As per the Fire Code:

Smoke Alarm Installation and Maintenance Requirements

• Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas.

Responsibilities

• Homeowners and landlords must install and maintain smoke alarms on every storey of their home and outside all sleeping areas.

Landlords:

• Landlords are responsible for ensuring working smoke alarms are installed and maintained in their rental properties.
• The law requires landlords to test smoke alarms in rental units annually and when the battery is replaced, changes are made to the electric circuit or a change in tenancy occurs. Smoke alarms must be tested by pressing the test button.
• The law requires landlords to provide smoke alarm manufacturer’s maintenance instructions to tenants.

Tenants:

• Tenants are required by law to notify the landlord if the smoke alarm is inoperable.
• It is against the law for tenants to remove the batteries or tamper with the smoke alarm in any way.
• Tenants should contact their landlord immediately if they do not have the required number of smoke alarms.

Additional Best Practices:

• For added protection, install a smoke alarm in every bedroom of the home according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• It is recommended that smoke alarms be tested monthly or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Replace batteries in smoke alarms once a year or whenever the low-battery warning sounds. Know the difference between a low-battery warning and an emergency alarm – consult the smoke alarm manufacturer’s instructions.
• Replace smoke alarms in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Know what the “end-of-life” warning sounds like – consult the smoke alarm manufacturer’s instructions.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Installation and Maintenance Requirements

Houses:

• Any house containing a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace or an attached garage requires a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm installed adjacent to each sleeping area in the house. (Fuel-burning appliances include furnaces, hot water heaters, gas or wood fireplaces, portable fuel-burning heaters and generators, barbeques, stoves and vehicles.)

Apartments and Condominiums:

• If there is a fuel-burning appliance in a condo/apartment, a carbon monoxide alarm must be installed adjacent to each sleeping area.
• If the building has a service room, carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in the service room and adjacent to each sleeping area of all condos/apartments above, below and beside the service room.
• If the building has a garage, carbon monoxide alarms must be installed adjacent to each sleeping area of all condos/apartments above, below and beside the garage.

(In general, “adjacent to each sleeping area” means the hallway serving or area outside the sleeping area. For instance, a CO alarm must be installed in the hallway adjacent to multiple bedrooms in a house or apartment. However, there may be situations where “adjacent to each sleeping area” refers to the area around the bed, within the bedroom or sleeping area itself.)

Responsibilities:

• Homeowners and landlords must install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms as outlined above.

Landlords:

• Landlords are responsible to ensure working carbon monoxide alarms are installed and maintained in their rental properties.
• The law requires landlords to test CO alarms in rental units annually and when the battery is replaced, changes are made to the electric circuit or a change in tenancy occurs. CO alarms must be tested by pressing the test button.
• The law requires landlords to provide CO alarm manufacturer’s maintenance instructions to tenants.

Tenants:

• Tenants are required by law to notify the landlord if the CO alarm is inoperable.
• It is against the law for tenants to remove the batteries or tamper with the CO alarm in any way.

Additional Best Practices:

• For added protection, install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey of the home according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• It is recommended that carbon monoxide alarms be tested monthly or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Replace batteries in carbon monoxide alarms once a year or whenever the low-battery warning sounds. Know the difference between a low-battery warning and an emergency alarm – consult the CO alarm manufacturer’s instructions.
• Replace CO alarms in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Know what the “end-of-life” warning sounds like – consult the CO alarm manufacturer’s instructions.