Information leaflets

You are a tenant in a dwelling where the heating is controlled by the landlord
and the habitual temperature is causing you serious discomfort.

You are a landlord and you are wondering on what date you have to begin
heating and what temperature you must maintain to meet your responsibilities.

No specific date on which heating must begin is laid down in the law governing
rental housing, nor under most municipal by-laws. An arbitrary choice of date
would not reflect the reality of the Québec climate, where it can freeze in May
and be hot in March.

However, the landlord is legally required to ensure that his tenant enjoys an
adequate ambient temperature, whatever the time of year. This responsibility
comes from the landlord's obligation to maintain the dwelling in good condition
enabling it to serve the purposes for which it is rented and to maintain the
dwelling in good habitable condition.

Therefore, a clause in the lease specifying a date on which the landlord will turn
on the heat may be without effect because whether or not the dwelling requires
heating depends on the temperature indoors.