In a Markham Centre condo, a like-for-like faucet or toilet swap needs no City permit, but altering pipes does. Wiring work needs an ESA notification, and who pays for a leak depends on your condo's standard unit definition.
High-rise living changes small repairs. Your tap or outlet is yours to deal with, but the pipe behind the wall, the riser to the floor above and the building's insurance are shared. Before you call anyone for a dripping fixture or a dead outlet, it helps to know three things: what the City requires, what the Electrical Safety Authority requires, and what your condo corporation's documents say.
Start with your standard unit definition
The Condominium Authority of Ontario explains that condo corporations are generally responsible for repairing damage to common elements and to the "standard unit". Standard units generally include walls, doors and plumbing, but your building's own standard unit by-law (or, if there isn't one, the schedule the developer provided) says exactly what counts. Anything outside that definition is an improvement, and repairs to improvements are the owner's responsibility, as is normal wear and tear.
In practice, a failed supply line inside the wall is probably the corporation's problem. A leak from a rain-head shower, heated floor or upgraded vanity you or a previous owner installed is probably yours. The Act also lets a declaration change these defaults, so read the documents rather than assuming.
What the City of Markham requires for plumbing
The City's building permit guidance is short and clear: replacing existing taps, tubs, toilets or sinks does not require a permit, while installing new plumbing, or any work that alters or repairs the pipes in the plumbing system, does require a building permit. A like-for-like toilet swap is fine. Moving a sink, adding a second vanity or re-piping a laundry closet is not.
In a condo, a permit is only part of it. Shutting water off for a fixture swap usually means a unit shut-off valve; if yours is missing or seized, the building's water may have to be shut off for the stack, which means notice to management. Ask the property manager what notice the building requires before a plumber arrives.
What the Electrical Safety Authority requires
ESA says the Ontario Electrical Safety Code requires almost all electrical work to be reported through a notification of work (often called a permit), and that almost all electrical work must be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. Its Bulletin 2-3-18 lists the basic exemptions:
- Replacing utilization equipment, receptacles or switches in a dwelling unit, when a Licensed Electrical Contractor does it.
- Replacing luminaires and general-use switches in a single dwelling unit, when the single dwelling unit owner does it.
- Connecting or replacing appliances, and repairs on existing equipment, in a dwelling unit.
- Low-voltage wiring on a Class 2 power supply, such as a doorbell or thermostat circuit.
The same bulletin is explicit that the exemption does not cover installing, extending, altering or repairing electrical wiring, so a new outlet, a new circuit or a relocated switch needs a notification. ESA also notes that a building permit is a separate thing from an electrical notification. ESA's homeowner page says homeowners may only do electrical work in their own home or rental building, and does not address condo units specifically, so call ESA at 1-877-372-7233 if you plan to do anything yourself.
When a small leak becomes a big bill
The Condominium Authority of Ontario notes that an owner is responsible for paying the corporation's insurance deductible, or the cost of the repair, whichever is less, if they or their guests cause the damage, and that a corporation's by-laws can extend this. A badly done fixture swap that floods the unit below is the classic case. Owners are not required by law to carry insurance, but the CAO says an owner's policy needs to cover improvements and personal property, and your governing documents may require it.
Balconies and other exclusive-use areas
A balcony outlet, a balcony drain or anything fixed to the outside of the tower is not purely in-suite work. For exclusive-use common elements, the CAO says the owner and corporation must agree on changes and on who maintains them afterward. Raise it with management before work starts.
Quick answers
Who pays to fix a leaking pipe in my Ontario condo?
It depends on your condo's standard unit definition. Plumbing is generally part of the standard unit, so the corporation usually repairs it, but damage to upgrades or non-standard items is generally the owner's. Check your declaration and standard unit by-law.
Do I need a permit to replace a toilet or faucet in Markham?
No. The City of Markham says replacing existing taps, tubs, toilets or sinks does not require a permit. Adding new fixtures or altering or repairing pipes does need a building permit.
Can I replace a light fixture in my condo myself?
Ontario's electrical code exempts replacing luminaires and general-use switches from notification only for a single dwelling unit owner. Condo rules and your own insurance may still matter, so check with your corporation and ESA if unsure.
When does electrical work in a condo need an ESA notification?
Almost any new installation, and any work that installs, extends, alters or repairs wiring, needs a notification filed with the Electrical Safety Authority. Swapping receptacles or switches like for like by a licensed electrical contractor is exempt.
Do I need to tell my condo corporation before in-suite work?
Check your declaration and rules first, because they can add requirements. Work touching shared pipes, risers or exclusive-use common elements such as balconies needs the corporation involved. Rhodex can quote small in-suite jobs: https://rhodex.ca/get-a-quote.html?from=condo-in-suite-plumbing-electrical-fixes-markham-centre.
Before you book anyone
Read your standard unit by-law, ask management about water shut-off notice, and confirm that anyone touching wiring is a Licensed Electrical Contractor who will file the notification. Those three checks prevent most of the expensive surprises in a tower.
Related reading
- Do I Need Condo Board Approval for a Small Exterior Job in Concord?
- Small Electrical Fixes in a Cornell Home
- More home repair guides for Markham
- How Do I Know If a Contractor Is Licensed in Ontario?
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