Landlords · Oshawa
Glass, screens and windows for rental properties
More households rent in Oshawa than anywhere else in Durham, and the City's property-standards by-law spells out what rental windows, glass and screens need. Here are those clauses as a checklist for landlords and property managers. When something needs doing, we connect you with independent local glass pros who fix it properly, one unit or a whole building. Often it's a screen or a latch, not a new window.
- By-law clauses in plain words
- Several units, one request
- Openings covered, not left open
The by-law
What the property-standards by-law expects of windows, doors and screens
Oshawa's Property Standards By-law applies across the city, licensed rentals or not. In plain words, and not legal advice (our property standards guide goes clause by clause):
Weather-tight and in good repair
Windows, doors, storms and screens kept in good repair and weather-tight, including hardware, weatherstripping and caulking.
Reglazing
Cracked, broken or missing glass gets replaced; a crack isn't cosmetic. See broken window glass.
Screened openings
Every window that opens in a dwelling unit needs a screen. See window screen repair.
Egress
Every floor with a bedroom needs a window that opens without tools and is big enough to get out through.
Licensing
Rental licensing around Durham College, Ontario Tech and the Simcoe corridor
Oshawa licenses rentals only in set areas: around Durham College and Ontario Tech, and along the Simcoe Street corridor, under Licensing By-law 122-2024. Class B covers multi-unit buildings under one owner. Check the licensing map for your address, and the City's page for current fees.
Outside those areas there's no licence, but the same property standards apply. We can't say what an inspector will look at; the sound approach is to keep every rental to the clauses above.
Upper floors
Apartment windows above 2 m: safety devices
A 2025 amendment covers apartment windows that open, sit two metres or more above grade and don't lead to a balcony. They need a working safety device, such as a stop.
On older sliders and casements, that can mean adding or replacing a stop. A glass pro can note which windows fall under the clause and fit what's missing alongside other suite work. Worn latches are covered under window repair.
At turnover
Turnover checklist: screens, locks, cracked glass, drafts
An empty unit is the easiest time to get at the windows:
Screens
One on every openable window, no tears.
Glass
No cracks or chipped edges; no fog between the panes.
Locks and hardware
Latches lock, cranks turn, sliders slide.
Drafts
Weatherstripping and caulking intact.
Egress and safety stops
Bedroom windows open fully without tools; upper-floor stops work.
Permits
Multi-unit and condo buildings: permits aren't covered by the house exemption
Oshawa's permit exemption for same-size, same-type windows and doors is for houses only. For an apartment building or condo, check with the City first, even like for like. In a condo, also check the declaration: windows and balcony doors may not belong to the unit owner. Shop fronts in a mixed building are covered under commercial glass.
Access
Tenant access and temporary cover
The pro books visits with you; you arrange access and tenant notice.
If glass has to be ordered in winter, ask how the opening will be covered meanwhile. A board or temporary panel keeps the unit weather-tight, the by-law standard. No window should sit open while a sealed unit is on order.
Batching
One request for many units: how batching works
Send one request with the address and what each unit needs: unit 4, two torn screens; unit 7, a cracked bedroom pane.
We pass it to a local pro who takes on multi-unit work and quotes the batch, from photos or a walk-through. Missing screens? See custom window screens. Send your unit list when ready.
Questions
Questions from Oshawa landlords
Explore your options
Jobs that come up in rentals
Local pros take on rental and multi-unit work across Oshawa and nearby, including Downtown Oshawa, North Oshawa, Lakeview and Whitby.
Send the unit list
List the units and what each needs, with photos if you have them. We'll pass it to a local pro who quotes batches.