Ontario Landlord Guide › How do you evict a tenant in Ontario in 2026?

How do you evict a tenant in Ontario in 2026?

Last updated October 24, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Short answer: In four steps, and only through the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Give the tenant the right notice for your reason, apply to the LTB (L1, L2 or L3), attend the hearing, then file the eviction order with the sheriff. A tenancy can end only in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act (s. 37(1)), and you can't take the unit back yourself unless the tenant has moved out or abandoned it, or an LTB order allows it (s. 39).

Official source: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 37(1) and 39 · Last checked Oct 2026

This guide is the map. Each step links to a detailed page with worked dates. It applies where the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) covers the unit; if your renter shares your kitchen or bathroom and you live there, see renting rooms in your home.

Step 1: give the right notice for your reason

Your reason	Notice	Minimum notice	Then apply with
Rent not paid	N4	7 days, plus 5 days if mailed (s. 59(1))	L1
Rent paid late again and again	N8	60 days, ending on the last day of a rental period or term (s. 58)	L2
Noise or interfering with others	N5	20 days, and the tenant has 7 days to stop (s. 64(2))	L2
Damage to the unit	N5	20 days, and the tenant has 7 days to repair or pay (s. 62)	L2
You, a family member or a buyer will live there	N12	60 days, ending on the last day of a rental period or term (s. 48, s. 49)	L2
Demolition, conversion or major repairs	N13	120 days, ending on the last day of a rental period or term (s. 50(2))	L2
The tenant gave notice or agreed to leave, then stayed	N9 or N11	No landlord notice needed	L3

Other notices cover illegal acts (N6) and serious problems in the unit (N7). Download every form fresh from the LTB forms page: ten forms were replaced on September 21, 2026 and the old versions aren't accepted as of November 30, 2026 (see which forms changed).

Step 2: apply to the LTB on time

Rent (N4 and L1). You can't file before the day after the termination date (s. 74(1)), and there is no 30-day limit (s. 69(3)). The N4 is void if the tenant pays everything owing before you file (s. 59(3)).
Every other notice. File no later than 30 days after the termination date in the notice (s. 69(2)). Miss it and you start again with a new notice.
N5 notices. You can't apply during the tenant's 7-day period to fix the problem (s. 70). If the tenant stops or corrects it within 7 days, the first N5 is void (s. 64(3)); if it happens again within six months, a second N5 needs only 14 days (s. 68).
N12 and N13. An N12 application must be filed with the required affidavit or declaration at the same time, or the LTB refuses it (s. 71.1). Compensation rules apply; see N12 compensation.
Fee. An L1 or L2 costs $201, or $186 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal (LTB fees page). Fees are non-refundable.

Step 3: the hearing

Bring your records. The notice, how and when you gave it, a rent ledger, photos and messages. The LTB decides on evidence, not on what the lease says.
The LTB must consider relief from eviction. Even if your case is proven, it must review all the circumstances before ordering an eviction (s. 83(2)). It can refuse the application unless it is satisfied that refusing would be unfair, or it can postpone the eviction (s. 83(1)).
Some situations force a refusal. The LTB must refuse to evict if you are in serious breach of your own duties under the Act or the lease, such as repairs, or if the real reason for the application is that the tenant complained to a government authority (for example a property standards complaint), tried to enforce their legal rights, joined or organized a tenants' association, or has children living in the unit without overcrowding (s. 83(3)). Fix repair problems before you file, and keep records of them.
N12 and N13 cases need compensation first. The LTB won't issue the eviction order until you have paid the compensation the Act requires (s. 83(4)).
In rent cases the tenant can still pay. The L1 is discontinued if, before the order is issued, the tenant pays the arrears, any new rent owing and your filing fee (s. 74(2)). An order based on unpaid rent is void if the tenant pays everything before it becomes enforceable (s. 74(4)). See the rules for what a tenant can raise at the hearing.

Step 4: the sheriff, not you

The order can't take effect before the termination date in your notice, apart from a few damage and safety exceptions (s. 80).
Only the sheriff enforces it. An eviction order has the same effect, and is enforced in the same way, as a writ of possession (s. 85).
File it within six months. The order expires six months after it takes effect if you haven't filed it with the sheriff for the area where the unit is (s. 81).
If the tenant stays past the end of the tenancy, you're entitled to compensation for the use of the unit (s. 86), and you can ask for it in your application.

What you can't do, at any step

Change the locks or remove the tenant yourself (s. 39). See changing the locks.
Seize the tenant's belongings for unpaid rent (s. 40).
Cut off heat, water, hydro or other vital services (s. 21(1)). See the heat rules.
Rely on a void lease clause as your reason, such as a "move out at the end of the year" term. See void lease clauses.

Worked example: unpaid rent

Rent of $1,800 is due Sunday, November 1, 2026 and isn't paid.

On Monday, November 2, 2026, you hand the tenant an N4 for $1,800 with a termination date of Monday, November 9, 2026, the earliest allowed (7 days). Mailed instead, it would count as given 5 days later.
The tenant pays nothing. On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the day after the termination date, you file an L1 with a copy of the N4 and the Certificate of Service, and pay $186 through the Portal.
Before the hearing the tenant pays some rent. You record the date and amount and bring an updated ledger, because the amount owing at the hearing is what counts.
If the LTB orders an eviction and the tenant doesn't pay everything before it becomes enforceable, you file the order with the sheriff within six months. You don't change the locks yourself.

Work out your own N4 dates with the free N4 date calculator.

Where the toolkit helps: The toolkit's LTB-Ready Evidence Pack includes a rent ledger, a receipt log, a communication log and a hearing bundle checklist, the records the LTB looks at in an eviction hearing. See what is inside the $19 toolkit

Mistakes to avoid

Using an old form. After November 30, 2026 the LTB won't accept the previous versions of ten forms.
Getting the termination date wrong. N8, N12 and N13 dates must fall on the last day of a rental period or term; a date that is too early can sink the application.
Waiting too long to file an L2. The 30-day limit after the termination date applies to every notice except the N4.
Serving the N4 by posting it on the door. The LTB's N4 instructions say you can't. See serving an N4 by mail.

Official sources

Not legal advice. This site is general information written by a small Ontario landlord, based on official Ontario and Tribunals Ontario sources as of October 24, 2026. Laws and LTB forms change; check the linked official source before you act, and talk to a lawyer or licensed paralegal (or call the LTB at 1-888-332-3234) about your situation. Not affiliated with the Government of Ontario, Tribunals Ontario or the Landlord and Tenant Board. Full disclaimer.