The Main Changes in Four Numbers
Minimum N4 notice for non-payment, from September 21, 2026 (was 14 for monthly tenancies)1
Share of claimed arrears a tenant must pay to raise other issues at an L1 hearing, from September 21, 20261
Notice that removes the own-use compensation duty, from September 21, 20261
Maximum fine for an individual under the Act, from July 1, 2026 (was $50,000)2
Most of the 2026 changes come from Schedule 12 of the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 (S.O. 2025, c. 14), which received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025 and came into force on dates set by order.6 The details sit in O. Reg. 241/26, which amended the general regulation under the Act on July 21, 2026.9 A second group comes from the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 (S.O. 2023, c. 10), whose Schedule 7 was proclaimed in force in stages.7,2
Tracker: What Changed and When
| In force | Change | Provision | Source law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2024 | An error in a form, notice or document is still substantial compliance unless it significantly prejudices a party’s ability to take part3 | RTA s. 212(2) | S.O. 2024, c. 28, Sched. 248 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Fines rise to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation2 | RTA s. 238 | S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 97 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Tenants may install a window or portable air conditioner, subject to conditions in the Act; the landlord may pass on electricity cost where it supplies electricity. The Act also lets regulations prescribe further conditions and circumstances in which a landlord may prohibit installation, and none appear in O. Reg. 516/06 as consolidated2 | RTA s. 36.1 | S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 1 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | A settlement of an arrears application without a hearing must be in the Board’s approved form2 | RTA s. 206(1)(a.1) | S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 8 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Notices of termination must be in the Board-approved form, or a prescribed form if one is made1 | RTA s. 43(1) | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 16 |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Requests to review a Board order must be made within 15 days unless the Board extends the time; applies to orders made on or after this date1 | RTA s. 209(2) to (4) | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 11 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | N4 termination date can be 7 days after the notice for every tenancy type1 | RTA s. 59(1) | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 4 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Persistent late payment includes not paying rent within 7 days of the due date on at least 3 occasions in any 6 months9 | RTA s. 58(1.1); O. Reg. 516/06 s. 8.1 | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 3; O. Reg. 241/269 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | To raise other issues at an L1 hearing, the tenant must pay half the arrears claimed, no later than 7 days before the hearing1,9 | RTA s. 82(2); O. Reg. 516/06 s. 8.3 | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 6 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | No one month’s compensation for an own-use (N12) notice given at least 120 days ahead, ending on the last day of a period or term1 | RTA s. 48.1(2) | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 2 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | The Board may delay enforcing an eviction only with the landlord’s consent or if it is not unfair to the landlord and other tenants; for most grounds there must also be compelling grounds9 | RTA s. 83(1)(b); O. Reg. 516/06 s. 8.4 | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 7 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Setting aside an eviction order made on a tenant’s notice or agreement to end: only if not unfair, ignoring the tenant’s changed circumstances after signing9 | RTA s. 77(8)(b); O. Reg. 516/06 s. 8.2 | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 5 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Renovation right of first refusal: landlord must give written estimates and readiness notice and at least 60 days to move back2 | RTA ss. 53(2.1), (2.2), 57.1 | S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, ss. 3, 5 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Bad faith own-use notice presumed if the intended occupant doesn’t move in within a prescribed period; no period appears in O. Reg. 516/06 as consolidated, so this page cannot say what period applies2 | RTA s. 57(6.1) | S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 4 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Parallel rules for non-profit housing co-ops (persistent late payment, postponing eviction)1,9 | RTA ss. 94.2(2.1), 94.12(1)(b) | S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, ss. 8, 10 |
The rent increase guideline also changed: 2.5% for 2025, 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027.12 See the guideline history.
Non-Payment: The N4 and the L1 Hearing
Section 59(1) now lets a landlord give notice of termination for non-payment effective not earlier than the 7th day after the notice is given.1 As enacted in 2006, it allowed 7 days only for daily or weekly tenancies and 14 days in all other cases, which covered most monthly leases.5 The rest of section 59 is unchanged: the notice is still void if the tenant pays the arrears and rent that has come due before the landlord applies.1 Schedule 12 has no transition rule for the new 7-day period, and no regulation under section 241.5 appears in the consolidated O. Reg. 516/06. The Board’s guidance says an N4 given before September 21, 2026 follows the old 14-day rule for monthly rent.14 Get advice on any notice that straddles that date.
At the hearing, a tenant can still raise maintenance, harassment or other issues, but must first give the landlord written notice under the Board’s Rules and, unless a regulation says otherwise, pay half of any arrears claimed in the application.1 The regulation sets the deadline at no later than seven days before the hearing.9 As of the September 21, 2026 consolidation, O. Reg. 516/06 contains no exemption from the half-arrears payment. Applications made before September 21, 2026 and not finally decided keep the old version of these rules.1
Persistent late payment is a ground for ending a tenancy at the end of a term or rental period, using an N8 notice.1,10 The new regulation says it includes failing to pay rent within seven days of the due date on at least three occasions in any six-month period, unless each failure was solely because the landlord applied a payment to another amount, such as arrears. The regulation says other patterns can still count.9 Neither the regulation nor Schedule 12 says whether late payments before September 21, 2026 count toward the three occasions, so don’t assume they do.
Own-Use Notices and Evictions
A landlord who gives an N12 under section 48 still owes one month’s rent or another acceptable unit, unless the notice is given on or after September 21, 2026, sets a termination date at least 120 days away, and ends the tenancy on the last day of a rental period or a fixed term.1 The minimum notice for an N12 remains 60 days.4
Two Board powers narrowed. The Board may postpone enforcing an eviction order only if the landlord consents or the stated conditions are met, and the conditions are stricter for evictions that are not based on own use, purchaser use, demolition, conversion or renovation.9 And when a tenant who signed an agreement or gave notice to end the tenancy asks to set aside the resulting order, the Board may not consider changes in the tenant’s circumstances after signing.9
What Is Not Yet in Force
Some amendments were passed but, as of the e-Laws consolidation current to September 21, 2026, still wait for a day to be named:1
- A new section 50(3) that would require a qualified person’s report before a renovation eviction notice (S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 2).2
- A new section 73(4) on how the Board treats that report (S.O. 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7, s. 7).2
- A change to co-op set-aside orders in section 94.10(8)(b) (S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12, s. 9).1
Section 241.5 also lets the government make transition regulations for the 2025 changes, including delaying a provision in part of the province or keeping old rules for things already under way.1 Check the current e-Laws version before relying on a date.
What This Means for Screening
The changes shorten the early steps of a non-payment case, but they don’t remove the hearing. A landlord still has to file an L1 and wait for the Board, and the Board’s own figures show about half of cases close within 90 days of filing; see LTB caseload data. Screening remains the cheaper place to manage the risk.
- Ask for and check rental history and references; an applicant’s record of paying rent on time is now more directly tied to the persistent late payment test.9,11
- Use the current Board forms for every notice; the Act requires the Board-approved form, or a prescribed form if one is made.1 The Board says it is updating forms and rules effective September 21, 2026, so download N4, N12 and L1 from the Board’s forms page rather than reusing an older copy.13
- For an own-use sale or move-in, plan the 120-day notice into the timeline if you want to avoid the compensation payment.1
- Keep deposits and the lease within the rules; see the Ontario rent deposit rules and the Ontario standard lease.
This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice. Transition rules decide which version applies to a notice or application that straddles a change; get advice from a lawyer or a paralegal, or contact the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Questions
How Many Days Is an N4 Notice in Ontario Now?
Since September 21, 2026, the termination date on an N4 for non-payment can be 7 days after the notice is given, for every type of tenancy. Before that it was 14 days for monthly and most other tenancies.1,5
What Counts as Persistent Late Payment in Ontario?
The regulation in force since September 21, 2026 says it includes failing to pay rent within seven days of the due date at least three times in any six months, and other patterns can still count.9
Does a Landlord Still Pay Compensation for an N12?
Yes, one month’s rent or another unit, unless the N12 was given on or after September 21, 2026 with at least 120 days’ notice ending on the last day of a period or term.1
Sources
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 43(1), 48.1, 58(1) and (1.1), 59, 77(8), 82, 83(1), 94.2(2.1), 94.10(8) note, 94.12(1), 209(2) to (4), 241.5, with amendment history for 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12; consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 36.1, 50(3) note, 53(2.1) and (2.2), 57(6.1), 57.1, 73(4) note, 206(1), 238, with amendment history for 2023, c. 10, Sched. 7. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 212(2), in force December 4, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 48(1) and (2). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17 (source law as enacted)
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 59(1)(a) and (b). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, S.O. 2025, c. 14
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, Schedule 12 (Residential Tenancies Act, 2006), ss. 1 to 15; assented to November 27, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, S.O. 2023, c. 10
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, Schedule 7 (Residential Tenancies Act, 2006), ss. 1 to 12; assented to June 8, 2023. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Cutting Red Tape, Building Ontario Act, 2024, S.O. 2024, c. 28
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, Schedule 24, ss. 1 and 2; assented to December 4, 2024. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 241/26, amending O. Reg. 516/06 (General)
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 2 to 7 (new ss. 8.1 to 8.4, 17.1, 17.2 of O. Reg. 516/06) and s. 9 commencement; filed July 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Instructions for Form L2: Application to End a Tenancy and Evict a Tenant or Collect Money
Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario, Section A: When to use this application (N8 notice). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) and (2). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Rent increase guideline
Government of Ontario, Previous rent increase guidelines table. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Landlord and Tenant Board forms
Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario, Notice of September 21, 2026 updates to processes, forms and rules; N4, N8, N12, L1 entries. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- If a Tenant Does Not Pay Rent
Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario, Rules about termination dates; last updated September 21, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026.
