board as a maintenance issue. The right route depends on your facts.

Get in touch

Heat, repairs and "vital services" disputes are some of the most common — and most stressful — parts of renting. If your building isn't keeping up its end and you're not sure whether to call 311, write your landlord, or file with the LTB, JSR Legals can help you weigh your options. Reach us at info@jsrlegals.ca.

This article is general information about Ontario and City of Toronto rules, current as of June 2026, and is not legal advice for any specific situation. Bylaws and their details can change — confirm the current requirements with the City before you act.