# Do I have to check for asbestos before renovating a rental building in Ontario? > Before an Ontario owner contracts for renovation or repair work, O. Reg. 278/05 asks for an asbestos check and a report for the contractor. Who it covers. - Canonical HTML: https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/asbestos-before-renovating/ - Section: Home > Guides > Asbestos checks before renovating - 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 Often, yes. Ontario's asbestos regulation, O. Reg. 278/05, says that before arranging or contracting for the alteration or repair of a building, an owner shall have the material likely to be disturbed examined, unless the owner already knows whether it is asbestos, and shall give the contractor a written report. It does not apply to an owner's own home, or to a building of up to four units where the owner lives. ## What does the regulation ask of an owner? A check and a report, before the contract. The owner acts before “requesting tenders for the demolition, alteration or repair” of a building, or before “arranging or contracting for any work described in clause (a), if no tenders are requested.” [(O. Reg. 278/05, s. 10(1))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) The check: “the owner shall have an examination carried out in accordance with section 3 to establish whether any material that is likely to be handled, dealt with, disturbed or removed, whether friable or non-friable, is asbestos-containing material.” [(s. 10(2))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) No examination is needed if the owner already knows the answer, or if the work is arranged as though the material were asbestos. [(s. 10(3))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) ## What goes in the report, and who gets it? The report says whether the material is asbestos, “describing the condition of the material and stating whether it is friable or non-friable”, with “drawings, plans and specifications, as appropriate, to show the location of the material”. [(s. 10(4))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) Then: “An owner shall give any prospective constructor a copy of the complete report prepared under subsection (4).” [(s. 10(5))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) Hand it over with the scope, before the quote is signed. ## Which owners does it leave out? Owners living in small buildings. “This Regulation does not apply to an owner of a private residence occupied by the owner or the owner’s family or to an owner of a residential building that contains not more than four dwelling units, one of which is occupied by the registered owner or family of the registered owner.” [(s. 2(4))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) An investor's fourplex where nobody in the owner's family lives, an apartment building, or a commercial unit is not in that exception. ## What does the Occupational Health and Safety Act add? A list for every project. “Before beginning a project, the owner shall determine whether any designated substances are present at the project site and shall prepare a list of all designated substances that are present at the site.” [(Occupational Health and Safety Act, s. 30(1))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o01) And the cost of skipping it: an owner who fails “is liable to the constructor and every contractor and subcontractor who suffers any loss or damages as the result of the subsequent discovery on the project of a designated substance that the owner ought reasonably to have known of but that was not on the list”. [(s. 30(5))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o01) Asbestos is one of the designated substances, which is why O. Reg. 278/05 is titled as it is. ## Where does asbestos show up in a rental? The regulation itself names the usual places, in material used “for any purpose related to the building, including insulation, fireproofing and ceiling tiles”. [(s. 8(2))](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) Drop ceiling tiles in a hallway and old flooring in a unit are exactly what a turnover or a [common area refresh](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/common-areas/) takes out. If something turns up during the work that was not in the report, the regulation puts the duty on the crew's employer: an employer “shall advise the owner if the workers discover material that may be asbestos-containing material in the building.” [(s. 9)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/050278) ## What does it mean for my renovation? In an older building, get the report before the demo, not after. Put it with the other papers that come before a contract: the [building permit](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/permits-for-rental-renovations/), the [WSIB clearance certificate](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/wsib-clearance-for-contractors/) and the payment rules in [holdback and prompt payment](https://www.rebornrenos.com/guides/holdback-and-prompt-payment/). Reborn Renos does the rebuild: [apartment and commercial renovations](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/renovations/), turnovers and common areas. Investors weighing an older building can start at [work for real estate investors](https://www.rebornrenos.com/properties/investors/). Call [(905) 920-1418](tel:+19059201418), Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm, or send the details on the [request page](https://www.rebornrenos.com/request/). This is a plain summary, not legal advice or a safety procedure. The linked regulation is what counts. Published by Reborn Renos, Beamsville. Updated November 2, 2026. Free to share and quote, with a link back to this page. ## An older 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/