N6 notice in Ontario: when it applies and what happens next
You believe something illegal is going on in your rental unit or your building. Or you rent a rent-geared-to-income (RGI) unit, where the rent is based on the tenant's income, and the income the tenant reported does not match what you have since learned. You want to know what the law lets you do. In Ontario, the starting point for both situations is the N6 notice.
The short version: the N6 gives the tenant at least 10, 20 or 14 days' notice depending on the reason. But the N6 does not end the tenancy by itself. It is the first step toward an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), and the Board decides. Here is how each step works, based on the LTB's N6 instructions, updated September 21, 2026.
What an N6 notice is in Ontario and what it covers
The N6 is the LTB's Notice to End your Tenancy for Illegal Acts or Misrepresenting Income in a Rent-Geared-to-Income Rental Unit. You can give it for one of three reasons:
- Illegal drugs: the tenant or another occupant of the unit has committed an illegal act or is carrying on an illegal business at the residential complex involving the production of an illegal drug, trafficking in an illegal drug, or possession of an illegal drug for the purpose of trafficking, or the tenant has permitted someone else to do so.
- Other illegal acts: the tenant or another occupant has committed some other illegal act or is carrying on some other illegal business at the residential complex, or the tenant has permitted someone else to do so.
- RGI income misrepresentation: the tenant lives in rent-geared-to-income housing and has misrepresented their income or the income of family members who live in the unit.
Two details are easy to miss. The conduct does not have to be the tenant's own: another occupant counts, and so does someone the tenant permitted. And the first two reasons are tied to what happens at the residential complex where the unit is.
The notice is your allegation, not a finding. Until the LTB decides, what you have is what you believe happened and the evidence you have for it. Write the notice that way.
How much notice the tenant gets
The minimum time between giving the notice and the termination date depends on the reason:
| Reason | Minimum notice to the termination date |
|---|---|
| Illegal drug production, trafficking or possession for trafficking | 10 days |
| Other illegal act or business, or RGI income misrepresentation: first notice in six months | 20 days |
| Other illegal act or business, or RGI income misrepresentation: second notice in six months, where the first was an N5 with a 7-day correction period | 14 days |
That last row connects the N6 to the N5, the notice for interference, damage or overcrowding. Under the LTB's N5 instructions, a first N5 gives the tenant seven days to fix the problem, and fixing it voids the notice. The 14-day period applies where, in the past six months, you gave the tenant a first N5 with that seven-day correction period and the tenant corrected the problem, which voided it. A following N6 for another illegal act or for income misrepresentation can then be shorter, and the L2 instructions require you to file that N5 and its Certificate of Service with your application. Our guide to the N5 notice explains how that first notice and its correction period work.
None of this makes the outcome certain. The tenant can still dispute what you allege, and the LTB decides whether the tenancy ends. Treat the N6 as the start of a process, not the end of one.
What the N6 must say
The details section deserves the most care. The instructions ask you to describe what you believe the tenant or another occupant did, including the dates and times the events occurred, what happened and who was affected. Attach an extra page if you need it.
For RGI income misrepresentation, the instructions also ask you to show the amount by which the tenant misrepresented their income and how you calculated it.
Describe events, not character. "On [date] at about [time], I saw..." tells the tenant and the Board what you are relying on. Labels and conclusions do not. If the tenant cannot tell from the notice what you are alleging, they cannot answer it, and that is a weakness in your file.
Name every tenant in the To section. If there is a subtenant or assignee, name them too.
One more date to note. The LTB updated the N6 and L2 forms on September 21, 2026, and its operational update says previous versions will no longer be accepted as of November 30, 2026. Download the current form rather than reusing a saved copy.
Counting the days and giving the notice
When you count, do not include the day you give the notice. If you fax it, the notice is deemed given on the date imprinted on the fax. If you send it by courier, add one business day. If you mail it, add five days.
You can give the N6 by:
- handing it to the tenant or to an adult in the unit;
- leaving it in the tenant's mailbox or where mail is ordinarily delivered;
- placing it under the door of the unit or through a mail slot in the door;
- faxing it to a fax machine in the tenant's home or where they carry on business; or
- sending it by courier, mail or Xpresspost.
You cannot give the notice by posting it on the door. Keep a copy of the notice you give, and a note of exactly when and how you gave it.
A hypothetical: counting a first notice
This example is hypothetical. A landlord believes, based on several dated reports and their own observations, that an occupant is running an illegal business out of the unit. It is not about drugs, and the tenant has had no N5 in the past six months, so this is a first notice for another illegal act: at least 20 days.
The landlord hands the N6 to the tenant on November 2. Not counting November 2, the termination date can be November 22 at the earliest. If the landlord mails it on November 2 instead, add five days: the earliest termination date becomes November 27. Picking a date one day too early is an avoidable defect, so count on a calendar rather than in your head.
What happens next after an N6: the L2 application
If the tenant does not move out, the next step is the L2, the LTB's Application to End a Tenancy and Evict a Tenant or Collect Money. According to the L2 instructions, you file it with:
- a copy of the N6 you gave the tenant;
- a Certificate of Service, which shows the LTB how and when you gave the notice; and
- where the N6 is a second notice following an N5 that the tenant voided by correcting the problem, copies of that N5 and its Certificate of Service.
You must apply no later than 30 days after the termination date in the notice. Put that date in your calendar the day you serve. The L2 filing fee on the LTB's forms, filing and fees page is $201, or $186 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal.
An LTB order is what ends the tenancy, not the notice. If a tenant does not leave by the date in an eviction order, the landlord files the order with the Court Enforcement Office (sheriff), and the LTB's brochure on lockouts says the sheriff is the only person allowed to enforce it. Changing the locks yourself is an illegal lockout.
N6 checklist before you serve
- Your reason fits one of the three: illegal drugs, another illegal act or business at the residential complex, or income misrepresentation in an RGI unit.
- You have a dated record of each event: when it happened, what happened, who was involved and who was affected.
- For RGI misrepresentation, you can show the amount misrepresented and how you calculated it.
- The details section describes facts and allegations in neutral terms, specific enough for the tenant to answer.
- Every tenant is named, plus any subtenant or assignee.
- You know whether the 10, 20 or 14-day period applies, and the termination date is counted correctly for your delivery method.
- You are using a permitted delivery method, not taping it to the door, and you keep a copy.
- You are using the current version of the form.
- Your calendar shows the L2 deadline: 30 days after the termination date.
If the matter reaches a hearing, those records become your evidence. Our LTB hearing evidence file checklist covers how to organize them. For how we handle these notices, see our N6 notice service.
If you believe something illegal is happening in your rental, or an RGI tenant's income does not match what was reported, and you want the notice, details and timing right before you serve, we can discuss your file. Contact us through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What if more than one reason applies?
The N6 instructions cover this case. If you select the drug reason together with another illegal act or RGI income misrepresentation, you must set the termination date using the rules for those other two reasons. That means at least 20 days on a first notice in six months, or 14 days where the earlier-N5 condition above is met, rather than 10.
This article is general information about LTB procedure for Ontario landlords and is not legal advice about your matter.