Do you need a paralegal for an LTB hearing?

The hearing notice is on your desk, and the real question isn't the date. It's who is going to stand up and speak for you.

Start with the honest answer: you are allowed to do it yourself. The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) lets a party present their own case, and no rule requires a landlord to hire a paralegal or a lawyer. So the question is not whether you need one. It is whether your file, your schedule and your comfort with the process make one worth having. Here is how to decide, based on the LTB's Practice Direction on Representation (effective March 3, 2022), its brochure Who Can be a Representative before the Landlord and Tenant Board and the current LTB Rules of Procedure.

You can represent yourself at the LTB

The Practice Direction says it plainly: a party may be self-represented and appear before the LTB to present their case. The Rules of Procedure are meant to be interpreted so that parties can participate effectively whether or not they have a representative. The brochure adds that the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) licensing rules apply to lawyers and paralegals, not to the landlords and tenants who are parties. You do not need a licence to speak for yourself.

If the landlord is a corporation, the Practice Direction says an employee, or any other person with authority to bind the corporation, may participate on its behalf.

You can also bring a support person, such as a family member or friend, to sit with you at the hearing or mediation and help you take part. A support person is not a representative as long as they do not make submissions for you. If you want them to testify, tell the LTB at the start of the hearing; a support person who testifies may be treated as a witness and asked to leave until they give evidence.

Who is legally allowed to represent a landlord

If you want someone else to speak for you, the Practice Direction allows three kinds of representative: a lawyer licensed by the LSO, a paralegal licensed by the LSO, or an unlicensed person who falls within a category the LSO has exempted from licensing. Anyone else will not be permitted to act. A licensed representative must be in good standing, must give the LTB their licence number when asked, and cannot act while their licence is suspended.

The exemptions are narrow. This table summarizes the categories the LTB names. The brochure points to the LSO's website for the complete list of exemptions.

Who would speak for you	Allowed?	What the LTB says
You, the landlord	Yes	A party may be self-represented. No licence needed.
Licensed paralegal or lawyer	Yes	Must be licensed by the LSO and in good standing.
Unpaid family member	Yes, if exempt	Not in the business of providing legal services and receives no compensation.
Unpaid friend or neighbour	Yes, if exempt	Not in the business of providing legal services, receives no compensation, and acts in no more than 3 matters in a year.
Employee of a corporate landlord	Yes, if exempt	Employed by a single employer and provides legal services only for that employer, for example an employee appearing for the corporation that employs them.
Property manager	It depends	May be refused if they are in fact in the business of providing legal services to multiple third parties and fall within no exemption.
Paid friend or relative	No	Someone who expects or receives compensation for representing you is not exempt.
Realtor or other tenancy service provider	No	A person who is not a party or a full-time employee of a party, but provides professional services related to the tenancy, such as a realtor who leased the unit, cannot act.

The property manager row needs the most care. The Practice Direction cites the Court of Appeal decision in Law Society of Upper Canada v. Chiarelli, 2014 ONCA 391, and says a property manager who is really in the business of providing legal services to multiple third parties, without an exemption, may not be allowed to represent you. Before you rely on your manager to attend, ask which exemption they would point to, or whether they are licensed. An unlicensed representative must be ready to explain which exemption applies. If the adjudicator is not satisfied that one does, that person may not represent you.

You can check whether a paralegal or lawyer holds a current licence in the LSO's Lawyer and Paralegal Directory.

Can you attend the hearing yourself?

Any unlicensed representative needs paperwork from you, whether or not you attend. The brochure says to give them written permission, called an agency authorization, signed by you, and to make sure the LTB has it before or at the hearing or mediation. The Practice Direction adds a specific rule for when you are not there: an unlicensed person representing a party who is not present must give the LTB written authorization from that party. Without it, they may not be allowed to act for you, which could delay your application.

The Rules add two points worth knowing before the day. At a case management hearing, a representative who attends for you must have authority to take part in everything, including agreeing to a settlement or getting your instructions about one during the hearing. And under the mediation rule, you need not attend a mediation if one of these applies:

• Your representative has filed a written agreement you signed giving them authority to mediate and settle.
• Your representative is a licensed lawyer or paralegal who confirms you have given that authority.
• The other parties and the dispute resolution officer agree to go ahead on your representative's confirmation.

If you cannot be there, or cannot be reachable during the hearing, someone has to hold that authority. That is a practical reason to arrange representation early rather than the night before.

How contested the file is likely to be

A hearing where the tenant does not dispute the facts is a different event from one where they do. Signs that a file may be contested:

• The tenant disputes the amount of rent owing or says payments are missing from your records.
• At an arrears hearing, the tenant intends to raise their own issues, such as maintenance. Under the current Rules, a tenant who intends to raise issues under section 82 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) at a hearing about rent arrears must, at least 7 days before the case management hearing or hearing, make the payment the RTA requires and give you and the LTB a written description of each issue. Different transition terms apply to arrears applications filed before September 21, 2026. Our guide to the section 82 pay-in rule explains the payment.
• More than one notice or application is in play for the same tenancy.
• The tenant has a representative of their own.

None of these means you will lose, and none means you must hire anyone. They mean there is more to prepare, more to answer and more that can go sideways in the room.

Your comfort with the rules, evidence and questioning

Speaking for yourself means doing what a representative would do. The brochure describes the job as handling all communications with the LTB and the other parties and preparing and presenting the case, and the LTB expects licensed and unlicensed representatives alike to know and follow its rules and procedures.

Evidence is where deadlines bite. Unless the LTB directs otherwise, the Rules require each party to give the other parties and the LTB a copy of the documents, pictures and other evidence they intend to rely on at least 7 days before the case management hearing or hearing, using a permitted method of service. Uploading to the Tribunals Ontario Portal is not service on the other party unless that party has consented in writing. The LTB may refuse to consider evidence that was not provided as directed. Our LTB hearing evidence file checklist covers what to bring and how to organize it.

Then there is the hearing itself: explaining your evidence, asking the tenant or a witness questions, answering the Member's questions and responding to what the tenant says. If your hearing is by Zoom, our LTB hearing rooms page lists the rooms by number. Ask yourself honestly how you would handle a surprise in that setting.

Who you trust to settle for you

This factor is easy to overlook. Under the Practice Direction, unless the LTB has evidence of an express limit on their authority, an unlicensed agent may act in place of the landlord for all purposes, including giving evidence, making submissions and entering into consent orders and mediated agreements that legally bind the landlord.

So the person you send is not just a voice. They can agree to a payment plan, a move-out date or a settlement you then have to live with. Choose someone whose judgment you trust with that. If you want to limit what they can agree to, put the limit in writing and make sure the LTB receives it, for example in your written authorization, because the agent can bind you unless the LTB has evidence of an express limit. The LTB can also exclude a representative to prevent an abuse of process, such as a conflict of interest, and can exclude an unlicensed representative it finds is not competent to represent you or does not understand a representative's duties.

A hypothetical: two landlords, two different answers

These examples are hypothetical. The first landlord owns one condo unit and has filed an arrears application. Her rent ledger is current and matches her bank deposits, she has her notice and certificate of service, she has served her evidence on time, and she has received nothing from the tenant raising other issues. She can attend the hearing and be reachable all day. She may reasonably decide to handle it herself.

The second landlord owns a duplex, lives out of province and planned to pay a friend to attend the hearing for him. A week before the hearing, the tenant makes the required payment and serves a written list of maintenance issues and photos. That landlord now has two problems: a paid friend is not exempt, so the friend cannot represent him, and the file has become contested. He needs either to attend and prepare a response himself, or to find a representative the LTB will accept and give them clear authority.

Handle it yourself or hire a paralegal: a quick self-check

You may be fine on your own if:

• You can attend, or be reachable, for the whole hearing.
• The facts are simple and your records are complete and consistent.
• Your evidence is ready to serve within the Rules' deadlines.
• The tenant has not raised other issues or disputed your numbers.
• You are comfortable explaining your case and asking questions under time pressure.

Consider help if:

• You cannot attend and the person you planned to send is being paid to represent you, is a realtor, or a manager who cannot point to an exemption.
• The tenant has given notice of section 82 issues or disputes the arrears.
• Several notices or applications overlap.
• The tenant has a representative.
• You are unsure what you would agree to at mediation, or who should hold that authority.

If you decide you want help, our hearing representation page describes how an LTB paralegal works on a landlord's hearing.

If your hearing is coming up and you're weighing whether to handle it yourself, we can look at your file with you and talk through what the hearing is likely to involve. Contact us to ask us to look at your file.

Frequently asked questions

Does the person who signs my notice of termination have to be licensed?

Not necessarily. The Practice Direction cites the Divisional Court decision in Rivera v. Eleveld, 2022 ONSC 446, which confirmed that an agent signing a notice of termination on behalf of a party does not need to be licensed to provide legal services. Representing you at the hearing is a separate question, and the exemption rules above still apply to that.

Who can sign my LTB application for me?

Under section 185(2) of the RTA, an applicant may give written authorization to sign an application to a person representing them under the authority of the Law Society Act, and the LTB may require that representative to file a copy of the authorization. The Practice Direction describes this as authorizing a licensed legal representative.

This article is general information about LTB procedure for Ontario landlords and is not legal advice about your matter.