Is water (hot water for example) usually included in rent? One lease I saw doesn't say it includes it and when I asked the landlord, he laughed and said "of course" and he told me he would just write it in for my sake.

I am under the impression that houses in Canada don't include water and while apartments do.

Ask him to include it in the lease agreement. Don't agree to a stupid verbal agreement as that is BS.

Just have him write it in, but water is generally included.

Have him write it in. I have friends who have rented places in which they had to pay their own electricity, cable bills, etc, and including water bills.

I have rented several places and have always had to pay for water, electricity etc., it's quite common. Make sure the landlord formally writes in his and your copy of the lease that water is included.

I see, so it isn't a stupid question afterall. Because he treated me like a 12-year-old or some dumb first year when I asked him to.

You can't generalize it as "houses don't include water and apartments do". It's different depending on how the landlord has set it up.

Also, if you asked the landlord about hot water, he might think of the actual hot water heater, which should be already in the house. You don't differentiate hot vs cold water when you pay for it - the difference comes in the energy used to heat the water, which is a separate bill.

So, the question "is water included" isn't a stupid question at all, since it depends on the landlord, but when you add in "hot water, for example" it sounds weird and doesn't really make much sense.