L10 Form: How to Complete Ontario's Application to Collect Money a Former Tenant Owes

The L10 is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a landlord files to collect money from a tenant who has already moved out. It covers unpaid rent and overholding compensation, NSF charges, unpaid utilities, damage, and expenses caused by substantial interference. Two things make it different from every other landlord application: a strict one-year limitation period from the move-out date, and the fact that you, not the LTB, must serve the former tenant and prove it with a special Certificate of Service.

At a glance

What the L10 is for

Since September 1, 2021, the RTA has let landlords claim against a tenant or former tenant who is no longer in possession, provided the tenant left on or after that date. The claims are:

• Rent arrears (s. 87(1)), and compensation for use and occupation for days the tenant stayed after the tenancy ended by notice or agreement (s. 87(3)).
• NSF charges: the bank's charge plus an administration charge of up to $20 per cheque (s. 87(5); O. Reg. 516/06, s. 17). These are available only together with a rent or compensation claim.
• Unpaid utilities the tenancy agreement required the tenant to pay (s. 88.2).
• Undue damage caused wilfully or negligently by the tenant, an occupant or a guest (s. 89).
• Out-of-pocket expenses caused by substantial interference with the landlord's reasonable enjoyment or lawful rights (s. 88.1).

The LTB deducts any rent deposit, and interest owing on it, from what it awards.

What the L10 cannot do:

• It cannot claim the extra rent from misrepresented income in rent-geared-to-income housing. That claim exists only while the tenant is in possession (s. 90).
• It cannot award more than $50,000. Any excess is extinguished once the order issues (s. 207(3)).
• It cannot proceed against a guarantor (Interpretation Guideline 11).

When to use it (and when not to)

Use the L10 when the tenant is out of possession and the claim is within the one-year limit.

• The tenant is still living there: use an L1 or L9 for rent, or an L2 for damage, utilities or interference.
• The tenant moved out before September 1, 2021: the LTB has no jurisdiction under these sections. The claim belongs in court.
• The claim exceeds $50,000: consider court instead. RTA s. 207(2) lets a court exercise the LTB's powers on the larger claim.

How much rent can be claimed depends on how the tenancy ended (RTA s. 88; Interpretation Guideline 11):

• Agreed termination: rent is owed up to the agreed date.
• Tenant left on a notice that did not comply with the RTA: rent is owed to the earliest date a proper notice could have specified. If you accepted the short notice, the LTB may find you agreed to end the tenancy, and no rent is owed after that date.
• Tenant left or abandoned with no notice: rent is owed to the earliest termination date a proper notice could have given, counted from when you knew or ought to have known they had left.
• In every case, the LTB asks whether you took reasonable steps to re-rent and minimize your losses (ss. 16, 88(4)). It will not award rent for any period in which a new tenant is paying you.

Deadlines and limitation periods

One year from move-out. Each claim must be made no later than one year after the tenant ceased to be in possession (RTA ss. 87(1.1), 87(3.1), 88.1(2), 88.2(2), 89(1.1)). The form's information page says no more than 365 days after the day the tenant moved out. This is a statutory filing deadline, and the LTB cannot extend it (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56). Fix the move-out date with evidence, such as key return, a move-out inspection or the abandonment facts.

Service: at least 30 days before the hearing. You must give each former tenant the application and the Notice of Hearing at least 30 days before the hearing (Rule 5.8). Service by mail is deemed effective on the fifth day after mailing (RTA s. 191(3); Rule 3.9), so mail at least 35 days before the hearing. Courier is deemed effective the next business day after it goes to the courier (Rule 3.9).

Certificate of Service: at least 20 days before the hearing. File the completed Certificate of Service with the LTB no later than 20 days before the hearing (Rule 5.16).

Alternative service: at least 40 days before the hearing. If none of the permitted methods will work, file a Request to Use Alternative Service at least 40 days before the hearing (Rule 3.4).

Evidence. Disclose bills, invoices, photos and the tenancy agreement to the former tenant and the LTB at least 7 days before the hearing (Rule 19.1).

How to fill out the L10, section by section

The current form is version 2026/09: a three-page checklist and information sheet (not filed), an eight-page application and a Payment Information Form.

Language preference and accommodation. Choose English or French. Send any Accommodation Request separately.

Part 1: Address of the rental unit. Give the full address of the unit the tenant left.

Part 2: Total amount the former tenant owes. Copy the Total from Part 5.

Part 3: General Information. - Landlord: name and contact details, and Mail or Email for communication. - Move-out date: "The former tenant moved out of the rental unit on (dd/mm/yyyy)". This date drives the one-year limit, so make sure you can prove it. - Former tenants: each former tenant's name, email and phone. - Current address: give each former tenant's current address if you know it. Never give the rental unit address. The LTB needs the current address to send the order, and you may need it to enforce the order. You may be asked at the hearing how you found it. You can leave the address blank if you do not know it, but you still have to serve the application.

Part 4: Applying to Collect Money the Former Tenant May Owe You. - Reason 1, rent and compensation: - Fill in the Rent Owing table with From, To, Rent Charged, Rent Paid and Rent Owing. You may combine earlier periods in the first or second row; the last row must show the final period alone. - Then give the rent deposit details: the amount held, the date collected, and the last interest period. - A flat monthly utility charge paid to you counts as rent. A fluctuating share of a utility bill goes under Reason 3. - Reason 2, NSF charges (only with Reason 1): one row per cheque, with the administration charge capped at $20. The cheque amount itself is not included. - Reason 3, utilities: one row per bill, showing the provider, bill date, period covered, total, amount the tenant paid and amount owing. Add a written explanation, and disclose the bills and a written tenancy agreement. - Reason 4, damage: the total, plus an item-by-item explanation of the damage and how each repair or replacement cost was calculated. Estimates are allowed. - Reason 5, substantial interference: the out-of-pocket expenses and how each one connects to the conduct. Do not use this reason for damage or utilities.

Part 5: Total Amount Owing. Add the five totals plus the application fee you actually pay.

Part 6: Signature. The landlord or a legal representative signs and dates. A representative adds their Law Society number and contact details. An unsigned application is not accepted.

Payment Information Form. Choose money order or certified cheque (payable to the "Minister of Finance") or credit card, using the Credit Card Payment Form for card payments by mail or courier.

On the Portal. The Portal asks for the same information on screen. Check everything before the "Ready to Submit" page; you cannot edit the draft after that. Tribunals Ontario does not publish the Portal's screens step by step, so follow its on-screen prompts.

Filing it

To file, you need the completed L10 and the fee, or an approved Fee Waiver Request (L10 Instructions, Section C). The LTB forms page lists the Tribunals Ontario Portal as the filing route. The instructions also describe mail, courier and ServiceOntario filing. Licensed lawyers and paralegals must use the Portal.

Serving the former tenant (RTA s. 189.0.1). Once the LTB issues the Notice of Hearing, give each former tenant a separate copy of the L10 and the Notice of Hearing, at least 30 days before the hearing. The permitted methods are (RTA s. 191(1.0.1); Rule 3.3):

• hand it to the former tenant,
• hand it to an apparently adult person at the former tenant's current residence,
• mail it to their current residence,
• courier it to their current residence,
• leave it where mail is ordinarily delivered at their current residence, slide it under the door, or put it through the mail slot, or
• email it, but only if the tenant agreed in writing during the tenancy to receive documents by email, and you can prove they received it (for example, a reply or a read receipt).

You cannot leave it at the rental unit. If none of these methods will work, ask the LTB for permission to use another method, such as the tenant's workplace, at least 40 days before the hearing (Rule 3.4).

The L10 Certificate of Service. Use the specific form, Certificate of Service – Serving a Former Tenant or a Tenant no Longer in Possession of the Rental Unit. The ordinary Certificate of Service is not the right form. Fill in:

• the file number and the rental unit address,
• the date of service and the documents served (L10 Application, Notice of Hearing),
• who was served. If several former tenants were served the same way on the same day, shade that circle and attach a list of names and addresses,
• the method used, with the address or email used, and
• the signature of the person who actually served the documents.

File it with the LTB at least 20 days before the hearing.

Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed

1. Filing more than one year after move-out. The limit is statutory and cannot be extended. A claim one day late is lost at the LTB.
2. The tenant moved out before September 1, 2021. The LTB has no jurisdiction over that claim.
3. No L10 Certificate of Service, or filing it late. If the LTB has not received it at least 20 days before the hearing, it may cancel the hearing and close your file. The filing fee is not refunded (Rule 5.16; L10 Instructions, Section E).
4. Serving at the old rental unit. That is not a permitted method for a tenant no longer in possession.
5. Serving too late. Service must be complete at least 30 days before the hearing. Mail served 30 days out is only deemed served 25 days out. The LTB may adjourn or dismiss for failure to serve (Rule 5.17).
6. Email service without written consent given during the tenancy, or without proof of receipt. That does not meet Rule 3.3.
7. Not being able to explain the current address. If the former tenant does not attend, you must explain how you determined their current residence. Keep the records: a forwarding address, the tenant's own messages, or other sources you relied on.
8. No credit for re-renting. Claiming rent for months a new tenant was paying, or ignoring whether you tried to re-rent, will reduce or defeat the rent claim (s. 88(4)).
9. NSF charges claimed without a rent or compensation claim, or more than $20 per cheque as the administration charge.
10. Using an old L10 on or after November 30, 2026. Versions dated before 2026/09 will not be accepted as of November 30, 2026.

What happens next

The hearing proceeds on the date in the Notice of Hearing. The former tenant can dispute the amounts. Because s. 87(2) applies the s. 82 tenant-issues rules to rent claims, a former tenant who wants to raise their own issues against a rent claim filed on or after September 21, 2026 must, at least 7 days before the hearing:

• pay you half of the rent arrears claimed, and
• give you and the LTB a written description of the issues.

This appears on the updated L10 form and in Interpretation Guideline 11.

The LTB sends its order to the former tenant at the current address you supplied, or by email. The order is collected as a debt; it involves no eviction. You have 15 days from an order issued on or after July 1, 2026 to request a review if the order contains a serious error.

Recent changes

• September 21, 2026:
• The L10 was updated; versions dated before 2026/09 will not be accepted as of November 30, 2026.
• The tenant-issues rule now requires a tenant or former tenant to pay half of the claimed rent arrears to the landlord, 7 days before the hearing, to raise other issues on rent applications filed on or after that date.
• Interpretation Guideline 11 was updated.
• July 1, 2026:
• Seasonal air-conditioner charges can form part of rent.
• The deadline to request a review fell from 30 days to 15 for orders issued on or after that date.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file an L10?

No later than one year after the tenant moved out. The LTB cannot extend this deadline. The tenant must also have moved out on or after September 1, 2021.

Does the LTB serve the L10 on the former tenant?

No. You must give each former tenant the application and the Notice of Hearing at least 30 days before the hearing. You then file the L10 Certificate of Service at least 20 days before the hearing.

What if I don't know where the former tenant lives now?

You can file without a current address. But you must still serve them by a permitted method, or get the LTB's permission for an alternative method at least 40 days before the hearing. You may be asked to explain how you found the address you used.

Can I serve the former tenant by email?

Only if, during the tenancy, they agreed in writing to receive documents by email, and you can prove they actually received the email.

Official sources

• Form L10 (2026/09) and L10 Instructions
• Certificate of Service – L10 Serving a Former Tenant
• Request to Use Alternative Service
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 16, 87, 88, 88.1, 88.2, 89, 90, 189.0.1, 191, 207
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 17, 56
• LTB Rules of Procedure
• Interpretation Guideline 11: Rent Arrears
• LTB Operational Update, September 21, 2026
• LTB Forms, filing and fees

Last reviewed October 31, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation. Always use the current version of the form from the LTB.