N11 form in Ontario: ending a tenancy by agreement

Most tenancies in Ontario end quietly. A tenant finds a new place, the keys come back, and everyone moves on. But when a landlord needs a unit back and there is no legal ground to give a notice, or when both sides simply want out, the cleanest tool on the shelf is a one-page form: the N11, Agreement to End the Tenancy.

It looks simple. It is simple. That is exactly why landlords get it wrong. An N11 signed at the wrong time, by the wrong people, or under the wrong kind of pressure can be void or set aside, and you are back where you started with weeks lost. This guide explains what the N11 form does, when it is the right choice and how to handle a "cash for keys" deal. It also covers what to do if the tenant does not leave, and a change that took effect on September 21, 2026, which makes a properly signed N11 harder to undo.

What the N11 form is, and what it is not

The N11 is a form published by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). It records that a landlord and a tenant have agreed the tenancy will end on a specific date. You can download the current N11 Agreement to End the Tenancy from the LTB's forms, filing and fees page.

The legal footing is in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA). Section 37(1) says a tenancy may be terminated only in accordance with the Act. Section 37(3) then says a notice of termination is not needed if the landlord and tenant have agreed to terminate the tenancy. The N11 is the standard way to put that agreement in writing.

Three things the N11 is not:

• It is not a landlord's notice. Notices such as the N4 for non-payment of rent or the N12 for the landlord's own use are given by the landlord alone and rely on a legal ground. The N11 needs no ground at all, only agreement.
• It is not the tenant's notice. When a tenant decides to leave on their own, they normally give an N9, Tenant's Notice to End the Tenancy. An N9 is one-sided; an N11 is signed by both of you.
• It is not filed with the LTB. You and the tenant sign it and keep copies. The form only goes to the LTB if you apply for an eviction order, which you may do as soon as it is signed. We cover that below.

When an N11 makes sense for a landlord

An N11 works best when the tenant genuinely wants the same result you do, or can be persuaded to want it for fair reasons. Common situations include:

• A tenant wants to leave before the end of a fixed-term lease, and you would rather have a clean end date than a dispute about breaking the lease.
• You plan to sell, and a buyer wants vacant possession. The tenant is open to moving if the timing and terms work for them.
• A tenancy has broken down, perhaps over arrears or friction between neighbours, and both sides would rather part ways than spend months at the LTB.
• You need the unit back for a reason that does not fit any notice of termination, and the tenant is willing to negotiate.

The common thread is consent. The N11 cannot create agreement where none exists. If the tenant does not want to go, the N11 is the wrong tool, and you need to look at whether a notice applies to your facts.

Rules that can make an N11 void

Before you print the form, check these rules.

It cannot be signed with the lease

Under RTA section 37(5), an agreement to end a tenancy is void if it is entered into at the time the tenancy agreement is made, or as a condition of entering into it. Section 37(4) says the same about a tenant's notice. In plain terms, you cannot ask a new tenant to sign a dated N11 (or an undated one to "hold on file") along with the lease. The N11 form itself warns tenants that they do not have to move out based on an agreement they were required to sign when they agreed to rent.

There are narrow exceptions: certain student housing connected to a post-secondary institution (sections 37(6) and (7)) and certain care homes providing rehabilitative or therapeutic services (section 7 of O. Reg. 516/06). Most private landlords will not fall into either.

Every tenant needs to sign

The N11 asks you to include all tenant names, and every person named as a tenant should sign. If you later apply to the LTB, the L3 application asks you to identify who signed the agreement. Roommates who are occupants rather than tenants are a separate question.

The date must be specific

The form reads: "The landlord and the tenant agree that the tenancy will end on" a set date. Fill in an actual day, month and year. "End of summer" or "once you find a place" is not a termination date, and the LTB cannot order an eviction earlier than the date you wrote.

It has to be voluntary

Section 23 of the RTA says a landlord shall not harass, obstruct, coerce, threaten or interfere with a tenant. If a tenant later shows they signed because of that kind of conduct, they can bring a T2 application about tenant rights. Under section 31(2), the LTB can order compensation where a landlord's conduct induced the tenant to leave, including increased rent for up to a year. An N11 obtained by pressure is not a shortcut. It is a liability.

Cash for keys: paying a tenant to sign an N11

"Cash for keys" is the informal name for a landlord paying a tenant to agree to leave. Nothing in the RTA forbids it, and nothing sets an amount. It is a negotiation, and the tenant is free to say no.

If you go this route, a few practical habits protect both sides:

• Put the payment terms in writing. The N11 has no space for payment terms, so record them in a short, signed side agreement that refers to the N11 and its termination date. A promise made by text message is hard to prove and easy to dispute.
• Tie payment to vacant possession. You can pay part on signing and the rest when the unit is empty and the keys are returned. Whatever you choose, say exactly what triggers each payment.
• Be clear about rent until move-out. State whether rent is still payable for the remaining months and how any arrears are treated. If arrears are being forgiven as part of the deal, say so.
• Remember the rent deposit. Under section 106(10) of the RTA, a landlord must apply a last month's rent deposit to the rent for the last rent period before the tenancy ends. Account for it in the numbers.
• Give the tenant time to think. A tenant who had a few days to consider the offer, or to get advice, is much harder to portray as pressured.

One point that surprises landlords: accepting money from the tenant after the N11 is signed does not cancel it. Section 45 of the RTA says that, unless the landlord and tenant agree otherwise, a landlord does not waive the agreement, reinstate a tenancy or create a new tenancy by accepting arrears of rent or compensation for the use of the unit after the agreement is made.

How to fill out the N11 correctly

The form is two pages. Use this checklist before anyone signs:

1. Download the current N11 from the LTB website rather than reusing an old copy.
2. List every tenant's full legal name exactly as it appears on the lease.
3. Name the landlord correctly. If the property is owned by a corporation, use the corporation's name.
4. Write the complete rental unit address, including unit number and postal code.
5. Enter a specific termination date, written as day, month and year.
6. Have every tenant and the landlord sign and date the form, with phone numbers.
7. Read the "Important Information from the Landlord and Tenant Board" section with the tenant. It explains that the tenant must move out and remove all their belongings by the termination date.
8. Give the tenant a full copy and keep the original. Note how and when you delivered it.

Keep the signed N11, any side agreement, and your communications about it together in one file. If you ever need to apply to the LTB, that file is your evidence. Our guide to organizing an LTB hearing evidence file explains how to keep records the LTB can follow.

If the tenant does not move out: the L3 application

A signed N11 does not let you change the locks or remove belongings. If the termination date passes and the tenant is still there, you apply to the LTB for an eviction order using Form L3, Application to End a Tenancy – Tenant Gave Notice or Agreed to Terminate the Tenancy.

Under section 77(1) of the RTA, a landlord can file this application without notice to the tenant, and under section 77(4) the LTB can make the order on receipt of the application, on the paperwork, without a hearing. According to the L3 instructions, you must include:

• a copy of the signed N11 (or the tenant's N9);
• a signed declaration or sworn affidavit confirming the contents of the agreement; and
• the filing fee.

The instructions say the application will be refused if any of these is missing. They also say you should confirm that the agreement was not signed at the time the tenancy agreement was made, and that no later agreement changed or replaced it.

Timing matters in both directions. The instructions say you can apply as soon as the N11 is signed, so you do not have to wait for the termination date to pass. But section 77(3) of the RTA says the application cannot be made later than 30 days after the termination date in the agreement. Miss that window and the LTB may dismiss the application. Section 77(5) adds that the order cannot take effect before the date in the N11.

The LTB's fee page lists the L3 fee at $201, or $186 when filed through the Tribunals Ontario Portal. Once you have an order, eviction is carried out by the Court Enforcement Office (the sheriff), not by the landlord. You file the order with the Court Enforcement Office for the area where the unit is located. Under section 81, an eviction order that is not filed with the sheriff expires six months after it takes effect.

What changed on September 21, 2026

Because an L3 order is made without a hearing, the tenant gets a chance to respond afterwards. Under RTA section 77(6), the tenant can bring a motion to set aside the order within 10 days after it is issued. Section 77(7) says the order is stayed, meaning it cannot be enforced, while the motion is pending. The LTB then holds a hearing.

Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, changed what the LTB can consider at that hearing. Under section 77(8), the LTB still sets aside the order if there was no agreement or notice at all. Beyond that, it can now set aside the order only if prescribed conditions are met. Those conditions are in section 8.2 of O. Reg. 516/06, added by O. Reg. 241/26: the LTB sets aside the order if it is satisfied, considering all the circumstances, that doing so "would not be unfair." But it must not consider changes in the tenant's circumstances that arose after the agreement was signed. The LTB's operational update on the September 21, 2026 changes describes the rule the same way.

What that means in practice

Here is a hypothetical. A tenant signs an N11 in November 2026 agreeing to leave on February 28. In February, their new lease falls through, and they ask the LTB to cancel the eviction order because they now have nowhere to go. Under the new rule, the LTB cannot weigh that later change in circumstances when deciding whether to set aside the order.

That does not make an N11 bulletproof. If the tenant says there was never a real agreement, the LTB must set the order aside under section 77(8)(a), and an agreement signed with the lease is void under section 37(5). Pressure at the time of signing is different again: it arose before the agreement, so it is part of "all the circumstances" the LTB weighs under the new test. The new rule rewards a clean, voluntary, well-documented N11. It does nothing for a sloppy or coerced one.

N11 or N12: choosing the right route

Landlords who need a unit for themselves or a family member often ask whether they can skip the N12 and just get an N11 signed. You can, if the tenant genuinely agrees. But the two routes work very differently:

• An N12 is your notice. It needs no agreement from the tenant, but it comes with conditions, including a good-faith requirement and compensation rules. Former tenants can bring a T5 application if they believe a notice was given in bad faith. Our article on the N12 own-use changes explains the current rules.
• An N11 depends entirely on consent. If the tenant agrees, it can be faster and more flexible. If they refuse, you are back to choosing a notice.

The mistake is using an N11 as a disguise for an N12. If you tell a tenant you need the unit for your daughter to get their signature, and that turns out not to be true, you have handed them the facts for a T2 application. Be honest about why you are asking.

A worked example (hypothetical)

Priya owns a two-bedroom condo in Hamilton rented to two tenants on a month-to-month basis. She has decided to sell, and her realtor says vacant possession will widen her pool of buyers. She has no ground for a notice of termination, so she asks the tenants whether they would consider leaving.

They are open to it but worried about moving costs. Priya offers a payment, half on signing and half when the unit is empty and both sets of keys are returned. Both tenants take a week to think it over, then both sign an N11 with a termination date of January 31. Priya and the tenants also sign a one-page side agreement setting out the payment and confirming that rent stays payable through January 31, with January's rent paid from the last month's rent deposit.

To protect her timeline, Priya files an L3 in early December with the N11 and a declaration attached. If the tenants leave on schedule, the order is never needed. If they do not, she has an order that cannot take effect before January 31, and she is well inside the 30-day filing window.

Frequently asked questions

Can the tenant change their mind before the termination date?

The N11 has no built-in cooling-off period. If the tenant asks to stay, you can agree to cancel the N11 by a later written agreement, but you do not have to. Keep in mind that the L3 asks you to confirm that no later agreement changed or replaced the original, so put any change in writing. If an order has already been issued, the set-aside process described above applies.

What happens to belongings the tenant leaves behind?

The N11's information section says that if the tenant moves out by the termination date but leaves possessions behind, the tenant no longer has any rights to those possessions and the landlord can dispose of them. That applies when the tenant has moved out under the agreement. If the tenant is still living there, you need an eviction order, not a garbage bag.

If you are thinking about an agreement to end a tenancy and want the terms right the first time, our N11 agreement service page explains how we help landlords draft and execute one. To talk through your situation, contact us.

This article is general information about Ontario residential tenancy law for landlords and is not legal advice about your matter.