Before listing a Maple home, you may swap your own light fixtures and switches if the wiring stays put. Outlets, pot lights and aluminum or ungrounded wiring need a licensed electrician, and fixtures stay with the house unless excluded in writing.
A listing photo shows every ceiling in the house. In Maple, where newer builds sit a few streets from Old Maple's 1950s and 1960s homes, a cracked glass dome, a bare bulb or a mismatched set of fixtures reads as "this house has been neglected" faster than almost any other small flaw. The good news is that fixtures are among the cheapest things to fix. The catch is that Ontario treats electrical work more strictly than most homeowners expect, and the sale agreement adds a rule of its own.
What stays with the house when you sell
In an Ontario resale, items attached to the house (fixtures) are generally treated as included in the sale, while loose items (chattels) are generally excluded unless the agreement lists them. Hard-wired light fixtures normally fall on the "included" side; a floor lamp does not. Several Ontario real estate law firms point out that buyers often assume light fixtures convey, but sellers sometimes assume the opposite, and that is where closing-day arguments start.
If you plan to keep the dining room chandelier, the standard Ontario agreement has a place to write down fixtures excluded, and a verbal "we're taking that" or a line in the MLS listing is not enough. The cleaner route is to replace it before you list. Take the chandelier down, put up an inexpensive replacement, and ask your realtor or real estate lawyer to confirm how the agreement should describe it. Anything you do not want to hand over needs to be in writing before an offer, not after.
What you may replace yourself
The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) publishes the rule in its Bulletin 2-3-18, which explains Rule 2-005 of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. For the owner of a single dwelling unit, replacing a luminaire (a light fixture) or a general-use switch (including a dimmer, motion sensor or timer switch) does not require filing a notification of work, as long as:
- the new device goes in the same location and is interchangeable with the one it replaces;
- it is on a branch circuit of 15 A and 130 V or less; and
- it is approved equipment, meaning it carries a recognised certification mark.
The same bulletin spells out what the owner exemption does not cover: recessed lighting, aluminum or ungrounded wiring such as knob-and-tube, and any installing, extending, altering or repairing of wiring itself. Moving a fixture, adding a new one where there was none, or running a new cable needs a notification, and high-rise condominiums are not treated as single dwelling units at all. Receptacles (outlets) are not on the owner's list either; the bulletin exempts receptacle replacement only when a Licensed Electrical Contractor does it.
Where Old Maple and newer Maple differ
In a newer build, a fixture swap is usually a simple like-for-like job: the wiring is modern and grounded, and builder-grade fixtures are easy to upgrade. In an original Old Maple home, open the ceiling box first. If you find aluminum conductors, cloth-covered or ungrounded wiring, or a fixture that has been hot to the touch, you are outside the owner exemption and should stop and call a licensed electrician. Fixtures in older homes also tend to have been replaced several times by several people, so what looks like a ten-minute job can turn into a wiring repair. You can read more about what to check first in our guide to small repairs in an Old Maple 1950s home.
What is worth upgrading first
- Broken, yellowed or dated fixtures in the entry, kitchen and main living areas, since those are the rooms in the first photos.
- Burnt-out or mismatched bulbs. Use the same colour temperature throughout a room so the photos look consistent.
- Worn switches and cover plates. Cracked or discoloured plates are cheap to replace and noticeable in person.
- Dimmers in dining and living rooms, where an owner may swap a standard switch for a dimmer under the same exemption, if the dimmer is rated for the bulbs in use.
Leave anything that changes the wiring for after the sale, or finish it weeks before listing, not days. A new pot light layout, a fixture moved to the centre of the room, or a new circuit all need a notification filed with ESA, and that work is for a licensed contractor.
What it typically costs
General Canadian price guides put a straightforward ceiling light installation, where the wiring is already in place, at roughly $100 to $300 per fixture including labour, with a one-to-two-hour visit, and note that several fixtures in the same visit can lower the per-fixture price. A 2026 Canadian guide lists residential electrician rates of about $95 to $150 per hour in Toronto and the GTA. These are general estimates for the area, not quotes; fixture cost is extra, and aluminum wiring, high ceilings or a new location push the total up.
Quick answers
Can I replace my own light fixtures before selling my house in Ontario?
Yes, if you own a single dwelling, ESA lets you replace a luminaire or general-use switch without filing a notification. The new one must go in the same place, on a circuit of 15 A and 130 V or less.
Do light fixtures stay with the house when I sell in Ontario?
Usually yes. Hard-wired fixtures are generally treated as part of the house unless the agreement of purchase and sale lists them as excluded, so write any exclusion down.
Can I take my chandelier when I sell?
Only if you exclude it in writing in the agreement. Better still, replace it before you list, so buyers never see a bare ceiling box.
Can I swap an outlet myself in Ontario?
Not without a notification. ESA's owner exemption covers luminaires and general-use switches only, so receptacle replacement is for a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
How much does it cost to have a light fixture installed in Ontario?
General Canadian guides put a straightforward ceiling light swap at roughly $100 to $300 per fixture. Wiring problems, high ceilings and new locations cost more.
Do the walk-through before you list
Walk the house at night with every light on and write down every fixture that is cracked, mismatched or dead. Replace the ones the wiring allows you to, hire out the rest, and write down which fixtures you are keeping before the first showing. If you would rather have a price for the whole list, you can ask for a fixed price here.
Related reading
- All Rhodex services: get a fixed price
- Small Electrical Fixes in a Newer Maple Home: What Still Goes Wrong Under 20 Years Old
- Small Repairs in Maple: Why a Newer Build and an Old Maple Home Need Different Fixes
- Home repair guides for Maple
- How Do I Know If a Contractor Is Licensed in Ontario?
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