In short
- Ontario's standard lease has no printed line for snow; it goes in as an 'Other' service in section 6 or an additional term in section 15.
- The Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord responsible for keeping the residential complex, common areas included, in good repair.
- Ottawa's Property Maintenance By-law puts hazardous snow or ice on roofs and surrounding lands on the owner or occupant of the building.
- HomeStars puts Ottawa driveway and sidewalk clearing at $40–$150 a visit, or $300–$1,800+ a winter on contract.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway and sidewalk, per visit | $40–$150 | HomeStars Ottawa page; depends on driveway size and snowfall |
| Residential seasonal contract | $300–$1,800+ | HomeStars Ottawa page, per winter |
| Parking lots and entrances, per visit | $150–$300+ | HomeStars Ottawa commercial range; fits a building with a shared lot |
| One-time service | $60–$120 an hour | HomeStars Ottawa page |
Sources. Prices: HomeStars, Snow removal services in Ottawa, section ‘What are the average costs of snow removal in Ottawa?’, seen 29.10.2026. Lease: Ontario, Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease), form 2229E (2020/12), sections 6, 13 and 15, seen 29.10.2026; Ontario, Guide to Ontario’s standard lease and its PDF guide, part J, seen 29.10.2026. Ontario law: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 2, 20, 29, 33, 34 and 224, O. Reg. 517/06, Maintenance Standards, ss. 1 and 26, Occupiers’ Liability Act, ss. 1, 6.1 and 8, and Your rights when signing or cancelling a contract, seen 29.10.2026. City of Ottawa: Property Maintenance By-law No. 2005-208, ss. 5 to 7 and penalties; Rental Housing Property Management By-law No. 2020-255, ss. 6 to 12; Property Standards By-law No. 2013-416; Clearing snow from your property, seen 29.10.2026. Published ranges are typical prices; the company that calls you quotes its own.
Start with the lease
Ontario’s Standard Form of Lease is required for most tenancies. Snow has no printed line in it. Section 6 lists gas, air conditioning, extra storage, laundry and guest parking with Yes or No boxes, plus three blank “Other” lines. A landlord who clears the lot as part of the rent can write it there.
Section 15 holds additional terms, in plain language saying what each side must or must not do. “Tenant clears the driveway, front walk and steps of the lower unit after each snowfall; landlord supplies the salt” settles more than “tenant responsible for snow”. The form adds a limit: a term that takes away a right or responsibility under the Residential Tenancies Act is void.
What Ontario puts on the landlord
Section 20 of the Act makes the landlord responsible for keeping the residential complex in a good state of repair and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. The complex includes all common areas and the services and facilities residents use. The tenant answers for ordinary cleanliness of the unit (section 33) and for undue damage caused wilfully or negligently (section 34).
The province’s maintenance standards, O. Reg. 517/06, require exterior common areas, pathways and parking areas among them, to be free of unsafe accumulations of ice and snow. Section 224 of the Act applies them where no municipal property standards by-law applies, or in prescribed circumstances. Ottawa also has its own Property Standards By-law, No. 2013-416, so the City rules below are the ones to read next.
Ottawa’s by-laws: owner, occupant and the street
Section 5 of the Property Maintenance By-law: every owner or occupant of a building shall keep the roofs and surrounding lands free of accumulations of snow or ice that might create an accident hazard. The by-law names both. Rental roofs are covered on the roof snow removal page.
Two rules apply whoever holds the shovel. Snow stays off the street, sidewalk, pathways and parks under the Use and Care of Roads By-law. The City puts the plow’s ridge at the driveway end on property owners; return trips are on the windrow clearing page.
Raising it with the landlord
Ottawa’s Rental Housing Property Management By-law requires landlords (some housing types are exempt) to run a procedure for tenant service requests. It must accept written, verbal and electronic text (SMS or email) requests and keep a record of each: date and time, address and unit, urgency, actions taken and outcome. On request, the tenant gets that record in writing within 30 days.
Non-urgent requests get a response within seven days. The urgent list, with a 24-hour response window, names loss of vital services, security concerns, problems with accessibility features and equipment, and anything that can reasonably make a unit uninhabitable. Describe what the ice blocks and for whom, and keep the record. A tenant can also apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an order that the landlord breached section 20.
When someone falls on a rental’s ice
The Occupiers’ Liability Act calls an occupier anyone in physical possession of premises or with control over their condition, and allows more than one. Section 8 gives a landlord who is responsible for maintenance the occupier’s duty of care for dangers from failing at it. Section 6.1 requires written notice of a snow or ice injury claim within 60 days, to an occupier or to the snow contractor it hired. The walkway and steps page covers the hand-shovelled areas.
Booking clearing for a rental
Whoever signs the snow contract is the company’s client. Ontario names snow removal among services over $50 that should have a written contract. A written estimate can be exceeded by 10% at most without a signed change, and a contract signed at home has a 10-day cooling-off period.
For a rental, the quote should list:
- every unit covered, with parking spaces and driveways by unit
- walks and steps to each entrance, basement and side doors included
- trigger depth, windrow returns, salt and contract dates
- the contact on site, and who gets the invoice if the payer differs from the signer
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Snow Desk passes your request, from a landlord or a tenant, to one independent local snow company. That company calls you back, prices the clearing and does the work. Lease questions go to the Landlord and Tenant Board or a lawyer.
Questions people ask
The lease says nothing about snow. Who clears it?
Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act puts upkeep of the residential complex on the landlord, and the lease guide names parking lots among common areas. For your own unit, the Landlord and Tenant Board answers at 1-888-332-3234, weekdays 8:30 to 5.
Can a lease make the tenant shovel?
Section 15 allows additional terms, and any term that takes away a right or responsibility under the Act is void. Whether a snow term holds in a given tenancy is a question for the Board or a lawyer.
Can a tenant hold back rent until the walk is cleared?
The ministry’s lease guide says the tenant must pay rent even with maintenance problems, tell the landlord, and apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board if needed.
Who clears the windrow at a rented house?
The City says property owners are responsible for it. If the lease gives the driveway to the tenant, the term should say whether the windrow is included.
Does the City step in if nobody clears a hazard?
It sends a notice to the owner or occupant. If that is ignored, the City may do the work at the owner’s expense, and daily fines on conviction run from $500 to $10,000.
