Apartment Renovations near you

In Ontario, the Landlord and Tenant Board's guideline on entry says a landlord may enter a unit to carry out repairs or work after giving written notice at least 24 hours in advance that states the reason, the date and a time of entry between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

In Quebec, the Tribunal administratif du logement separates routine access from major work. For inspections and ordinary repairs, the lessor gives 24 hours' notice, verbally or in writing, repairs are done between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and urgent repairs such as a major plumbing leak can go ahead immediately. Substantial improvements or repairs, such as renovating a bathroom or kitchen, are major work: the lessor must give 10 days' notice if the tenant doesn't have to leave or leaves for no more than a week, and three months' notice if the dwelling must be vacated for longer. The notice states the type of work, the start date and estimated duration, the conditions affecting the tenant's use of the dwelling and, where relevant, how long they would be out and the compensation offered.

An Ontario landlord can end a tenancy for repairs or renovations only when the work is so extensive that it requires a building permit and vacant possession of the unit. According to the Landlord and Tenant Board's guideline, this is done with an N13 notice whose termination date is at least 120 days after it is given. A tenant who informs the landlord in writing that they intend to move back can return when the work is finished, at the same rent as before. In a building with five or more units, the landlord owes three months' rent to a tenant who doesn't return, or the rent for the lesser of three months and the repair period to one who does; with fewer than five units, it is one month's rent, or the lesser of one month's rent and the repair period.

Quebec handles long renovations differently from Ontario. For major work, the lessor asks the tenant to vacate temporarily rather than ending the lease. The tenant has 10 days after receiving the notice to say whether they agree, no answer counts as a refusal, and after a refusal the lessor can apply to the Tribunal within 10 days to rule on whether vacating is advisable and on what conditions. Ending a lease in order to subdivide a dwelling, enlarge it substantially or change its use is a separate process, and the Tribunal explains that a law assented to on June 6, 2024 prohibits evicting a tenant for those purposes for three years.

Work inside an existing unit follows the usual permit triggers, but changing the number of units is a change of use. Toronto's permit guidance, for example, says turning a single-unit house into a multi-unit house needs a building permit even when no construction is proposed, as does finishing a basement to add a second suite. Ontario's guidance on second units advises speaking first with the municipal planning and building departments, since parking, exit, servicing or unit-size rules in local bylaws can rule a unit out.

Between units, the building code calls for fire separations: rated wall and ceiling assemblies, with sealed penetrations and suitable doors, that slow fire and smoke from spreading from one home to the next. Ontario's second-unit guide requires them between the units and between each unit and common areas, and allows a shared exit only if the exit area is itself fire-separated. A renovation that opens a ceiling for pot lights, ducts or pipes can breach that separation, so the contractor must restore it with materials that match the rated assembly.