Sanitation, maintenance and safety of dwellings

Last updated June 18, 2025

Here you’ll find criteria for adequate and habitable housing, actions you can take if your home is unfit for habitation, and how an inspection is carried out.

Adequate and habitable housing

For a home to be considered adequate, it must be in good condition, pose no risk to the safety and health of its occupants, offer properly working amenities and be free of insects and rodents.

Plumbing, electrical wiring, drinking water, heating and airflow

Heating, plumbing, electricla wiring and drinking water supply must comply with safety and minimum comfort standards. The space must be well ventilated and free of mould.

Bed bugs, cockroaches, rats and mice

If there are harmful insects or rodents in the dwelling, the tenant must notify the landlord. Once notified, the landlord must act quickly.

In case of bed bugs, the landlord must immediately contact an exterminator who must then send a declaration of extermination to the city.

What to do in case of an unsanitary dwelling

The tenant must first contact the landlord. If the landlord does not act quickly, the tenant can then report the problem to the city, which will determine whether an inspection should be carried out.

Inspection and evacuation of a dwelling

The city has the right to intervene in a potential health, maintenance or safety situation in a rental dwelling. The city may also decide to have the dwelling evacuated.

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