Quick answer
A tenant in Ontario can call an HVAC company, but the furnace, air conditioner and water heater belong to the landlord, so repairs need the landlord's approval. Without it you may not be reimbursed. Safety is the exception: for a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, leave and call Enbridge Gas or 911 first, then tell the landlord.
Can a tenant call their own HVAC company in Ontario? You can call, and a contractor can come and look, but the decision to repair someone else's furnace belongs to the owner. Under the Residential Tenancies Act the landlord is responsible for maintaining the heating system and paying for its repair, which also means the landlord chooses who does the work. A tenant who orders a repair without approval is the contractor's customer and gets the invoice.
The default rule: the landlord authorises and pays
Heating equipment is part of the rental unit, and section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act puts its repair on the landlord, even if the tenant knew about the problem when moving in. Heat is also a vital service that a landlord may not withhold. So the first step is always a repair request in writing: a text or email, dated, with a photo of the thermostat reading or the error code.
The lease can shift small things. If it makes you responsible for changing the furnace filter or for a rental charge, that part is yours, and so is damage you caused. Who pays the water heater rental, landlord or tenant covers the rental-fee version of this question.
When a tenant should not wait for the landlord
- Gas smell: leave the unit and call Enbridge Gas at 1-866-763-5427 or 911 from outside. The utility attends at no charge and does not need the landlord's permission.
- Carbon monoxide alarm sounding: get everyone out and call 911. Ontario requires working CO alarms in rental units with fuel-burning appliances, and supplying them is the landlord's job.
- No heat in freezing weather and nobody answering: record every attempt to reach the landlord or property manager (calls, texts, emails, with times), then call the municipal property standards or bylaw office. A diagnostic visit from a licensed contractor is a reasonable step; a major repair or a replacement is not yours to order.
- Water pouring from a water heater: close the cold-water valve above the tank and tell the landlord at once.
The timelines a landlord is held to are in how long a landlord has to fix the heat in Ontario.
Recovering what you paid: the Landlord and Tenant Board route
If you paid for an emergency repair the landlord should have handled, the way to recover it is a T6 application (Tenant Application about Maintenance) at the Landlord and Tenant Board. The Board can order the landlord to reimburse reasonable repair costs or to reduce the rent. It decides on evidence, so keep the repair request, proof that the landlord did not respond, the contractor's invoice and the technician's written finding.
Do not deduct the cost from the rent on your own. Withholding rent can bring an eviction application for non-payment, even when the repair was legitimate.
What a contractor needs from a tenant caller
- The landlord's approval, written if possible. A text that says 'go ahead, send me the bill' is enough; verbal approval works if the landlord will take a call from the technician.
- Who is paying. If the invoice goes to the landlord, we need their name, phone number and billing email before the visit, not after it.
- Access: the mechanical room, a locked furnace closet, the electrical panel and, in a duplex or basement apartment, whichever part of the house the equipment sits in.
- The equipment details: brand, the error code or flashing light, and whether the unit carries a rental company's sticker.
- Authority for anything beyond diagnosis. On a tenant-paid diagnostic visit ($90–$150) the technician finds the fault and writes it up; the landlord then approves the repair, which for most furnace faults is $150–$800.
That written finding is useful to both sides. The tenant has a dated record that the equipment failed, and the landlord has a specific part and price to approve instead of a complaint.
ZK Mechanical takes calls from tenants and landlords on the same 24/7 line. For furnace repair in a rented house or apartment in Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville or Mississauga, call (647) 801-1252 or send a request with the landlord's contact details. Other questions about who pays for what are in the costs and buying answers hub.