# What do Ontario rental property owners need to know before the work starts?

> Plain guides for Ontario landlords and investors: alarms, entry for repairs, turnovers, water damage, new rental units, permits and maintenance standards.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/
- Section: Home > Guides
- Business: Reborn Renos, 4048 Stadelbauer Drive, Beamsville, ON, Canada (serves Beamsville, Lincoln, Grimsby, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara Falls)
- Phone: (905) 920-1418 | Email: michal.gagatrs@gmail.com
- Page updated: 2026-11-02

---

Guides

Reborn Renos publishes plain answers to what investors, landlords and property managers ask before a turnover, a repair or a renovation: alarms, entering a unit, turnovers, belongings and damage left by a tenant, water damage, new units, permits, asbestos, WSIB clearance, holdback, rent increases, maintenance standards and Hamilton's Vacant Unit Tax. Each one quotes the Ontario law or the city page it rests on, with the link beside it.

## Which guide answers my question?

- [Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for landlords: The Ontario Fire Code duties for landlords: keeping alarms working, testing every year and after every change in tenancy, and where alarms are required.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/smoke-and-co-alarms-for-landlords/)
- [Entering a rental unit for repairs: How much notice an Ontario landlord needs to enter a unit for a repair, what the notice must say, and the cases that need none.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/entering-a-rental-unit-for-repairs/)
- [Rental turnover checklist: What a rental unit turnover should include before the next tenant moves in, and which items the law sets and which are good practice.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/rental-turnover-checklist/)
- [Above guideline rent increases after renovations: When an Ontario landlord can ask the Board for a rent increase above the guideline after renovations, and what work counts.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/above-guideline-rent-increase/)
- [Renovating with tenants and the N13 notice: When an Ontario landlord can end a tenancy to renovate, what the tenant gets, Hamilton's renovation licence, and the option of working around tenants.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/renovating-with-tenants-n13/)
- [Rental maintenance standards in Ontario: The repair and maintenance standards an Ontario rental property has to meet, from the Act, the provincial regulation and Hamilton's property standards by-law.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/rental-maintenance-standards/)
- [Water damage and mold in rentals: Who fixes water damage and mold in an Ontario rental, and what an owner does first after a leak.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/water-damage-and-mold-in-rentals/)
- [Adding a rental unit: Whether an owner can add a rental unit to a house in Hamilton or Niagara, and what the permit needs.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/adding-a-rental-unit/)
- [Permits for rental renovations: Which rental renovation jobs need a building permit in Ontario, from the lists Hamilton and St. Catharines publish.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/permits-for-rental-renovations/)
- [Holdback and prompt payment on a renovation: The 10 per cent an Ontario owner holds back from a contractor, when it is paid out, and the 28 day invoice rule.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/holdback-and-prompt-payment/)
- [WSIB clearance before a contractor starts: Why an owner who hires a contractor for construction work gets a WSIB clearance certificate first, and the home renovation exception.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/wsib-clearance-for-contractors/)
- [Asbestos checks before renovating: When an Ontario owner has to check for asbestos and give the contractor a report before renovation or repair work.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/asbestos-before-renovating/)
- [Belongings a tenant leaves behind: What an Ontario landlord may do with things left in a unit at turnover: a vacated unit, an abandoned one, and after an eviction.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/tenant-belongings-left-behind/)
- [Making a former tenant pay for damage: When an Ontario landlord can ask the Board to make a tenant or former tenant pay for repairs, the one year limit, and the deposit rule.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/recovering-damage-from-a-tenant/)
- [Hamilton's Vacant Unit Tax during a renovation: Hamilton taxes a unit empty over 183 days at 1 per cent of its value. When a renovation is exempt, and why the permit matters.](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/hamilton-vacant-unit-tax-renovations/)

## Where do the answers come from?

From the source itself, quoted word for word with the link beside it. Each guide shows the date it was last checked. They are plain summaries, not legal advice: the linked law is what counts.

**The main source behind each guide**

| Guide | Main source |
| --- | --- |
| [Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/smoke-and-co-alarms-for-landlords/) | [Ontario Fire Code, O. Reg. 213/07](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/070213) |
| [Entering a unit for repairs](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/entering-a-rental-unit-for-repairs/) | [Residential Tenancies Act, 2006](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17) |
| [Rental turnover checklist](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/rental-turnover-checklist/) | Residential Tenancies Act and Ontario Fire Code |
| [Water damage and mold](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/water-damage-and-mold-in-rentals/) | Residential Tenancies Act and Health Canada |
| [Adding a rental unit](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/adding-a-rental-unit/) | [Planning Act](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90p13), Hamilton and St. Catharines |
| [Permits for rental renovations](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/permits-for-rental-renovations/) | [Building Code Act, 1992](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/92b23), Hamilton and St. Catharines |
| [Above guideline rent increases](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/above-guideline-rent-increase/) | Residential Tenancies Act, O. Reg. 516/06 and the Landlord and Tenant Board |
| [Renovating with tenants](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/renovating-with-tenants-n13/) | Residential Tenancies Act, the Landlord and Tenant Board and Hamilton |
| [Rental maintenance standards](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/rental-maintenance-standards/) | [Maintenance Standards, O. Reg. 517/06](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/060517) |
| [Holdback and prompt payment](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/holdback-and-prompt-payment/) | [Construction Act](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90c30) |
| [WSIB clearance before a contractor starts](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/wsib-clearance-for-contractors/) | [Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/97w16) |
| [Asbestos checks before renovating](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/asbestos-before-renovating/) | [O. Reg. 278/05](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act |
| [Belongings a tenant leaves behind](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/tenant-belongings-left-behind/) | [Residential Tenancies Act, 2006](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17) |
| [Making a former tenant pay for damage](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/recovering-damage-from-a-tenant/) | Residential Tenancies Act and the Landlord and Tenant Board |
| [Hamilton's Vacant Unit Tax during a renovation](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/hamilton-vacant-unit-tax-renovations/) | [City of Hamilton](https://www.hamilton.ca/home-neighbourhood/property-taxes/vacant-unit-tax) |

## What if I need the work done?

See [property service agreements](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/service-agreements/) for buildings with regular turnovers, [work for property managers](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/property-managers/), [work for real estate investors](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/investors/), or [all rental and commercial work](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/). Call [(905) 920-1418](tel:+19059201418), Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm.

Published by Reborn Renos, Beamsville. Updated November 2, 2026. Free to share and quote, with a link back to this page.

## A question about your building?

Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm. No job is too small.

[Call (905) 920-1418](tel:+19059201418)

---

Reborn Renos. Call (905) 920-1418. Full site: https://www.rebornrenos.com/