N4 Form: How to Complete Ontario's Notice to End a Tenancy for Non-payment of Rent

The N4 is the notice an Ontario landlord gives a tenant who has not paid the full rent on the date it was due. It tells the tenant how much rent is owing and the date by which they must pay it or move out, and it is the required first step before you can file an L1 application to evict for non-payment of rent. Since September 21, 2026 the N4 gives the tenant 7 days, not 14.

At a glance

What the N4 is for

Section 59 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) lets a landlord give notice of termination when a tenant "fails to pay rent lawfully owing under a tenancy agreement." The notice must state the rent due and tell the tenant they can avoid termination by paying it, plus any rent that has since come due, by the termination date (s. 59(2)).

The N4 is voidable. Under s. 59(3) it is void if, before the day you apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), the tenant pays all the arrears plus any additional rent due by the date of payment. So the tenant can save the tenancy even after the termination date, right up until you file.

The N4 only covers rent. NSF charges, late fees, utilities owed to a utility company, damage and an unpaid last month's deposit do not belong on it (Interpretation Guideline 11). It also does not remove anyone: only an LTB order, enforced by the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff), can do that. And the tenant must still be living in the unit when you serve it and when you file.

When to use it (and when not to)

Use the N4 when the tenant lives in the unit and some or all of the rent that was due has not been paid. The earliest you can give it is the day after rent was due, because the tenant has until midnight on the due date to pay (N4 checklist).

Choose a different route when:

• You want the money but not an eviction: file an L9. No notice is needed, but an L9 order cannot be used to evict.
• The tenant has moved out: file an L10 within one year after they left (RTA s. 87(1.1)).
• The tenant pays, but always late: that is an N8 problem. You may serve an N4 and an N8 together; the Divisional Court has confirmed unpaid rent is both late and in arrears (Guideline 10, citing Shearer v. Oz, 2026 ONSC 3753).

Deadlines and limitation periods

Termination date: at least 7 days after you give the notice (RTA s. 59(1)). Exclude the day you give it and include the termination date (Rules of Procedure, Rule 1.13). Handed over on March 3, the earliest termination date is March 10.

Extra days for the service method:

• Mail (including Xpresspost): deemed given on the fifth day after mailing (RTA s. 191(3); Rule 3.9). Mailed March 3, the earliest termination date is March 15.
• Courier: deemed given the day after it went to the courier, or the next business day if that day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday (Rule 3.9; Rule 1.1 defines "holiday" to include weekends). The N4 instructions put this as adding one business day.
• Fax: given on the date on the fax confirmation.

The LTB cannot extend or shorten a statutory notice period (Guideline 10). N4s given before September 21, 2026 still needed 14 days.

Filing the L1: no earlier than the day after the termination date (s. 74(1)). There is no outer deadline: the 30-day expiry and 30-day filing limit for other notices do not apply to non-payment of rent (ss. 46(2), 69(3)). The risk of waiting is that the tenant can void the notice by paying in full before you file.

How to fill out the N4, section by section

Download the current form from the LTB forms page, save it, and fill it in outside your browser, as the LTB advises. Read the official instructions alongside this guide. Remove the checklist page before serving.

Page 1: the landlord's information box

• Amount of rent owing ($): fill this in last, by copying the Total Rent Owing from the page 3 table. The two must match.
• Termination date (dd/mm/yyyy): a calendar date at least 7 days out, plus mail or courier days. Not "7 days."
• Tenant's name: every tenant in possession, spelled correctly, plus any subtenant or assignee. Not children or guests.
• Landlord's name: you, or all landlords.
• Address of Rental Unit: street number and name, unit/apt./suite (or "Basement"), municipality and postal code.

Page 2 is information for the tenant; there is nothing to fill in.

Page 3: the rent owing table

For each period with unpaid rent, enter Rent Period From and To (for rent due on the 1st, the 1st to the last day of the month), Rent Charged (the lawful rent), Rent Paid, and Rent Owing. Total them in Total Rent Owing.

"Rent" is the basic rent plus anything the tenant pays you separately for services such as parking or a seasonal air-conditioner charge (RTA s. 2(1); N4 instructions). A flat monthly utility charge paid to you is rent. A utility bill the tenant pays directly, or a share of a fluctuating bill, is not (Guideline 11).

If more than three periods are owing, combine earlier periods in the first or second row, but the last row must show the most recent period owing. Or attach a separate page showing every period, served with the notice. Include only rent already due on the day you give the N4.

Signature and Representative Information

Check Landlord or Representative, enter name and phone number, sign and date. The landlord or their agent must sign (s. 43(1)(c)); the agent need not be licensed to sign a notice (Guideline 10). A representative also fills in name, LSO number, company, mailing address, email and phone.

Serving it

The instructions allow you to hand it to the tenant or an apparently adult person in the unit, leave it in the mailbox or where mail is delivered, slide it under the door or through a mail slot, or send it by fax, courier or mail. Email is allowed only if the tenant consented in writing (Rule 3.1). You cannot post it on the door.

Serve each tenant, keep a copy of exactly what you served, and have the server complete a Certificate of Service. Valid service depends on using an approved method, not on whether the tenant read it (Guideline 10).

Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed

A defective N4 cannot be amended after service (Guideline 10, citing Boomer v. Arvane Farms Ltd., 2025 ONSC 1772). Section 212 of the RTA saves only errors that do not significantly prejudice the tenant; mistakes in the amount or the date usually do. If the N4 fails, the eviction claim is dismissed, though the LTB may still order arrears (Guideline 11).

1. Serving it on the due date. The tenant has until midnight to pay. Serve the next day or later.
2. Too few days. Under 7 clear days, or forgetting 5 days for mail or a business day for courier. The LTB cannot cure a short notice period.
3. No calendar date. "Seven days from today" may not state a termination date as s. 43(1)(b) requires.
4. Non-rent charges. NSF fees, late fees, administration charges, utilities owed to a utility, damage or an unpaid deposit "will likely invalidate the notice" (Guideline 11). Claim NSF charges on the L1 instead.
5. The wrong amount. Arrears based on a rent that was never lawfully increased have led the LTB to find N4s invalid (Guideline 10). So does including rent that was not yet due, or a page 1 total that does not match page 3.
6. Missing tenants, an incomplete address, or a signature from someone who is not the landlord or their agent. Every tenant in possession must be named and served (Guideline 10).
7. Wrong service: taping it to the door, or emailing without written consent. Unless you can prove the notice actually reached the tenant in time (s. 191(2)), the eviction claim fails.
8. Filing too early: on or before the termination date (s. 74(1)).
9. Filing after the tenant voided it. If all arrears plus any newly due rent were paid before you filed, the notice is void (s. 59(3)). Check your ledger the day you file.
10. Applying the last month's deposit to the arrears. It can only be applied to the last month of the tenancy (Guideline 11).
11. Not uploading the N4 and Certificate of Service with the L1, or within 5 calendar days after. The application may be administratively dismissed (Rules 4.4, 4.5).
12. A superseded form. The LTB issued a new N4 on September 21, 2026. Its operational update says previous versions of the N5, N6, N8, N12, N13, L1, L2, L9, L10 and T5 are not accepted as of November 30, 2026; the N4 is not named in that sentence, so whether the cut-off applies to it is unconfirmed. Do not test it: download the current N4 each time.

What happens next

If the tenant pays everything before you file, the N4 is void; serve a new one if they fall behind again. Accepting a partial payment does not cancel the notice unless you agree otherwise (RTA s. 45).

If the tenant moves out, the tenancy ends and you can claim unpaid rent on an L10 within one year.

If the tenant neither pays nor leaves, file an L1 on the Tribunals Ontario Portal from the day after the termination date, with the N4 and Certificate of Service. The fee is $201, or $186 through the Portal. After that:

• The tenant can end the application by paying all arrears, new rent and your filing fee before the order issues (s. 74(2)).
• For rent applications (L1, L9 and L10) filed on or after September 21, 2026, a tenant who wants to raise their own issues at the hearing must pay you half the arrears claimed at least 7 days before it (RTA ss. 82 and 87(2); O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8.3).
• The LTB must consider refusing or delaying eviction (s. 83). Without your consent, a delay now needs both no unfairness to you or other tenants and compelling grounds (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8.4).
• An eviction order is void if the tenant pays the ordered amount before it becomes enforceable (s. 74(4)).

Recent changes

• September 21, 2026: notice period cut from 14 to 7 days for N4s given on or after that date, with a new N4 form. For rent applications (L1, L9, L10) filed from that date, the half-arrears payment rule for tenant issues and the stricter test for delaying eviction apply.
• July 1, 2026: the deadline to request review of an LTB order fell from 30 to 15 days for orders issued on or after that date, and the LTB Payment Agreement form became mandatory for s. 206 repayment plans.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does an N4 give the tenant in 2026?

At least 7 days for N4s given on or after September 21, 2026, plus 5 days if mailed or one business day if couriered. N4s given before then needed 14 days.

Can I put late fees or NSF charges on the N4?

No. The N4 is for rent only, and Guideline 11 says NSF charges on an N4 will likely invalidate it. Claim NSF bank charges and the capped administration fee on the L1.

The tenant paid after the termination date. Can I still file?

Only if they did not pay everything. If, before you filed, they paid all arrears plus any rent that came due since, the N4 is void (s. 59(3)). A partial payment leaves it in force.

Does the N4 expire?

There is no fixed expiry for non-payment of rent notices (RTA ss. 46(2), 69(3)). But the longer you wait, the longer the tenant has to void it by paying in full.

Can I email the N4?

Only if the tenant has consented in writing to email service (Rule 3.1). Posting it on the door is never allowed.

Official sources

• N4 form (PDF)
• N4 Instructions
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 2(1), 43, 45, 46, 59, 69, 74, 82, 83, 87, 191, 206, 212
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 8.3, 8.4
• Interpretation Guideline 11: Rent Arrears
• Interpretation Guideline 10: Procedural Issues Regarding Eviction Applications
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 1.1, 1.13, 3.1, 3.9, 4.4, 4.5
• LTB Operational Update, September 21, 2026
• LTB Operational Update, July 1, 2026
• Certificate of Service (PDF)
• 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.