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Tenant Repair Request Letter (Canada — ON, BC & Alberta)
Every repair remedy in Canadian tenancy law begins the same way: a dated, written request the landlord cannot later claim never happened. Verbal reports to the building manager evaporate; this letter does not. Our Canadian template adapts to your province — Ontario's s.20 standard with the LTB T6 behind it, British Columbia's s.32 duty with the narrow s.33 emergency mechanism, Alberta's s.16 habitability covenant with the RTDRS and public-health inspector behind it — and states the next step calmly enough that most landlords make sure it never happens.
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Formal Repair Request
Written Notice Under The Residential Tenancy Act (BC) · June 11, 2026
Hannah J. Leung
Suite 302, 2156 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6K 1N9
+1 (604) 555-0147
hannah.leung@email.ca
June 11, 2026
Kitsview Properties Ltd.
1500 West Georgia Street, Suite 1200, Vancouver BC V6G 2Z6
RE: FORMAL REPAIR REQUEST — WRITTEN NOTICE
British Columbia · Residential Tenancy Act (BC)
Dear Kitsview Properties Ltd.,
I am your tenant at the rental unit identified above. This letter is my formal written request that the repairs set out below be carried out, and it is given as notice under the Residential Tenancy Act (British Columbia). I would much rather this is resolved between us than anywhere else — the timelines and next steps below are stated so that we both know where the request stands.
I am your tenant at the rental unit identified above. This letter is my formal written request that the repairs set out below be carried out, and it is given as notice under the Residential Tenancy Act (British Columbia). I would much rather this is resolved between us than anywhere else — the timelines and next steps below are stated so that we both know where the request stands.
1.
THE TENANCY
Tenant: Hannah J. Leung
Rental unit: Suite 302, 2156 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6K 1N9
Landlord: Kitsview Properties Ltd.
Tenancy began: March 1, 2024
Province: British Columbia
Telephone: +1 (604) 555-0147
Email: hannah.leung@email.ca
Rental unit: Suite 302, 2156 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC V6K 1N9
Landlord: Kitsview Properties Ltd.
Tenancy began: March 1, 2024
Province: British Columbia
Telephone: +1 (604) 555-0147
Email: hannah.leung@email.ca
2.
THE REPAIRS REQUIRED
The following requires repair: The bathroom fan has been dead since April, and condensation now beads on the ceiling after every shower with mildew spotting in the corners. The kitchen tap drips continuously — roughly a cup an hour — and the seal on the bedroom window has failed, so the pane fogs and the sill collects water when it rains.
I first noticed the problem on or about April 12, 2026.
For the record, I have previously reported these problems verbally — I mentioned the fan and the tap to the building manager in the lobby on April 20 and again by phone on May 5; both times I was told it would be "passed along".
I first noticed the problem on or about April 12, 2026.
For the record, I have previously reported these problems verbally — I mentioned the fan and the tap to the building manager in the lobby on April 20 and again by phone on May 5; both times I was told it would be "passed along".
3.
YOUR REPAIR OBLIGATION
In British Columbia, under s.32, the landlord must provide and maintain the rental unit in a state that complies with health, safety and housing standards and that makes it suitable for occupation, having regard to its age, character and location. This letter is the written notice that engages that obligation, and it is intended to give you a fair and documented opportunity to perform it.
4.
TIMELINE REQUESTED
I ask that the repairs be completed — or, for any item that genuinely needs longer, that a written schedule be agreed — within 14 days of this letter. I will provide access on reasonable notice, and I am ready to coordinate appointment times that work for your contractors.
Do not withhold rent: in British Columbia unpaid rent exposes the tenant to a 10-day notice to end the tenancy, whatever the landlord's own breaches. The only statutory set-offs are the narrow ones the Act itself grants — reimbursement of completed s.33 emergency repairs the landlord failed to repay, or amounts an RTB order directs — and everything else goes through dispute resolution.
Do not withhold rent: in British Columbia unpaid rent exposes the tenant to a 10-day notice to end the tenancy, whatever the landlord's own breaches. The only statutory set-offs are the narrow ones the Act itself grants — reimbursement of completed s.33 emergency repairs the landlord failed to repay, or amounts an RTB order directs — and everything else goes through dispute resolution.
5.
URGENCY, HEALTH AND SAFETY
These conditions are degrading daily life in the unit now — I ask that they be prioritized ahead of the outside date above, and the timeline in this letter is a ceiling, not a target.
Health and safety: The mildew in the bathroom is spreading along the ceiling line and I am asthmatic — the fan repair is the item I ask you to treat as the priority.
Health and safety: The mildew in the bathroom is spreading along the ceiling line and I am asthmatic — the fan repair is the item I ask you to treat as the priority.
6.
REPAIR SPECIFICATION AND ACCESS
So that nothing is lost in translation to a contractor, the work requested is itemized:
1. Bathroom exhaust fan — no airflow at all (bathroom ceiling) — requested: repair or replace the fan and confirm venting to the exterior
2. Continuous drip from the kitchen mixer tap (kitchen) — requested: replace the cartridge or the tap
3. Failed double-glazing seal, fogging and water on the sill (bedroom window) — requested: reseal or replace the sealed unit
Access: I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can give access any time those days; otherwise any weekday after 5 p.m. with a day's notice.
Scheduling contact: please arrange times by email (hannah.leung@email.ca).
1. Bathroom exhaust fan — no airflow at all (bathroom ceiling) — requested: repair or replace the fan and confirm venting to the exterior
2. Continuous drip from the kitchen mixer tap (kitchen) — requested: replace the cartridge or the tap
3. Failed double-glazing seal, fogging and water on the sill (bedroom window) — requested: reseal or replace the sealed unit
Access: I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can give access any time those days; otherwise any weekday after 5 p.m. with a day's notice.
Scheduling contact: please arrange times by email (hannah.leung@email.ca).
7.
IF THIS LETTER IS NOT ACTED ON
I expect we will not need this paragraph — it is included so the next step is a matter of record rather than surprise. If the repairs are not performed, the route in British Columbia is an Application for Dispute Resolution to the Residential Tenancy Branch — the filing fee is $100 (waivable for low income), and for an unreturned deposit a tenant may use the expedited direct request process, available 20 days after the tenancy ends, which is decided on documents without a hearing. The remedies available there include an order that the work be done, a rent abatement for the period the unit fell short of the standard, and compensation for losses the disrepair caused. For completeness: for emergency repairs under s.33 — a closed list: major leaks in pipes or the roof, damaged or blocked water or sewer pipes, the primary heating system, defective locks, and the electrical system — the tenant may arrange the repair only after at least two attempts to reach the landlord's emergency contact and a reasonable wait, and the landlord must then reimburse against receipts and a written account; if the landlord does not, the cost may be deducted from rent. Everything outside that list goes through a written request and the RTB.
8.
RECORDS AND SERVICE OF THIS LETTER
Photographs of the conditions described above are enclosed with this letter and are dated. The record so far also includes:
1. Photo set — bathroom ceiling, mildew spotting, window sill (18 photos) (April 12 – June 8, 2026) — the conditions and their progression
2. My contemporaneous notes of the April 20 and May 5 verbal reports (April–May 2026) — the building manager was told twice before this letter
This letter is delivered by email and by registered mail, with both records retained. I keep a dated copy of this letter and of everything that follows it — if the matter ever reaches the RTB, the notice history starts here. If I have not heard from you within 7 days with a schedule, I will follow up once in writing before taking any further step.
1. Photo set — bathroom ceiling, mildew spotting, window sill (18 photos) (April 12 – June 8, 2026) — the conditions and their progression
2. My contemporaneous notes of the April 20 and May 5 verbal reports (April–May 2026) — the building manager was told twice before this letter
This letter is delivered by email and by registered mail, with both records retained. I keep a dated copy of this letter and of everything that follows it — if the matter ever reaches the RTB, the notice history starts here. If I have not heard from you within 7 days with a schedule, I will follow up once in writing before taking any further step.
9.
NEXT STEP
Please confirm in writing — email is fine — when the repairs will be carried out. I value the tenancy and a working relationship with you, and a dated schedule is all this letter is asking for. All my rights under the Residential Tenancy Act (BC) are reserved.
YOURS TRULY,
Hannah J. Leung
Tenant
Date: ____________________
TENANT
Hannah J. Leung
Date: ____________________
Available as a print-ready PDF or an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
What Is a Tenant Repair Request Letter?
A repair request letter is the formal written notice a tenant gives a landlord that something in the rental unit needs fixing — and in Canada it is much more than a courtesy. In Ontario, the Landlord and Tenant Board considers whether the tenant advised the landlord before applying when it sets remedies on a T6, and the landlord's reasonableness is judged from the moment of notice. In British Columbia, the Residential Tenancy Branch expects a documented request before dispute resolution. In Alberta, a habitability complaint to the RTDRS or an Environmental Public Health inspector reads entirely differently when a dated letter shows the landlord knew and sat still. One letter, three legal systems — this template writes the correct one for the province you pick.
The legal duties differ more than most Canadian tenants expect. Ontario's s.20(1) requires a good state of repair, fitness for habitation and compliance with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards — even for defects that pre-date the tenancy. British Columbia's s.32 requires the unit to meet health, safety and housing standards and be suitable for occupation given its age, character and location. Alberta's s.16 makes habitability — the Minimum Housing and Health Standards under the Public Health Act — a covenant of every tenancy, whose breach is a "substantial breach" with its own remedies. The letter cites the right duty so the landlord's lawyer has nothing to correct.
British Columbia adds a mechanism the other provinces do not have: s.33 emergency repairs. For a closed list — major leaks in pipes or the roof, damaged or blocked water or sewer pipes, the primary heating system, defective locks, the electrical system — a tenant who has tried the landlord's emergency contact at least twice and waited a reasonable time may arrange the repair at reasonable cost and claim reimbursement against receipts; if the landlord does not repay, the amount may be deducted from rent. Used precisely it is the fastest remedy in Canadian tenancy law; used loosely it becomes an arrears fight — the Expert section writes it with its conditions, and only for BC.
What's Covered in This Template
The letter adapts to your province and escalates in the right direction — request, obligation, deadline, consequence.
Province Switch (ON / BC / AB)
The correct statute, repair standard, dispute body and fees for Ontario, British Columbia or Alberta — selected once, applied throughout.
Problem Description With Dates
What is broken, where, since when, and what you have already reported — verbal history converted into a written record.
The Legal Duty, Cited
Ontario s.20(1), BC s.32 or Alberta s.16 with the Minimum Housing and Health Standards — the sentence a property manager forwards to the owner.
A Deadline That Reads Reasonably
Your completion timeline with a written-schedule alternative for genuinely longer jobs — firm without being theatrical.
BC Emergency Mechanism
The s.33 closed list, the two contact attempts, the reimbursement-against-receipts route — written with its conditions, only where it applies.
Urgency Tiers
Routine, urgent or emergency framing — including the health-and-safety dimension that moves schedules (mould, asthma, children).
Contractor-Ready Scope List
Item, location, requested action — "fix the bathroom" becomes a work order a tradesperson can price.
Access Offered in Advance
Your availability windows stated in the letter — deleting "the tenant wouldn't let us in" before it is ever said.
Escalation Ladder With Fees
LTB T6 at $48, RTB dispute resolution at $100, RTDRS at $75/$150 — the consequence named calmly, with the free inspector route added.
Proof of Service
Email receipt, registered mail or both, stated inside the letter — plus a 7-day follow-up trigger that shows patience on the record.
How to Create Your Repair Request Letter
Five steps from broken to documented.
- 1
Pick Your Province
Ontario, British Columbia or Alberta — the statute, the urgent-repair rules and the escalation body all follow from it.
- 2
Describe the Problems
What, where, since when — and whether you have reported them before, verbally or in writing.
- 3
Set the Deadline
Fourteen days is a common ask for routine work; urgent items justify less, and the letter says so without drama.
- 4
Add the Expert Machinery
Urgency classification (with the BC s.33 mechanism where it applies), the itemized scope list, access windows, and the escalation paragraph with fees.
- 5
Send It Provably
Email with receipt, registered mail, or both — the delivery method is stated in the letter itself, because this letter is Exhibit A.
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Legal Considerations
A repair request works twice: once on the landlord, and once as the first page of the tribunal file.
This template provides general information for tenants in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta and is not legal advice. For unheated units in winter, sewage or electrical hazards, contact your municipality or health authority immediately as well. Quebec tenancies are governed by the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) and are not covered. For other provinces, the framework differs — get local advice.
Reviewed for Canadian residential tenancy law (ON · BC · AB)
Three Provinces, Three Duties
Ontario: s.20(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 — repair, habitability and standards, enforceable by a T6 at the Landlord and Tenant Board with abatement and repair orders. British Columbia: s.32 of the Residential Tenancy Act — health, safety and housing standards, enforceable through Residential Tenancy Branch dispute resolution ($100, waivable). Alberta: s.16 of the Residential Tenancies Act — the habitability covenant tied to the Minimum Housing and Health Standards, whose breach is a substantial breach enforceable at the RTDRS ($75 for claims to $7,500 from April 2026) or the Alberta Court of Justice. The letter writes the matching framework automatically.
Never Withhold Rent — In Any Province
In Ontario, arrears bring an N4 and an eviction application; in British Columbia, a 10-day notice; in Alberta, non-payment is itself a substantial breach with a 14-day termination notice behind it. No Canadian province lets a tenant simply stop paying because repairs are outstanding. The narrow exceptions are statutory and precise — BC's s.33 reimbursement deduction after a completed emergency repair the landlord refused to repay, or amounts a tribunal orders — and the letter states the discipline in every provincial branch, because protecting your tenancy is part of winning the repair.
The Emergency Lane Is Narrow
BC's s.33 covers major leaks, water and sewer pipes, the primary heating system, defective locks and electrical systems — after at least two attempts to reach the landlord's emergency contact and a reasonable wait, with receipts and a written account for reimbursement. Ontario and Alberta have no equivalent self-help right: there, "emergency" framing accelerates the landlord and grounds the urgency on the record, while the work remains the landlord's to do. Claiming the BC mechanism outside BC is exactly the kind of error this template exists to prevent.
When the Letter Is Ignored
Escalation differs by province but rhymes: Ontario tenants file the T6 — our LTB T6 maintenance application template builds the submissions — and can pair conduct issues on a T2 (see our LTB T2 tenant rights template); British Columbia tenants apply to the RTB; Alberta tenants to the RTDRS, with an Environmental Public Health inspection in parallel. A municipal property standards order in Ontario is treated as evidence of non-compliance. At tenancy's end, the deposit fight has its own letter — our tenant deposit return demand — and the landlord-side paperwork is visible in our eviction notice, notice of lease violation and residential lease agreement templates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Put the Repair on the Record — in the Right Province's Words
Create your tenant repair request letter in minutes: the correct statute for Ontario, British Columbia or Alberta, a contractor-ready scope list, the BC emergency mechanism where it applies, and the escalation ladder with fees — sent provably. Download the PDF free, or unlock Expert for the urgency, access, escalation and service machinery.
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