N4 notice (non-payment of rent)N4 통지 (월세 미납 퇴거 통지)

What is it?

The N4 is an official form of the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Its full name is "Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent". A landlord gives it when the tenant has not paid the full rent (Residential Tenancies Act, section 59).

The message is simple: "Pay the rent you owe (the arrears, meaning rent that was due and is still unpaid) by this date. If you do not pay or move out, I can apply to the LTB to evict you." That date is called the termination date.

Getting an N4 does not mean you must move out right away. The notice is only the first step. To remove a tenant, the landlord must file an L1 application with the LTB, go through a hearing and get an eviction order. Only the Sheriff (the court enforcement office) can carry out that order.

When and how is it given?

• It can be given starting the day after rent is due. The tenant has until midnight on the day rent is due to pay.
• The termination date must be at least 7 days after the notice is given. Do not count the day you give it. The LTB form’s example: if you hand it over on March 3, the first day is March 4 and the earliest termination date is March 10.
• If the notice goes by mail or courier, you must add extra days. Check the N4 Instructions for how many.
• Name every tenant who lives in the unit, spelled correctly, and give each tenant a copy. Put the full address, including the unit (for example Unit 202 or Basement) and the postal code.
• A notice without a signature and date may be invalid. If a landlord applies to the LTB based on an invalid notice, the application may be dismissed and they may have to start over.

Notice period: it changed on September 21, 2026

Section 59 (1) of the Residential Tenancies Act was changed. An N4 given on or after September 21, 2026 needs at least 7 days, whether rent is paid monthly or weekly. The old rule applies to notices given before that date (LTB brochure).

For a new N4, use the latest LTB form (2026/09 version). Older copies may show the old notice period.

What money can go on an N4

• You can include: the basic rent, plus anything the tenant pays you separately for services (for example parking or seasonal A/C charges). The LTB form counts these as rent.
• You cannot include: utility bills the tenant pays to the utility company, directly or through the landlord. These are not rent. Do not include the last month’s rent deposit or an NSF (bounced cheque) charge either.
• Fill in the table on page 3 with each rent period, the rent charged, the rent paid and the rent owing, and check that the total matches the amount on page 1. A math mistake can cause problems.
• If another rent payment comes due before the tenant pays, the tenant must pay that too for the notice to become void.

If the tenant pays everything, the notice is void

If, before the landlord applies to the LTB, the tenant pays (1) the rent in arrears and (2) any new rent that has come due by the day they pay, the N4 is void and the tenant does not have to move (section 59 (3)). The landlord can apply no earlier than the day after the termination date, so paying everything by the termination date voids the notice.

The LTB brochure’s example: a tenant did not pay May’s rent and got an N4 with a termination date of June 4. To pay everything on June 2, they must pay the rent for May and June.

Even after the landlord files an L1, the application ends if, before the LTB issues an eviction order, the tenant pays the arrears, the new rent and the landlord’s application fee (section 74 (2)). For what can happen after an order, see "Eviction process in Ontario".

After the termination date: the L1 application

1. If the tenant has not paid everything or moved out by the termination date, the landlord can file an L1 (application to evict for non-payment of rent and collect the rent owed) with the LTB, starting the day after the termination date (section 74 (1)). The tenant must still be living in the unit.
2. Attach a copy of the N4 and a Certificate of Service (a form that says when and how you gave the notice). Without them the application is not accepted.
3. The fee on the L1 form (2026/09 version) is $201, or $186 if you file through the Tribunals Ontario Portal. If you cannot afford it, you can ask for a fee waiver.
4. Unlike other eviction applications, the L1 has no filing deadline (section 69 (3)).
5. The LTB sets a hearing date and sends both sides the application and a Notice of Hearing. To collect rent without asking for eviction, a landlord uses an L9. If the tenant has already moved out, the landlord uses an L10 (within 1 year of the move-out date).

What a tenant can do

• Check the notice: is it the latest LTB form, is the amount right, does it include only rent, is the termination date at least 7 days away, and is it signed?
• If you agree with the amount, paying by the termination date is the surest fix. Always get a receipt.
• If you cannot pay it all at once, talk to your landlord about a payment plan. If you agree after an L1 is filed, use the LTB’s Payment Agreement form (the LTB brochure says this form is mandatory). If the LTB issues a consent order based on it, the hearing is cancelled. If you break the plan, the landlord can, within 30 days, file an L4 without a hearing (if the agreement allows it) or ask the LTB to re-open the case.
• Go to the hearing. You can say the amount is wrong or ask for more time to pay, and before the hearing you can often work out a payment plan with an LTB mediator.
• You can also raise other issues at the hearing, such as repairs or harassment. To do this, at least 7 days before the hearing you must (1) give the landlord and the LTB a written description of each issue and (2) give them copies of all the evidence you plan to use, such as documents and pictures. (3) If the application was filed on or after September 21, 2026, you must also pay the landlord directly at least half of the arrears claimed in the application, at least 7 days before the hearing (paying the LTB in trust does not count). The Notice of Hearing explains how to give your documents to the LTB. If you are not sure about a deadline, ask the LTB.
• Do not stop paying rent because repairs are not done. The N4 form itself says a tenant should not withhold any part of the rent, even if maintenance is poor. Talk to a community legal clinic or Legal Aid Ontario right away.

What a landlord should watch for

• The N4 is only the start. Changing the locks, putting out belongings, cutting heat or power, or threatening a tenant to make them leave is an offence. On conviction, the fine can be up to $100,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a corporation.
• If the tenant pays everything, you cannot apply based on that N4. Give a receipt and keep records.
• A payment plan is encouraged, but you cannot force one, and you cannot evict a tenant for refusing one. In a rent arrears eviction, the LTB also considers whether the landlord tried to work out a payment plan first (Ontario government guidance).
• If a tenant pays in the end but is often late, the notice is not an N4 but an N8 (persistent late payment). From September 21, 2026, this includes paying rent more than 7 days late at least 3 times within 6 months.
• Individual landlords who rent out a condo or a house follow exactly the same steps. If the amount is large or this is your first time, talk to a lawyer or a paralegal (a licensed legal representative).

Example