T6 Form: How Ontario Landlords Should Answer a Tenant Maintenance Application

The T6 is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a tenant or former tenant files when they say the landlord has not kept the rental unit or residential complex in a good state of repair, fit for habitation and in line with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. For landlords, a T6 is decided on evidence: what the problem was, when you knew about it, and how quickly and effectively you dealt with it.

At a glance

What the T6 is for

Section 20(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) makes the landlord responsible for providing and maintaining the complex and every unit "in a good state of repair and fit for habitation" and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. This applies even if the tenant knew about the problem before renting (s. 20(2)).

Under s. 29(1), para. 1, a tenant or former tenant may apply for an order that the landlord breached that duty. If the LTB agrees, s. 30(1) lets it:

1. terminate the tenancy;
2. order a rent abatement;
3. authorize repairs the tenant did or will do, at the landlord's cost;
4. order the landlord to do specified work by a set date;
5. order payment for the tenant's damaged property and other reasonable out-of-pocket costs;
6. bar the landlord from charging a new tenant more than the last lawful rent until serious problems are fixed;
7. bar the landlord from giving a rent increase notice until serious problems are fixed;
8. bar the landlord from taking a rent increase already noticed but not yet taken; and
9. make any other appropriate order.

Paragraphs 6 to 8 are the "order prohibiting a rent increase" remedies. They apply only to serious breaches and outstanding work orders.

When to use it (and when not to)

The T6 covers repair and maintenance. It is the wrong form for:

• harassment, illegal entry or interference caused by how work was done (T2);
• a service or facility the landlord deliberately removed (T3); or
• money collected illegally (T1).

A tenant facing an L1, L9 or L10 can raise maintenance issues at that hearing instead of filing a T6, if they give written notice of the issues at least 7 days before the hearing. For applications filed on or after September 21, 2026, they must also pay the landlord half the arrears claimed (ss. 82, 87(2)). See Issues a Tenant Intends to Raise.

The duty has limits. Guideline 5 says a tenant cannot insist on a particular preventive maintenance program or on a "standard of perfection" in repairs. The tenant is responsible for undue damage they, their occupants or their guests cause wilfully or negligently (s. 34).

Deadlines and limitation periods

• One year (s. 29(2)). No application more than one year after the breach. Guideline 5 explains that a maintenance breach is usually ongoing, so the year runs from when the repair is completed or the standard is met. A problem the landlord fixed more than a year before filing cannot be included.
• Remedy window. An abatement can cover only the period from one year before the filing date. If the problem is still not fixed at the hearing, the order can run beyond the hearing until it is repaired (Guideline 5, citing Toronto Community Housing Corp. v. Vlahovich and Goodman v. Menyhart).
• Disclosure. Evidence goes to the other parties and the LTB at least 7 days before the hearing. Responding evidence goes at least 5 days before (Rules 19.1–19.2).

How to fill out the T6, section by section

The form is version 01/04/2022.

• Part 1: General Information. Unit address, tenant names and contact details, the landlord's name and address, the move-in date, whether the tenant still lives there (and the move-out date if not), and related files.
• Part 2: Reasons. A single ground: the landlord has not repaired or maintained the unit or complex, or has not complied with standards. The tenant describes each problem in detail, when it started, whether it is ongoing, the date fixed and who fixed it, and what caused it. The tenant also gives the date they first told the landlord.
• Part 3: Remedies. Remedies 1 to 9: 1. abatement, with the current rent and calculation; 2. cost of the tenant's damaged property; 3. out-of-pocket expenses; 4. approval and reimbursement of repairs the tenant already did; 5. permission to do repairs at the landlord's cost; 6. an order that the landlord do the work; 7. no rent increase until serious problems are fixed; 8. end the tenancy; 9. other remedies.
• Part 4: Signature, then the accommodation and French-language request and the payment page.

Filing it

The tenant files on the Tribunals Ontario Portal, by mail or courier, or in person at a ServiceOntario centre that accepts LTB documents. The fee is $53, or $48 on the Portal, and a fee waiver may be requested. The LTB serves the application and Notice of Hearing on the landlord (Rule 5.1). Each side gives its own evidence directly to the other.

A tenant who has filed a T6 may also ask the LTB to let them pay rent into the LTB while the application is decided (s. 195(1)(b); Rule 20.9). Rent paid in with permission is not arrears (s. 195(5)). Guideline 5 says such requests are granted only in special circumstances.

If you are the landlord responding

1. Map every item. For each problem the tenant lists, note the date it started, the date you were told, what you did and when, and whether it is fixed. Items fixed more than a year before filing are out of time.
2. Notice and knowledge. In choosing a remedy, the LTB must consider whether the tenant told you before applying (s. 30(2)). Guideline 5 adds that you are generally not liable for problems you did not know about and could not reasonably have known about. Keep every maintenance request, with its date and how it came in.
3. Show a timely, effective response. Guideline 5 says that if you responded within a reasonable time and the response was appropriate, no abatement or other remedy should normally be ordered. Bring: - work orders and contractor invoices; - parts orders that explain delays; - dated before-and-after photographs; - your 24-hour entry notices.
4. Entry refused. You may enter with 24 hours' written notice to repair or to inspect (s. 27). If the tenant refused entry or delayed the work, document it. Guideline 5 says tenant conduct can reduce or eliminate an abatement.
5. Tenant-caused damage. If the problem came from the tenant's wilful or negligent conduct, raise s. 34 with evidence.
6. Good maintenance program. Evidence of regular inspections and preventive maintenance can reduce an abatement where major work was needed. Guideline 5 cites Herbold v. Pajelle Investments: an abatement for losing common facilities during a short period of necessary repairs should be granted only in exceptional cases.
7. Abatement size. Guideline 5 ties the amount to how seriously the problem affected the tenant's use of the unit, and the rent level matters. Be ready to propose a figure if liability is likely.
8. Disclose on time. Late evidence may be excluded (Rule 19.7).

Mistakes that get it refused, voided or dismissed

1. Items fixed more than a year before filing. Barred by s. 29(2). They cannot support a remedy.
2. Abatement claimed for more than the year before filing. The LTB cannot extend the remedy back past the limitation period.
3. Landlord never told. Not fatal on its own, but it limits remedies unless the landlord knew or should have known (s. 30(2); Guideline 5).
4. Damage the tenant caused. Repair is the tenant's responsibility under s. 34.
5. Entry refused or work obstructed. Can result in no abatement even if a repair is ordered.
6. Conduct claims pleaded as maintenance. Harassment or illegal entry belong on a T2. A T6 that is really about conduct may fail as pleaded.
7. No fee or fee waiver. The application will not be accepted.

What happens next

The LTB holds a hearing, which may include mediation. The order may require work by a date, set an abatement, authorize tenant repairs, or impose a rent-increase prohibition for serious breaches. Failing to comply with an order to do work is an offence. A party may request a review within 15 days of an order issued on or after July 1, 2026 ($58), or appeal to the Divisional Court on a question of law within 30 days (s. 210).

Frequently asked questions

How long does a landlord have to make a repair in Ontario?

The RTA does not set a fixed number of days. Guideline 5 says timeliness depends mainly on how serious the problem is, its effect on the tenant, and whether materials and contractors are available. A landlord who responds within a reasonable time with an appropriate fix will usually not face an abatement.

Can a tenant withhold rent because of repairs?

Not on their own. Unpaid rent is arrears. With the LTB's permission, a tenant with a T6 can pay rent into the LTB, and that payment is not treated as arrears (s. 195).

Can a tenant claim for problems that existed when they moved in?

Yes. Section 20(2) says the landlord's duty applies even if the tenant knew about the problem before renting.

How far back can an abatement go?

To one year before the T6 was filed. If the problem is ongoing at the hearing, the abatement can continue until it is fixed.

Can I be stopped from raising the rent?

Yes, for serious breaches. The LTB can prohibit rent increases, and cap the rent for a new tenant, until the ordered work and any overdue work-order items are completed (s. 30(1), paras. 6–8).

Official sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 20, 27, 29, 30, 34, 82, 87, 195, 210
• T6 Instructions
• T6 – Tenant Application about Maintenance (PDF)
• Interpretation Guideline 5: Breach of Maintenance Obligations
• Request to Pay Rent to the Board on a Tenant Application About Maintenance (PDF)
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 5.1, 19.1–19.2, 19.7, 20.9, 26.5
• 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.