Ontario LTB Forms Explained: N4, N12, L1 and the Rest

This article is general information, not legal advice. Use the current official forms from the Landlord and Tenant Board, and confirm the rules for your situation with the Board or a qualified legal professional.

Almost everything that happens formally in an Ontario tenancy runs on a numbered Landlord and Tenant Board form. The letters are the key: N forms are notices, L forms are landlord applications to the Board, and T forms are tenant applications. Once you know which is which, the whole process is far less intimidating. This is a plain-English index of the ones you are most likely to meet.

The letters, in one line

N — Notice. A landlord serves it on a tenant to start a process. A notice is not an order and not an eviction.
L — Landlord application. Filed with the Board when a notice has not resolved the issue, to get an order.
T — Tenant application. Filed with the Board by a tenant raising a complaint or seeking money back.

For the bigger picture of how these fit together, see what the LTB is and our guide to how eviction works in Ontario.

Rent increase notices

N1 — Notice of Rent Increase. The standard notice to raise the rent on a covered unit. It requires at least 90 days' written notice, and the increase is limited to the year's guideline unless the unit is exempt or the Board approves an above-guideline increase. Work out the numbers with our Ontario rent increase calculator.
N2 — Notice of Rent Increase (unit partially exempt). Used for certain units, such as some social housing, where the guideline does not apply in the usual way.

Landlord notices to end a tenancy

These are the notices a landlord serves to begin ending a tenancy. Each is a first step, not an eviction.

N4 — Non-payment of rent. Gives the tenant 14 days (or 7 if rent is paid daily or weekly) to pay everything owed. Paying in full within the notice period voids it.
N5 — Damage, interference, or overcrowding. A first N5 gives the tenant 7 days to correct the problem and sets a termination date about 20 days out. It can be voided by fixing the issue.
N6 — Illegal act or misrepresentation of income (the latter in certain subsidized housing).
N7 — Serious problems, such as serious impairment of safety or significant damage. It carries a shorter timeline than an N5.
N8 — End of term or persistent late payment. Used at the end of a term in specific circumstances, with longer notice.
N12 — The landlord, a buyer, or a close family member wants to move in. Requires 60 days' notice ending on the last day of a rental period, and the landlord must pay the tenant one month's rent in compensation (or offer an acceptable alternative unit).
N13 — Demolition, conversion, or major repairs requiring a vacant unit. Requires 120 days' notice and compensation of one month's rent for a building with fewer than five residential units, or three months' rent for a building with five or more (or an acceptable alternative unit).

Tenant and mutual notices

N9 — Tenant's notice to end the tenancy. The form a tenant uses to give proper notice that they are moving out.
N11 — Agreement to end the tenancy. A mutual form, signed by both sides, when landlord and tenant agree to end the tenancy. It should be genuinely voluntary; a tenant cannot be forced to sign one.

To find the earliest lawful date for a notice from the day it is served, use our notice date calculator.

Landlord applications to the Board (L forms)

If a notice does not resolve the matter, the landlord files an application for a hearing:

L1 — To evict for non-payment of rent and to collect the rent owed. Follows an N4.
L2 — To end a tenancy for other reasons. Follows an N5, N6, N7, N8, N12, N13, and similar notices.

Filing has to be done correctly and within the time limits tied to the notice, with the required fee. Only after a hearing and an order can an eviction proceed, and only the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) can enforce it.

Tenant applications to the Board (T forms)

Tenants bring their own applications, including:

T1 — Tenant application for a rebate, for money the landlord collected illegally or money the landlord owes the tenant and has not paid back.
T2 — Tenant rights, for issues such as illegal entry, harassment or coercion, changing the locks without giving new keys, withholding a vital service, or substantially interfering with the tenant's reasonable enjoyment of the unit.
T6 — Maintenance, when the landlord has not kept the unit in a good state of repair.

Using the forms well

A few habits prevent most of the avoidable problems:

Always use the current official form from the Landlord and Tenant Board. An out-of-date or incorrect form is a common reason a matter is delayed or dismissed.
Fill it out precisely. Small errors, the wrong amount on an N4, the wrong date on an N12, can invalidate the notice and force a restart.
Keep proof of how and when you served it. Service is part of what the Board examines.
Keep the underlying record. For non-payment, the rent ledger is the evidence; for other matters, dated photos and written communications are.

A tenancy that is documented from day one, the lease, every payment, the key dates, and each notice with its proof of service, is one where filling out the right form is a lookup rather than a scramble. Keeping all of it in one place is what lease management and rent tracking in Habyn are built for, and our rent receipt generator keeps a clean record of every payment.

Frequently asked questions

What is an N4 form?

The Ontario notice a landlord serves a tenant for non-payment of rent. It gives the tenant 14 days (or 7 if rent is paid daily or weekly) to pay everything owed. Paying in full within the period voids it; it is a first step, not an eviction.

What is the difference between an N4 and an L1?

An N4 is the notice for non-payment served on the tenant. An L1 is the application the landlord files with the Board, after the N4 period passes without payment, to actually seek an eviction order and judgment for the rent owed.

What is an N12 form?

The notice used when the landlord, a buyer, or a close family member intends to move into the unit. It requires 60 days' notice and one month's rent in compensation to the tenant (or a suitable alternative unit).

Which form does a tenant use to move out?

The N9, the tenant's notice to end the tenancy. For a mutual end agreed by both sides, the N11 is used instead.

Where do I get the official LTB forms?

From the Landlord and Tenant Board, which publishes all of its forms for free. Always use the current official version rather than a third-party copy.