The intercom handset in your apartment is broken: who fixes it
A broken intercom handset in a rental apartment is generally the landlord’s repair, because the entry system is part of the building. In Ontario the Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord responsible for keeping the building in a good state of repair. In BC, landlords handle most repairs and tenants must request them in writing. Report it in writing, describe the symptom, and keep a copy.
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Some buildings have no phone number in the lobby panel at all. Instead there is a handset or speaker box on the wall inside each unit, wired back to the lobby. When that box dies, crackles or will not open the door, the fix is in the building, not in your phone.
How do you know it is the handset and not the panel?
| What happens | Likely fault |
|---|---|
| Your handset never rings, neighbours’ do | Your handset or its wiring |
| Nobody in the building gets buzzed | The lobby panel or its power |
| It rings but you hear only static | Handset, wiring, or panel audio |
| You talk fine but the door will not open | The door release, a building repair |
| It buzzes on its own | Wiring fault, report it promptly |
Ask one neighbour whether theirs works. That single question tells the building whether to send someone to your unit or to the lobby, and it gets the repair done faster. Matching other symptoms to their fault.
Who pays to fix it?
In Ontario, section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord responsible for keeping the building in a good state of repair and for meeting health, safety and maintenance standards. An entry system is part of the building the landlord provides. More on Ontario tenancies and the buzzer.
In BC, the provincial government says landlords are responsible for most repairs to a rental unit, including damage from normal wear and tear. Damaged or defective locks that give access to a rental unit are on its list of emergency repairs. A handset is not a lock, but a door that cannot be released for visitors is worth saying plainly in your request.
How should you report it?
- Check one neighbour Find out whether the fault is only your unit or the whole building.
- Write it down Email or text the landlord or property manager. BC requires repair requests in writing, and in Ontario a written record is what you can rely on later.
- Describe the symptom Say what happens, since when, and whether neighbours are affected. Use the word intercom or enterphone, whichever the building uses.
- Keep a copy Save the message and any reply. Follow up in writing if nothing happens in a reasonable time.
Why can’t you just buy a new handset?
Handsets are matched to the panel brand and the wiring in the walls. A wrong one can fail to ring, or upset other units on the same line. It is also building property, so replacing it yourself can turn the building’s repair into your problem.
Getting by until it is fixed
Put a note with your mobile number in your delivery instructions, so couriers call you rather than the dead handset. What to write. For visitors, share your number and meet them at the door.
While you are writing to the building, ask whether the panel can also dial a phone number for your unit. Many newer panels can. If yours does, BuzzMeBro gives the apartment a local number for that field and rings up to 4 phones at once, so nobody waits by a box on the wall. Start free.
Questions people ask
Is a broken intercom handset an emergency repair?
Usually not on its own. In BC, defective locks that give access to a unit are an emergency repair, so say so clearly if the door itself cannot be opened. Otherwise it is an ordinary repair to request in writing.
Can I connect the handset to my cell phone?
No. A hardwired handset is connected to the lobby by its own wiring, not by a phone line. A mobile can only be reached by a panel that dials phone numbers.
My landlord says the system is too old to fix. What now?
Ask in writing what the plan is, since the building still has to let your visitors reach you. Older systems are often replaced with panels that dial phone numbers. How those panels work.
Does BuzzMeBro fix a broken handset?
No. BuzzMeBro works with lobby panels that dial a phone number. It cannot repair wiring or a handset. If your building can store a phone number for your unit, BuzzMeBro makes that number ring everyone in the apartment.