Under the Ontario Fire Code O. Reg. 213/07, landlords are legally required to complete annual fire safety inspections, test all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and keep written records on site. Fines for non-compliance start at $365 and escalate significantly.
Trusted by 10,000+ Ontario landlords — LandlordEzy Fire Safety Inspections are based on Ontario Fire Code O. Reg. 213/07 (consolidated to June 2025).
Ontario Fire Code violations carry significant penalties:
The Ontario Fire Marshal and local fire departments actively inspect rental properties. Are your records up to date?
The Ontario Fire Code (Ontario Regulation 213/07 under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act) is the law governing fire safety in all Ontario buildings including rental properties. As a landlord, fire safety compliance rests entirely with you as the property owner — not with your tenant.
You must install and maintain working smoke alarms:
Smoke alarms must be:
You must provide written records of testing to your tenant and keep those records on-site.
You must install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms adjacent to every sleeping area if ANY of the following apply:
CO alarms must:
If none of the above apply, CO alarms are not required but strongly recommended.
Fire extinguishers are required in common areas of multi-unit buildings. Annual professional inspection is recommended for buildings with fire alarm systems.
Exit routes must:
This is where most Ontario landlords fall short. The Ontario Fire Code requires you to:
Verbal confirmation is not enough. A written dated record is required by law.
LandlordEzy lets you set custom inspection schedules — monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual — with automatic reminders sent to you and your team via email and SMS so nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Ontario municipalities actively inspect rental properties. Fines for fire code violations start at $365 for a first offense and escalate significantly with repeat violations. The Ontario Fire Marshal's office and local fire departments actively conduct compliance inspections with a specific focus on rental units.
A tenant can file an application with the Ontario Landlord Tenant Board if you fail to maintain fire safety equipment. Under Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2006 this is considered a failure to maintain the property in good repair. The LTB may order a rent abatement requiring you to repay a portion of rent for the period the property was non-compliant.
Insurance claims related to fire damage may be denied or reduced if an investigation shows the property was not compliant with the Ontario Fire Code at the time of the fire. Your documented inspection records are your evidence of due diligence.
In the worst case — injury or death caused by fire where smoke alarms were missing or not working — a landlord can face serious legal consequences including civil liability and potential criminal charges under Canadian criminal law for criminal negligence.
LandlordEzy's Fire Safety Inspection tool is Ontario's only digital inspection system built specifically for landlords. Designed to be completed from the palm of your hand while walking through your property.
Open on your phone, walk through your unit, complete each section as you go.
Take photos of smoke alarms, CO detectors, fire extinguishers, and pressure gauges directly from the checklist.
Upload receipts for smoke alarms, batteries, and fire extinguisher inspections so all your documentation is in one organized place.
Generated automatically when you complete the inspection. LTB-ready documentation proving your compliance.
Set monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual reminders. Add up to 3 recipients with both email and SMS notifications.
Built on O. Reg. 213/07, covering all 7 required inspection areas.
The completed PDF is emailed to all your registered recipients the moment you complete the inspection.
Every storey and sleeping area — test, battery, manufacture date, ULC certification.
Required with fuel appliances, fireplaces, or attached garage — test, battery, CSA compliance.
Pressure gauge, inspection tag, last professional inspection date.
Clear hallways, functioning exits, self-closing fire doors, emergency lighting.
Extension cords, damaged outlets, panel access, exposed wiring.
Combustible storage, dryer vents, propane storage.
Upload all purchase receipts in one organized place.
$0/month
from $9.99/month
Everything in Free plus:
One month of Self Management costs less than the fine for a single Ontario Fire Code violation.
Ontario landlords must test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms annually as a minimum requirement under Ontario Fire Code O. Reg. 213/07. Testing is also required after every change of tenancy, after any electrical work, and whenever batteries are replaced. Best practice is a monthly visual check and quarterly testing with a full annual documented inspection.
Fines for fire code violations in Ontario start at $365 for a first offense and escalate significantly with repeat violations. In addition to fines, landlords may face insurance complications, LTB applications from tenants for rent abatement, and in serious cases involving injury or death, potential criminal liability.
Carbon monoxide alarms are required in Ontario rental units that contain a fuel-burning appliance such as a furnace, boiler, gas stove, or water heater, a fireplace, or that share a wall, floor, or ceiling with a parking garage. CO alarms must be placed adjacent to each sleeping area and comply with CSA 6.19 or UL 2034.
Yes. The Ontario Fire Code requires landlords to keep dated inspection and test records on-site at the property and to retain at least the most recent inspection record and the one before it. These records must be available to fire inspectors upon request and written documentation must be provided to tenants.
Smoke alarms must be replaced when they are more than 10 years old. The manufacture date is printed on the back of the alarm. A smoke alarm older than 10 years does not meet Ontario Fire Code requirements regardless of whether it still appears to function.
LandlordEzy's Fire Safety Inspection is a mobile-first digital inspection tool built for Ontario landlords. It guides landlords through all 7 required inspection areas based on Ontario Fire Code O. Reg. 213/07, includes photo capture at every step, receipt storage for purchases, and generates a professional PDF report automatically on completion. Automatic reminders can be set for monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual inspections with email and SMS notifications sent to up to 3 recipients. It is included in the Self Management plan from $9.99 per month.
The property owner — the landlord — is responsible for fire safety compliance under the Ontario Fire Code. This responsibility cannot be transferred to tenants. Tenants are required to test smoke alarms monthly and notify landlords of any issues, but the legal obligation to install, maintain, and document fire safety equipment rests entirely with the landlord.
Yes. A tenant can file an application with the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board if a landlord fails to maintain fire safety equipment. This is considered a failure to maintain the property in a good state of repair under Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2006. The LTB may order a rent abatement requiring the landlord to repay a portion of rent for the period of non-compliance.
Ontario fire code compliance is not optional. The fine for a single non-compliant smoke alarm starts at $365. One LandlordEzy Self Management plan from $9.99 per month gives you a complete digital inspection system, automatic reminders, and documented proof of compliance — for less than the cost of a single violation.
Free account includes LandlordTalk, Landlord Reference Network, and basic property management tools. Fire Safety Inspection included with Self Management from $9.99/month.
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