You Already
Have To Do
Most of This
The City of Ottawa’s Rental Housing Property Management By-law has required an information document for every tenant since 2021 — kept current, with emergency evacuation content and a tenant support register. Most buildings do not meet it. Almost none know the currency clause exists.
The information document must be kept up to date, and tenants notified within thirty days of any change. Contact information changes must be reported within twenty-four hours.
On 1 January 2026 the City stopped collecting residential recycling. If your document said the City collects it — and almost every document in Ottawa did — that notice was due by 31 January.
What the by-law requires
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| An information document, to every tenant | New and existing. Must cover contacting the property manager, how to submit service requests, tenant responsibilities, emergency evacuation from the building, and accessibility features and equipment including ramps, power-assisted doors and elevators. |
| Kept current | Tenants notified within 30 days of a change. Contact information changes reported within 24 hours. |
| A tenant support register | A voluntary, confidential list of tenants who may need assistance, including in an emergency evacuation. Tenants must be told it exists and how to be added or removed. |
| Service requests, three channels | Must be accepted verbally, in writing, and by electronic text. |
| Integrated Pest Management plan | Standing treatment plans for bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, rats and mice. Provided to tenants before treatment and posted in the lobby. |
| Capital maintenance plan | Buildings of 3+ storeys or 10+ units. New owners have three months to produce one. |
| Enforcement | By-law officers may inspect and compel production of documents. |
Condominiums and housing co-operatives are exempt from sections 3–5. Verified 9 August 2026 against City of Ottawa published material; confirm against the by-law itself before relying on it.
Six questions, ninety seconds
Not a score. Just the questions a by-law officer could ask, and most operators cannot answer.
How this maps to the standard
THRESHOLD was written before we found this by-law, which makes the overlap more interesting rather than less. Requirement E-SAF-18 — telling residents the support register exists — was drafted as good practice. In Ottawa it has been law since 2021.
| By-law 2020-255 | THRESHOLD |
|---|---|
| Information document to every tenant | The package itself — 90 scored requirements across 25 stages |
| Emergency evacuation information | E-SAF-01 and E-SAF-15 — the evacuate-or-defend instruction, and the fire safety plan summary |
| Tenant support register, and telling tenants | E-SAF-18 — critical, Level 1 |
| Accessibility features and equipment | Pillar R — Rights |
| Service request process, three channels | Routing table with channels and response windows |
| Kept current, 30-day change notice | The currency principle — source tags and revalidation dates on every item |
| Pest plan provided and posted | Ambient placement, plus the no-blame reporting requirement |
If you are an Ottawa landlord, conformance with THRESHOLD Level 1 will carry you past most of what this by-law requires — and the standard and the self-assessment are free. You do not need us to get there.
What we sell is the verification, and the production work for operators who would rather not do it themselves. Score your building first; the number will tell you whether you need anything at all.
This page describes what the by-law requires and is not a determination of compliance with it. It is not legal advice, and CIONAOD Inc. is not a law firm. Confirm against the by-law as amended and with your own counsel.