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Property management · Emergencies (Canada)

Emergency maintenance answering in Canada

In Canada, part of what counts as a maintenance emergency is written into provincial law. Ontario protects vital services and sets a minimum temperature, Toronto sets a higher one, and in British Columbia a tenant who can’t reach your emergency contact after two calls can have the repair done and ask you to pay. A line that answers every time is the simplest protection.

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Heat and vital services in Ontario and Toronto

Ontario lists heat among a tenant’s vital services for part of the year. Many cities set their own standard; Toronto’s is higher than the province’s.

Heating and vital service rules for landlords in Ontario and Toronto
RuleOntario (where no local by-law applies)Toronto
Minimum temperature20°C21°C
Heating periodSeptember 1 to June 15September 15 to June 1
Applies whenThe landlord provides heatThe unit is normally heated at the landlord’s expense
Vital servicesHot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas and, during part of the year, heatThe provincial rule applies

Sources: Landlord and Tenant Board, Maintenance and repairs; City of Toronto By-law 646-2018, Municipal Code Chapter 497, Heating, both read October 18, 2026. Other Ontario municipalities set their own standards. General information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state, province and city, so check yours.

Entering a unit in Ontario

Emergencies are the one time an Ontario landlord may enter without notice. For everything else, the notice has to be in writing.

When an Ontario landlord may enter a rental unit
SituationNoticeWhen
An emergencyNone neededAny time
A repair or other workIn writing, at least 24 hours before, with the reason, the date and the timeBetween 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The tenant agrees at the doorNone, with the tenant’s consent at the timeWhen they agree

Source: Landlord and Tenant Board, Interpretation Guideline 19, The landlord’s right of entry (Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, sections 26 and 27), read October 18, 2026. Your virtual receptionist records whether the tenant agrees to entry; your team still sends the written notice. General information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state, province and city, so check yours.

British Columbia: why an unanswered emergency line costs money

In B.C., an emergency repair is one that’s urgent, necessary for health or safety, and made to one of five things.

Those five are major leaks in pipes or the roof; damaged or blocked water or sewer pipes or plumbing fixtures; the primary heating system; damaged or defective locks that give access to a rental unit; and the electrical systems.

If a tenant calls the landlord’s emergency contact at least twice, with a reasonable time in between, and gets no answer, they can pay for the repair themselves and ask to be repaid (Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, Repairs and maintenance, read October 18, 2026). Your virtual receptionist answers the first call, every time, puts the emergency through to your contact and emails your backup at once.

The B.C. list matches the triage table

Every item on B.C.’s emergency list is already an emergency in our emergency maintenance triage table. Check your own list against both.

A January night in Toronto

No heat in winter, in degrees Celsius. The virtual receptionist asks for the temperature, gives the one safety rule, and puts the call through.

Sample call · Danforth Residential, Toronto (example company)
  1. AI receptionistThanks for calling Danforth Residential. I’m an AI assistant. This call is recorded and transcribed so we can handle your request. How can I help you today?
  2. CallerThere’s no heat in my apartment. It’s freezing.
  3. AI receptionistI’m sorry. Do you know the temperature inside? The thermostat shows it.
  4. CallerIt says 17 degrees.
  5. AI receptionistThank you. Please don’t use the oven or the stove to heat the apartment: it’s a carbon monoxide risk. What’s your address and unit?
  6. Caller410 Danforth Avenue, unit 305.
  7. AI receptionistNo heat in winter is an emergency, so I’m putting you through to our on-call technician now.

Build it yourself

Set it up for Canadian rules

The same settings as any emergency line, with your province’s and city’s rules in step 9.

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You set all of this yourself in the 365vox portal, on the Customize screen. Everything saves as you type; then you submit, test the agent with a real call and activate it.

Customize · your agent

  1. Step 4, Forward to a personThe number you give tenants as your emergency contact.
  2. Step 7, When your agent answersAfter hours, or 24/7 if your office line goes to voicemail.
  3. Step 8, Call notificationsOn-call, a backup and the manager, so a missed transfer still reaches someone at once.
  4. Step 9, Business rulesFrom September 15 to June 1, no heat is an emergency. Ask for the temperature inside. (Toronto’s dates; use your city’s.) Then the rest of your emergency list.
  5. Step 10, Things your agent will never doAdd Never tell a tenant when someone will enter their home: entry notice comes from your team, in writing.

Where call data is stored

Call data is stored in the United States, for customers in the United States and Canada.

Some of our providers may process it elsewhere to provide the service; our Data Processing Addendum lists them. Information stored or processed outside Canada may be accessible to courts and authorities there. See PIPEDA and PHIPA and the AI receptionist in Canada.

Comparing virtual receptionist services?

Live answering services usually sell monthly plans of minutes or calls. 365vox is an AI virtual receptionist that answers forwarded calls on the first ring, day and night, follows your approved answers and costs $0.75 a minute, billed by the second, with no plan.

The virtual receptionist, minus the call center

Emergency maintenance in Canada FAQs

What are vital services in Ontario?
Hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas and, during part of the year, heat, according to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
What temperature must an Ontario landlord keep a unit at?
Where the landlord provides heat and no local by-law sets a higher standard, 20°C from September 1 to June 15, according to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
What is Toronto’s minimum heat rule?
At least 21°C from September 15 to June 1 in units normally heated at the landlord’s expense, under Municipal Code Chapter 497.
Can an Ontario landlord enter without notice in an emergency?
Yes. In an emergency no notice is needed. For repairs, the landlord must give written notice at least 24 hours before, for a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
What counts as an emergency repair in British Columbia?
A repair that’s urgent, necessary for health or safety, and made to major leaks, water or sewer pipes and plumbing fixtures, the primary heating system, locks that give access to a unit, or the electrical systems.
What can a B.C. tenant do if the landlord doesn’t answer?
After calling the emergency contact at least twice, with a reasonable time in between, they can pay for the emergency repair and ask to be repaid, according to the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre.
Where is the call data kept?
Call data is stored in the United States, for customers in the United States and Canada. Information stored or processed outside Canada may be accessible to courts and authorities there. See PIPEDA and PHIPA.
Is there a US version of this page?
Yes: the emergency maintenance line page, with US heat rules for New York City and Chicago.

Answered on the first call, every time. In Canada, that matters.

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