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Managing your rental

How a landlord can end a tenancy in Ontario: every notice

Every Ontario notice a landlord can give, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N12 and N13, with its reason and notice period, plus agreements to end a tenancy and evictions.

By the Tenant.ca teamUpdated October 19, 20263 min read

Start reading Property management and fees

A person signing a printed agreement with a fountain pen

In this guide6 parts

The starting point: tenancies continue

In Ontario a tenancy does not end because a lease reaches its end date: section 38 of the Residential Tenancies Act renews it as a monthly tenancy on the same terms until it is ended under the Act. A landlord can end it only on a ground the Act lists, on the Board's form, and, if the tenant stays, with an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board.

This page is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the Residential Tenancies Act, the province's pages and the Landlord and Tenant Board's forms as checked on October 19, 2026. If a tenancy is already in dispute, speak to a lawyer or licensed paralegal.

Notices for something the tenant did

The Board's brochure lists these grounds and minimum notice periods:

N4, rent not paid: at least 7 days; void if the tenant pays everything owing before the landlord applies
N5, damage, interference with others or overcrowding: 20 days for a first notice; the tenant can void it within 7 days by fixing the problem
N6, an illegal act, or misrepresenting income in rent-geared-to-income housing: 10 days for drug-related acts, 20 days otherwise
N7, wilful or serious damage, seriously impaired safety, or substantial interference in a building of three units or fewer: 10 days
N8, persistent late payment and other end-of-term grounds: 60 days (28 for a daily or weekly tenancy), ending at the end of a period or term

Notices for the landlord's own plans

These do not depend on anything the tenant did:

N12, the landlord, a family member or a caregiver moving in, or a buyer's own use: 60 days, at the end of a period or term, with one month's rent or another unit unless the exception in section 48.1 applies
N13, demolition, conversion, or renovations that need the unit vacant: 120 days, at the end of a period or term, with compensation set by building size

Ending a tenancy by agreement

A landlord and tenant can agree to end a tenancy on the Board's Form N11, which the brochure says should be signed by all the tenants. A landlord cannot require a tenant to sign one, apart from narrow exemptions such as some student housing. A tenant who wants to leave gives their own notice, normally 60 days ending at the end of a period.

After the notice

A notice does not make anyone leave. If the tenant stays past the date, the landlord applies to the Board, and the tenant can dispute the application at a hearing. Only the Court Enforcement Office, the Sheriff, can enforce an eviction order: changing the locks, removing belongings or cutting off a vital service is not allowed (sections 21 and 24).

How Tenant.ca handles notices for owners

For the owners we manage for, we keep the records a notice depends on, prepare notices on the Board's forms for your approval, deliver them properly and keep you informed at each step. Every decision to end a tenancy is yours.

Management is $98 per month plus HST for a condo or apartment and $148 per month plus HST for a house, and the first 60 days of the agreement are a trial period.