Ontario Landlord Guide › My tenant still hasn't paid after the N4. How do I file an L1 in Ontario?

My tenant still hasn't paid after the N4. How do I file an L1 in Ontario?

Last updated October 23, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Short answer: File an L1 with the Landlord and Tenant Board, starting the day after the termination date on your N4. Include a copy of the N4 and the Certificate of Service, and pay the fee ($201, or $186 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal). Until the eviction is carried out, the tenant can still stop it by paying what's owed, so keep collecting and recording every payment.

Official source: LTB: Instructions for the L1 application (evict for non-payment of rent and collect rent owed) · Last checked Oct 2026

Step 1: wait until the day after the N4 termination date

You can't file the L1 before the day after the termination date on the N4 (s. 74(1)). The LTB's L1 instructions also say you can't file if, before you file, the tenant pays the amount needed to void the N4. That amount is the rent in arrears plus any rent that has come due since (s. 59(3)). Not sure your termination date is right? Check it with the free N4 date calculator, since a wrong date can sink the eviction part of the application.

Unlike most other notices, an N4 has no 30-day filing deadline (s. 69(2), (3)). The tenant must still be living in the unit when you file, though. If they've already moved out, use an L10 instead, within one year (s. 87(1.1)).

Step 2: fill in the L1

Rent owing. Include all rent owing up to the day you file, not just the amount on the N4. If it has been more than three rent periods, you can combine periods, but the last row must show the latest period the tenant owes for (L1 instructions).
Rent and NSF charges only. The L1 covers rent owing and unpaid NSF cheque charges, which go in their own section. Damage is a separate claim on an L2 (see tenant damage).
Your rent deposit. If you hold a last month's rent deposit, enter it and the date you collected it. The LTB subtracts the deposit and any interest owing on it from what the tenant owes (s. 87(4)).
The $50,000 limit. The most the LTB can order is $50,000. If you're owed more, the L1 instructions say to go to court instead, because you give up the rest once the LTB rules.

Step 3: file it with these items

The completed L1.
A copy of the N4 you gave the tenant.
The Certificate of Service showing how and when you gave the N4.
The fee: $201, or $186 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal (LTB fees page).

The LTB says the application will be refused if any of these is missing. You can file through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, by mail or courier, or at some ServiceOntario centres.

When paying stops the eviction

When the tenant pays	What they must pay	What happens
Before you file the L1	The arrears plus rent that has come due since	The N4 is void (s. 59(3)). You can't file on it.
After you file, before the LTB issues the order	The arrears, rent that has come due since, and your filing fee	The application is discontinued (s. 74(2)).
After the order, before it becomes enforceable	The amount stated in the order	The order is void (s. 74(4)).
After it becomes enforceable, before the sheriff acts	Everything owed, with a sworn affidavit	The tenant can bring a motion to set the order aside. It stays the eviction until a hearing. They get this only once during the tenancy (s. 74(11) to (13)).

At the hearing, the tenant may want to raise other issues, such as repairs. For an application filed on or after September 21, 2026, they must first pay you at least half the arrears claimed, at least 7 days before the hearing. See our half-arrears rule guide.

Worked example

Rent is $1,800, due on the 1st. Your tenant doesn't pay on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

You hand them an N4 on Monday, November 2, 2026. The earliest termination date is Monday, November 9, 2026 (7 days later).
The tenant doesn't pay. The earliest you can file the L1 is Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
If you file on November 10, the rent owing is $1,800. If you file on or after Tuesday, December 1, when December's rent comes due, include it too: $3,600.
If the tenant pays the arrears, any rent that has come due and your $201 fee (or $186 if you filed online) before the order is issued, the application ends (s. 74(2)).
Don't want to evict and only want the money? The LTB's L9 collects rent from a tenant who is still in the unit, but an L9 order can't be used to evict them.

Where the toolkit helps: The toolkit's LTB-Ready Evidence Pack includes a rent ledger with a running balance and a receipt log, so the rent owing on your L1 and every payment after it are written down with a date. See what is inside the $19 toolkit

Avoid these mistakes

Filing on the termination date. The earliest is the day after (s. 74(1)).
Leaving out the Certificate of Service. The application is refused without it.
Not updating the rent owing. Include everything owing up to the day you file.
Refusing a payment to keep the eviction going. The tenant can pay you or the LTB at each stage above, so record every payment with a dated receipt.
Changing the locks. Only an LTB order enforced by the sheriff lets you take the unit back (s. 39, s. 85).

Tenant pays, but always late? See what counts as persistent late payment.

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 23, 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.