The L7 is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a care home landlord files to transfer a tenant out of the home and evict them because the tenant needs a different level of care. It applies both when the tenant needs less care than the home provides and when they need more. The second case has strict pre-conditions that you must prove before the Board can order a transfer.
At a glance
| Who uses it | Landlords of a care home (a residential complex occupied for the purpose of receiving care services) |
| Grounds | (1) the tenant no longer needs the level of care provided; (2) the tenant needs more care than the landlord can provide |
| Notice first? | No notice of termination is required before filing |
| Deadline | The RTA sets no filing deadline for an L7 |
| How it is filed | By email to LTBpayments@ontario.ca after paying online, by mail or courier, or at ServiceOntario. Not on the Tribunals Ontario Portal |
| Filing fee | $201 |
| Mediation | Mandatory if there is a dispute; if the landlord will not take part, the application may be dismissed |
| Service | If directed to serve, at least 30 days before the hearing |
What the L7 is for
A "care home" is a residential complex occupied, or intended to be occupied, by people for the purpose of receiving care services: health care, rehabilitative or therapeutic services, or help with the activities of daily living (RTA s. 2(1)). Care home tenants are full tenants under the RTA, so they cannot be moved out simply because their needs have changed. Section 148 lets the landlord apply for an order transferring the tenant out of the care home and evicting them if:
- (a) the tenant no longer requires the level of care provided. This includes a tenant who has repeatedly and substantially withdrawn from some or all of the care services in the tenancy agreement and is not getting substantially equivalent community-based services instead (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 49); or
- (b) the tenant requires a level of care the landlord cannot provide. Here the Board may order a transfer only if it is satisfied that appropriate alternate accommodation is available, and that the landlord's care combined with community-based services delivered in the home still cannot meet the tenant's needs (s. 148(2)).
When to use it (and when not to)
- Use it when the reason for ending the tenancy is a mismatch between the tenant's care needs and what the home provides.
- Do not use it for conduct issues, arrears or other grounds. Those follow the ordinary notices and applications (for example an N4 and L1, or an N5 and L2).
- Check the Act applies. Short-term respite care in a care home is excluded from the RTA (s. 5(l)), and accommodation governed by the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 or the hospitals Acts is excluded too (s. 5(e)). If coverage is unclear, see the A1.
- For Reason 2, do the groundwork first. The instructions require you to look for appropriate alternative accommodation and to find out what community care services could let the tenant stay. Without that work the Board cannot grant the order.
Deadlines and limitation periods
- No statutory filing deadline for an s. 148 application, and no notice of termination is required first.
- Service: where the Board directs the landlord to serve, the application and Notice of Hearing for a care home transfer must be served at least 30 days before the hearing (Rule 5.7), with a Certificate of Service filed within five days of service (Rule 5.15).
- Mediation: if a dispute arises, it must go to mediation before the Board makes an order (s. 148(3)). The form warns that the Board may dismiss your application if you do not agree to try mediation.
- Review: any party has 15 days from an order issued on or after July 1, 2026 to request a review (Rule 26.5).
How to fill out the L7, section by section
The current form is version 01/04/2022. Print or type in capital letters. Read the L7 instructions first.
Part 1: General Information
- Address of the Rental Unit. Full address including the unit or room number and postal code.
- Landlord's Name and Address. The operator or owner as landlord, with mailing address, phones and email. Add co-landlords on a Schedule of Parties.
- Tenant Name and Address. The tenant's name, plus a mailing address only if it differs from the unit.
- Tenant's Representative / Substitute Decision Maker. If the tenant has a representative or someone authorized to act for them (for example, an attorney under a power of attorney), give that person's name and contact details. Care home tenants often do.
- Related Applications. File numbers of unresolved applications about the unit.
Part 2: Reason for Your Application
Shade one reason.
- Reason 1: The tenant does not require as much care as the care home provides. Describe the minimum level of care the home provides and why the tenant needs less. If the tenant has withdrawn from services, say which services, since when, and that they are not receiving equivalent community services.
- Reason 2: The tenant requires a higher level of care than the care home can provide, even with additional care services available from service providers in the community. Describe the care the home provides, why it cannot meet the tenant's needs, which community-based services are available, and why the home's care plus those services still cannot meet them.
Is other appropriate accommodation available for the tenant at this time? Shade Yes or No. If Yes, give the name and address of the facility and the arrangements made for the transfer. If you answer No on a Reason 2 application, the Board will not issue the transfer order unless, by the hearing, you can satisfy it that appropriate alternative accommodation is available.
Part 3: Signature
Shade "Landlord" or "Legal Representative", sign and date. A representative adds their Law Society number and contact details.
Payment Information Form
Shade the payment method; enter the receipt number if you paid online.
Filing it
- Email: pay $201 online (Visa or Mastercard, credit or debit), then within 24 hours email the application and receipt to LTBpayments@ontario.ca, with the receipt number and unit address in the subject line.
- Mail or courier: certified cheque or money order to the "Minister of Finance", or credit card on the Credit Card Payment Form.
- ServiceOntario: in person at a location that accepts LTB filings.
Fees are non-refundable; see the LTB fees page. A Fee Waiver Request is available. A Board mediator will contact both sides after filing.
Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed
- Reason 2 with no alternative accommodation identified. Section 148(2)(a) makes it a condition of the order. If you cannot prove it is available, there will be no transfer.
- Not addressing community-based services. For Reason 2 you must show that your care plus community services still cannot meet the tenant's needs (s. 148(2)(b)). An application that describes only the home's own limits falls short.
- Refusing or skipping mediation. If you do not take part, the Board may dismiss the application (s. 148(4)).
- Leaving out the substitute decision maker. The form asks for the tenant's representative or substitute decision maker. Leaving that person out invites delay and a fairness objection, especially where the tenant cannot take part on their own.
- Missing the 30-day service rule when directed to serve. The Board may adjourn or dismiss for failure to serve (Rule 5.17).
- Thin evidence. Bring assessments, care plans, service-withdrawal records, and correspondence with community providers and the receiving facility. Conclusions without records rarely carry a transfer order.
What happens next
After mediation, if the matter is not settled, the Board holds a hearing. Because an L7 seeks eviction, the member must consider relief from eviction under s. 83. Since September 21, 2026, a delay the landlord does not agree to requires the Board to find it not unfair to the landlord or other tenants and that there are compelling reasons. A transfer order is enforced like any eviction order, through the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff).
Recent changes
- September 21, 2026 (Bill 60): relief from eviction under s. 83 was tightened. A delay the landlord does not agree to now requires the Board to be satisfied that it would not be unfair and that there are compelling reasons. This applies to the eviction an L7 seeks.
- July 1, 2026: the time to request a review of an order dropped from 30 to 15 days (Rule 26.5).
- The L7 form itself was not replaced on September 21, 2026. The current version is still 01/04/2022.
Frequently asked questions
Can a care home evict a resident because their care needs changed?
Only through an L7 order under s. 148 of the RTA. The landlord must prove the tenant needs less care than the home provides or more than it can provide. For more care, the landlord must also prove that alternate accommodation is available and that community services cannot close the gap.
Is mediation required for an L7?
Yes, if there is a dispute. Section 148 sends disputes to mediation before the Board decides. A landlord who does not take part risks dismissal.
What if the tenant refuses to take part in care services?
Repeated and substantial withdrawal from the care services in the tenancy agreement, without equivalent community services, can support Reason 1 (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 49).