Vital Services
About the Vital Services By-law
All residents in Vaughan deserve to live in safe and healthy homes. The Vital Services By-law enables the City to quickly address the restoration of vital services for tenants, including heat, cooling, water and energy
In line with the Term of Council priority of Active, Safe and Diverse Communities, ensuring the safety and well-being or our communities, the City enacted the Vital Services By-law to ensure that tenants living in rented residential units in Vaughan have access to adequate and safe heating, cooling, electricity, and water.
The Vital Services By-law requires landlords to provide:
- an adequate supply of potable, running, hot and cold water, to a maximum temperature of 49 °C;
- a minimum air temperature of 21°C, or a mechanism that enables the Tenant to regulate and maintain the air temperature to a minimum temperature of 21°C, from September 15 to May 15, inclusive;
- a maximum air temperature of 26°C, or a mechanism that enables the Tenant to regulate and maintain the air temperature to a maximum temperature of 26°C from May 16th to September 14th, inclusive; and
- provide a cooling room in multi-residential units without a cooling system.
The by-law also prohibits landlords from disconnecting Vital Services except for reasonable periods of time as required for the purpose of repairing, replacing or altering Vital Services systems.