L4 Form: How to Complete Ontario's Application When a Tenant Breaks a Settlement or Order

The L4 is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a landlord files when a tenant has broken a condition of an earlier LTB order or LTB-mediated settlement, and that order or settlement says the landlord may apply for eviction if that happens. Like the L3, it is decided ex parte: the LTB normally issues an eviction order without notifying the tenant and without a hearing. It only works if the earlier order or settlement was drafted to allow it.

At a glance

What the L4 is for

RTA s. 78(1) lets a landlord apply without notice to the tenant for an eviction order if all of these are met:

1. The landlord previously applied to the LTB to end the tenancy or evict the tenant.
2. That application was resolved by a settlement mediated by the LTB under s. 194, or by an LTB order, that: - imposed conditions on the tenant which, if broken, would give rise to the same grounds for termination claimed in the earlier application, and - said the landlord could apply under s. 78 if the tenant did not meet one or more of those conditions.
3. The tenant has not met one or more of those conditions.

An LTB consent order made on a Payment Agreement under s. 206 cannot itself end the tenancy. It may include a clause allowing an s. 78 application if the tenant defaults (s. 206(3.1)).

Money claims. Besides eviction, you can ask for money in two situations (s. 78(3), (7)):

• Reason 2: the earlier application was an L1, and the order or settlement required rent or arrears. You can claim the unpaid settlement amounts, rent that came due after the settlement or order, new NSF charges, and daily compensation.
• Reason 3: the earlier application was an L2 with a damages claim, and the order or settlement required payment for damage. You can claim the unpaid damage amounts and related charges.

The LTB credits any rent deposit and interest (s. 78(8)). It may also cancel the earlier order and order payment of anything still owing under it (s. 78(7.1)).

When to use it (and when not to)

Use the L4 when the earlier order or LTB-mediated settlement contains a condition the tenant has now broken, and a term permitting an s. 78 application.

Do not use it when:

• The deal was made privately, outside the LTB. Section 78 covers settlements "agreed to under section 194", which means mediated by the LTB, and LTB orders. A side letter or text-message arrangement does not qualify. Serve a fresh notice.
• The order or settlement has no s. 78 clause. Without it, the L4 is not available. For a s. 206 payment-agreement order without that clause, you can file a request to reopen within 30 days of the default (s. 206(4), (6)).
• The broken condition is unrelated to the original grounds. The condition must be one whose breach gives rise to the same grounds as the earlier application.
• You want amounts the earlier application never claimed. Reason 2 requires an earlier L1 that claimed arrears; Reason 3 requires an earlier L2 that claimed damage.

Deadlines and limitation periods

• Filing deadline: no later than 30 days after a failure of the tenant to meet a condition (RTA s. 78(5)). This is a statutory filing deadline, and the LTB cannot extend it (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56). The instructions phrase it as the tenant not meeting a condition "within the past 30 days". Count from the date the payment or step was due and not made.
• Repeat defaults: s. 78(5) runs the 30 days from "a failure" to meet a condition. The LTB has not published guidance on whether a later missed instalment starts a fresh 30 days after an earlier default you did not act on, so do not rely on it: file within 30 days of the first default.
• Documents on the Portal: upload the order or settlement and the declaration with the application, or file them within 5 calendar days (Rules 4.4–4.5).
• Tenant's set-aside window: 10 days after the order issues (s. 78(9)).

How to fill out the L4, section by section

The L4 PDF is version v. 01/04/2022, with an eight-page application that includes the Declaration. It was not among the forms replaced on September 21, 2026; its instructions were updated that day.

Part 1: General Information. - Unit, landlord and tenants: the rental unit address, the landlord's details and the tenant names, matching the earlier order. - Related Applications: any unresolved related file numbers.

Part 2: Information about your previous application. Enter the file number of the order or mediated settlement that resolved the earlier application, and its date.

Part 3: Reasons for your application. Choose Reason 1 alone, or Reason 2 and/or Reason 3. - Reason 1: eviction only. - Reason 2: eviction plus rent and charges. Only available if the earlier application was an L1. - Reason 3: eviction plus damages and charges. Only available if the earlier application was an L2 with a damages claim.

Calculation of Amount Owing (Reasons 2 and 3): 1. Start with the total the settlement or order required the tenant to pay. 2. Subtract what the tenant has paid towards it. 3. Add any NSF charges that came due after the settlement or order. The administration charge is capped at $20 per cheque (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 17). 4. For Reason 2 only, add rent that came due after the settlement or order and is unpaid. 5. Total the result.

The LTB cannot order more than $50,000.

Current rent: give the amount and how often it is paid. If you chose Reason 3 only, say whether the tenant paid the full rent for the month you are filing.

Part 4: Signature. The landlord or a legal representative signs and dates. A representative adds their Law Society number and contact details.

The Declaration (pages 5 to 8). This is the heart of the L4. Cross out and initial any section that does not apply. - Section A (always): your name and municipality. Then identify each condition the tenant failed to meet within the last 30 days, and exactly how it was not met. For example: "Paragraph 2 required $400 by January 31, 2026; the tenant paid $200 on January 31 and nothing since." - Section B (Reasons 2 and 3): new rent owing since the settlement or order, period by period, and new NSF and administration charges. Mark N/A where nothing is owed. - Section C (Reasons 2 and 3): the rent deposit held, the date it was collected, and the last interest period. Mark N/A if you hold none. - Section D (Reasons 2 and 3): - the date of the settlement or order, - the rent arrears it required, and the end date of the period those arrears cover, - any damages, NSF and filing-fee amounts it required, and - a chart of every payment since, with the date, amount and what it was for. - Section E (always): sign and date. You confirm the information is complete and accurate, knowing that false information is an offence under RTA s. 234.

If you selected only Reason 1, complete Sections A and E. For Reasons 2 or 3, complete all sections.

On the Portal. The Portal asks for the same information and the uploads. 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

Include all of the following, or the application will be refused (L4 Instructions, Section E; RTA s. 78(2); Rule 6.10):

1. the completed L4,
2. a copy of the mediated settlement or order, and
3. the signed Declaration (or a sworn affidavit), setting out which conditions were not met and how, plus the extra information required under s. 78(4) for money claims.

The LTB fee table lists the L4 as no charge when filed on the Portal. Lawyers and paralegals licensed by the Law Society of Ontario must file on the Portal.

Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed

1. Filing more than 30 days after the breach. The deadline cannot be extended. If you wait too long after the tenant's default, you may be left serving a new notice and starting over.
2. No s. 78 clause. If the order or settlement does not say you may apply under s. 78 on default, the LTB cannot grant an L4. On a set-aside motion, the order must be set aside if any s. 78(1) criterion is not met (s. 78(11)(a)).
3. The settlement was not LTB-mediated. A private agreement, even one written down, does not satisfy s. 78(1).
4. A vague declaration. "Tenant did not comply" is not enough. Section 78(2) requires the affidavit to say what conditions were not met and how. Quote the term, the due date, and what was or was not paid or done.
5. Payments left out of Section D. Omitting a payment overstates the amount owing. It undermines the declaration on a set-aside motion and can amount to filing misleading information.
6. Choosing the wrong reason. Reason 2 is only for settlements or orders from an L1; Reason 3 is only for L2 damage claims. You cannot add arrears to an L4 based on an L2 N5 settlement.
7. Missing documents. Without the settlement or order and the declaration, the application is refused. On the Portal, if they are not filed within 5 days, it can be dismissed administratively (Rule 4.5).
8. Accepting money after the breach without thinking it through. The LTB has not published guidance on whether taking partial payments after a default affects an L4. Record every payment in Section D and get advice before accepting money you do not intend to treat as curing the default.

What happens next

The LTB normally issues an eviction order without a hearing (s. 78(6)). It may also order payment under s. 78(7) if you claimed money. File the eviction order with the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) within six months of the date it takes effect (RTA s. 81).

The tenant's set-aside motion. The tenant may move to set aside the L4 order, and any payment order, within 10 days after it is issued (s. 78(9)). Filing the motion stays the orders (s. 78(10)). The tenant must take the motion and stay to the Court Enforcement Office (Rule 25.1), and the motion must be served at least 48 hours before the motion hearing (Rule 5.11). After a hearing, the LTB must do one of three things (s. 78(11)):

• (a) set the order aside if any s. 78(1) criterion is not satisfied,
• (b) set it aside if satisfied, having regard to all the circumstances, that this "would not be unfair", or
• (c) lift the stay, immediately or on a future date.

If it sets the order aside under (b), the LTB may amend the original settlement or order (s. 78(12)), for example by giving the tenant a new payment schedule.

Note on the 2026 change. The new set-aside rule in O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8.2 bars the LTB from considering a tenant's changed circumstances after an agreement or notice. That rule applies to L3 orders under s. 77, not to L4 orders. On an L4 set-aside motion, the "all the circumstances" test in s. 78(11)(b) still applies. Be ready to show the payment history and why setting aside would be unfair to you.

Recent changes

• September 21, 2026: the L4 instructions were updated. The L4 form (v. 01/04/2022) was not on the list of forms replaced that day, so the November 30, 2026 cut-off for old form versions does not apply to it.
• July 1, 2026: the LTB's Payment Agreement form became mandatory for s. 206 repayment plans, and the deadline to request a review of an order fell from 30 days to 15 for orders issued on or after that date. If you want the option of an L4 after a payment agreement, make sure the agreement and consent order include the s. 78 term.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file an L4?

No more than 30 days after the tenant failed to meet the condition. The LTB cannot extend it.

Is there a hearing on an L4?

Normally no. The order is issued without notice to the tenant. A hearing happens only if the tenant files a motion to set it aside within 10 days.

Does the L4 cost anything?

The LTB fee table lists it as no charge when filed through the Tribunals Ontario Portal.

Can I use an L4 if the tenant and I settled privately?

No. Section 78 applies only to an LTB order or a settlement mediated by the LTB, and only if it includes a term allowing an s. 78 application on default.

Can I collect the missed payments on the L4 as well?

Yes, if the earlier application was an L1 that claimed arrears (Reason 2), or an L2 that claimed damage (Reason 3), and the settlement or order required the tenant to pay. Fill in the calculation and Sections B to D of the declaration.

Official sources

• Form L4 and L4 Instructions
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 78, 81, 192.1, 194, 206
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 8.2, 17, 56
• LTB Rules of Procedure
• LTB Forms, filing and fees
• LTB Operational Update, July 1, 2026

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.