The L8 is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a landlord files when a tenant has changed the locks on the rental unit, or on the building, without the landlord's consent. It asks the Board to order the tenant either to hand over a key to the new lock or to pay the landlord's reasonable cost of changing the locking system. It is not an eviction application.
At a glance
| Who uses it | A landlord whose tenant altered a lock on a door giving entry to the unit or the residential complex without consent |
| What the Board can order | The tenant gives the landlord keys, or pays the landlord's reasonable out-of-pocket cost of changing the locking system |
| Notice first? | No notice is required before filing |
| Deadline | Section 35 sets no filing deadline |
| 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 |
| Follow-on | If the tenant still refuses, consider an N5 for substantial interference with your lawful rights |
What the L8 is for
Section 35(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) says a tenant must not alter the locking system on a door giving entry to the rental unit or residential complex, or cause it to be altered, during their occupancy without the landlord's consent. If they do, s. 35(2) lets the landlord apply for a finding that the tenant did so. If the Board agrees, it may order the tenant to give the landlord keys or to pay the landlord's reasonable out-of-pocket expenses to change the locking system (s. 35(3)).
The rule runs both ways. A landlord who changes the locks during a tenancy must give the tenant replacement keys (s. 24). The L8 does not give you a right to lock the tenant out or to enter without proper notice. Entry is still governed by ss. 26 and 27.
When to use it (and when not to)
- Use it when a tenant has rekeyed, replaced or added a lock (including on a building entrance door) and will not give you a key, or when you would rather restore your own locking system and recover the cost.
- Do not use it to end the tenancy. The L8 cannot evict. If the lock change is part of a pattern that substantially interferes with your lawful rights (for example, repeatedly blocking lawful entry), the route to termination is a notice such as the N5 (RTA s. 64) followed by an L2.
- Do not change the lock back yourself while the tenant is in occupancy unless you give the tenant a key at once (s. 24). Withholding the new key exposes you to a tenant application.
- Emergency access. An emergency allows entry without written notice (s. 26). It does not authorize you to take control of the lock.
Deadlines and limitation periods
- No statutory deadline. Section 35 sets no time limit for an L8. File promptly anyway: delay makes the facts harder to prove, and a key you need for lawful entry is needed now.
- Filing date. Email is filed the day it is received, courier the next business day after it goes to the courier, mail on the fifth non-holiday day after mailing (Rule 4.8).
- Service. The LTB normally serves the application and Notice of Hearing (Rule 5.1). If it directs you to serve, do so at least 15 days before the hearing (Rule 5.9) and file a Certificate of Service within five days (Rule 5.15).
- 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 L8, section by section
Print or type in capital letters, shade circles fully, and leave inapplicable boxes blank. The L8 instructions explain each field.
Part 1: General Information
- Address of the Rental Unit Covered by this Application. Full address with unit number and postal code.
- Landlord's Name and Address. Name or company name, mailing address, phones and email. Add co-landlords on a Schedule of Parties.
- Tenant Names and Address. Up to two tenants on the form, the rest on a Schedule of Parties. Add a mailing address only if it differs from the unit.
- Related Applications. File numbers of unresolved applications about the unit.
Part 2: Reason for Your Application
The statement is pre-printed: the tenant changed the locking system to the rental unit and/or the residential complex without your permission. Then:
- Shade one order: "give me a copy of the key" or "pay me $___ to change the locking system". If you choose payment, enter the amount and have a locksmith's invoice or written quote ready to prove it is reasonable and out-of-pocket.
- Describe the events in detail, answering the form's four prompts: how you found out the lock had been changed; which locking system (unit door, building entrance, other); when it was changed, if known; and who changed it, if known. Add dates, your requests for a key, and the tenant's responses.
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. For email filing, enter the online payment receipt number.
Filing it
- Email: pay $201 on the Online Payment for Tribunal Applications page (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.
The current L8 instructions (August 2023) mention the Tribunals Ontario Portal, but the LTB's forms, filing and fees page lists the L8 only for email, mail or courier, and ServiceOntario filing. Fees are non-refundable; see the LTB fees page. A Fee Waiver Request is available.
Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed
- No proof you did not consent. Section 35 turns on lack of consent. If your lease, emails or conduct suggest you agreed, or never objected, the application can fail. Keep your written request for a key and the tenant's response.
- Asking for both remedies, or neither. The form has you shade one: a key or a payment. Pick the one you want and support it.
- Claiming unproven or inflated costs. The Board can order only reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. With no invoice or quote, or with upgrades the tenant did not cause, expect a reduced award or none.
- Using the L8 to try to evict. It cannot end a tenancy. Filing an L8 when you want possession wastes the fee and time.
- Self-help. Changing the lock back without giving the tenant a key breaches s. 24 and can turn you into the respondent.
- No application fee, or unpaid LTB fines. The application will not be processed (instructions; Rule 6.1).
What happens next
The Board sends a Notice of Hearing. Bring photos of the lock, the locksmith invoice or quote, and your correspondence with the tenant. If the tenant does not pay as ordered, the money part of the order has to be enforced outside the LTB. Ontario's Guide to procedures in Small Claims Court says orders under the RTA can be filed in the Small Claims Court, where they are treated as an order of the court for enforcement. Continued refusal of access may support an N5 on the ground of substantial interference with your lawful rights.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Ontario tenant change the locks?
Not without the landlord's consent. Section 35 of the RTA prohibits a tenant from altering the locking system on a door giving entry to the unit or the building during their occupancy without consent.
What can the LTB order on an L8?
It can order the tenant to give you keys, or to pay your reasonable out-of-pocket costs to change the locking system. It cannot evict on an L8.
Can I just change the lock back?
If you change the locking system while the tenant is in occupancy, you must give the tenant replacement keys (s. 24). Changing it and keeping the tenant out is not permitted.
Is there a deadline to file an L8?
Section 35 sets no filing deadline, but file promptly while the facts are fresh and provable.