How to Evict a Tenant in Ontario: A Landlord’s Guide

If you need to evict a tenant in Ontario, the first thing to figure out is why you're ending the tenancy. You can't evict a tenant immediately or simply because you want the unit back, and there isn't one eviction notice that works for every situation. Your reason determines which notice you use, how much notice the tenant gets and what happens next.

From there, a lot depends on the tenant. They may move out after receiving the notice, correct the problem that led to it or stay in the unit while you apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) for an eviction order. And if they still won't leave after the order takes effect, you'll need the Sheriff to enforce it.

This guide explains how to evict a tenant in Ontario, including when you can legally end a tenancy, which notice applies and what can happen at each stage until you regain possession of your rental.

When can a landlord evict a tenant in Ontario?

Before you give your tenant an eviction notice, make sure you have a legal reason to end the tenancy. In Ontario, wanting the tenant to leave isn't enough on its own. Your reason has to fall within one of the circumstances where the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) allows a landlord to end a tenancy.

Sometimes that reason is tied to something the tenant has done. They may have stopped paying rent, repeatedly paid late, seriously damaged the property or substantially interfered with another tenant's reasonable enjoyment of the building. In other cases, you can end a tenancy even when the tenant hasn't done anything wrong. You may need the unit for yourself or a family member, for example, or you may be planning major renovations that can't be done while the tenant lives there.

That distinction matters because your reason doesn't just determine whether you can evict the tenant. It determines how you have to do it. A landlord dealing with unpaid rent follows a different process from one who wants to move into the unit, even though both situations can legally end the tenancy.

Here are some of the most common legal reasons for eviction in Ontario:

• Unpaid rent. The tenant hasn't paid all of the rent they owe.
• Persistent late rent payments. The tenant doesn't currently owe rent but has repeatedly paid it late.
• Interference with rights or enjoyment. The tenant, their guest or another occupant has substantially interfered with the landlord's reasonable enjoyment of the property or that of another tenant.
• Property damage. The tenant, their guest or another occupant has deliberately or negligently damaged the rental unit.
• Overcrowding. More people are living in the rental unit than health, safety and housing standards allow.
• Serious safety issues. The tenant, their guest or another occupant has seriously endangered another person in the rental unit or residential complex.
• Illegal act or business. The tenant or another occupant has committed an illegal act, carried on an illegal business or allowed someone else to do so in the rental unit.
• Personal use by the landlord. The landlord or an eligible family member intends to live in the rental unit for at least one year.
• Personal use by the purchaser. The landlord has agreed to sell the property, and the purchaser or an eligible family member intends to move into the rental unit.
• Demolition. The landlord intends to demolish the rental property.
• Repairs or renovations. The landlord plans extensive repairs or renovations that require the rental unit to be vacant.

For a complete list of legal grounds for eviction, see the brochure from Tribunals Ontario.

Some of these reasons come with additional conditions, particularly when the tenant hasn't done anything wrong. To end a tenancy because you're selling to a purchaser who will move in, the property must have no more than three residential units. Evictions for repairs or renovations can apply to buildings of any size, but the compensation you owe depends on whether the building has fewer than five residential units or five or more.

You may also have to compensate the tenant for certain no-fault evictions, including some situations where you or a family member will move in. The amount depends on the reason and the property, and the details are on the notice form itself (for example, page two of the N12 form).

Which Ontario eviction notice form should you use?

Ontario doesn't have one general eviction notice that every landlord uses. Each reason for ending a tenancy has its own form, notice period and requirements. If you or an eligible family member intends to move into the unit, for example, you'd use an N12, while repairs or renovations that require the tenant to leave generally involve an N13.

Use the table below to find the eviction notice form that matches your reason for ending the tenancy and the minimum notice you need to give.

Once you've identified the right form, check the termination date, notice period and service requirements too. A valid reason for eviction won't rescue an invalid notice. A mistake here can delay your LTB application and, depending on the issue, may mean starting the process again.

How to evict a tenant in Ontario: step by step

The eviction process in Ontario can stop or continue at several points, depending on how the tenant responds. The simplest outcome is that the tenant moves out by the termination date on the notice, and the process ends there. If they correct the problem, dispute the eviction or stay in the unit, the process continues through the steps below.

Step 1: Serve the correct eviction notice

Complete the notice that matches your reason for ending the tenancy, including the termination date, which tells the tenant when you're asking them to move out. Then serve it using a method allowed by the LTB, such as personal delivery or courier. You can only serve it by email if the tenant has agreed in writing to receive documents that way, for example in the standard lease.

The details matter because the notice is what the rest of your case is built on. If the form, termination date or service is wrong, you may run into problems when you apply to the LTB for an eviction order.

Step 2: Give the tenant time to respond

The tenant may simply move out. But some notices give the tenant a chance to correct the problem and keep the tenancy going.

An N4 for unpaid rent is the most common example. If the tenant pays everything they owe before the termination date on the notice, the N4 becomes void and the tenancy continues.

A first N5 works similarly. If you've served it for an issue such as property damage or overcrowding, the tenant has seven days to correct the problem, for example by repairing or paying for the damage they caused. If they do, the notice becomes void, although different rules apply if the same issue happens again within six months.

If the tenant doesn't correct the problem and doesn't move out, serving the notice still doesn't give you the right to take the unit back yourself. You'll need the LTB to decide.

Step 3: What happens if the tenant doesn't agree with the eviction notice?

An eviction notice is only a request to end the tenancy. The tenant isn't legally required to move out by the termination date, and if they stay, you'll need to apply to the LTB for an eviction order. The application depends on the notice you served:

• Form L1 for unpaid rent (N4)
• Form L2 for most other notices, including the N5, N6, N7, N8 and N12

You can file through the Tribunals Ontario Portal and pay the filing fee. The LTB will then send you and your tenant a Notice of Hearing with the date and time. Most hearings are held virtually, but you can ask for an in-person hearing.

At the hearing, you'll need to show what happened, why it gives you legal grounds to end the tenancy and that you followed the required process. Bring documents that support your case. For unpaid rent, that usually means the tenancy agreement and payment records. For property damage, it may include photos, inspection reports and correspondence with the tenant. The tenant can present their side too, and the LTB decides whether the tenancy should end.

Step 4: Receive an LTB eviction order

If the LTB decides in your favour, it will issue an eviction order stating the date the tenant has to leave. Unlike an eviction notice, the tenant must follow the order. In many cases, they move out by that date and the process ends there.

The order doesn't let you remove the tenant yourself, though. Even after the move-out date has passed, you can't change the locks while they're still living in the unit, remove their belongings, shut off utilities or physically force them out.

Some eviction orders can also be cancelled if the tenant does what the order requires, such as paying the amount owing by the deadline. Before moving to enforcement, make sure the order is still enforceable.

Step 5: What happens if the tenant doesn't leave?

If the tenant stays past the date in the eviction order, you'll need the Court Enforcement Office, commonly known as the Sheriff's Office, to carry out the eviction. Only the Sheriff has the legal authority to physically remove a tenant from a rental unit in Ontario.

To start, file Form 60C and the LTB eviction order with the Court Enforcement Office for the area where your rental is located, and pay the Sheriff's fees. There are 49 offices across Ontario, so find the one for your municipality or contact a courthouse if you're not sure where to file.

The court will issue a Writ of Possession, and the Sheriff's Office will schedule an enforcement date. If the tenant is still there when the Sheriff arrives, the Sheriff can remove them and return possession of the unit to you. You can then change the locks and secure the property. The tenant has 72 hours afterward to retrieve their belongings.

How long does it take to evict a tenant in Ontario?

There's no single eviction timeline in Ontario. Two landlords can start an eviction for similar reasons and get their units back at very different times, because one tenant fixes the problem or moves out after receiving notice while the other case has to go through the LTB and the Sheriff.

The notice period is the starting point. Depending on your reason, it ranges from 7 days to 120 days. But it only tells you when you can take the next step if the issue isn't resolved, not when you'll have your property back. The timeline gets longer with each stage your case goes through:

• The LTB hearing. It can take weeks or months to get a hearing, depending on local demand and backlogs. The LTB publishes estimated wait times on its website. Urgent cases can be moved up the queue.
• The decision. The LTB usually issues a decision within 30 days, although some cases take longer.
• Appeals. The tenant can appeal to the Divisional Court of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice within 30 days of the LTB's decision, which pauses the eviction until the appeal is decided.
• Enforcement. If the tenant stays after the order takes effect, the Sheriff's enforcement date can be weeks later, depending on the backlog.
• Paperwork. Using the wrong notice or Ontario rental documents, calculating the termination date incorrectly or filing an incomplete LTB application can delay the case and may mean repeating part of the process.

So when you're estimating when you'll have your rental back, look past the date on the notice and plan for the stages that could follow.

Ontario eviction FAQs

Protect your next tenancy from the start

You can't screen your way out of every possible eviction. A tenant's circumstances can change after they move in, and even someone who looked reliable at the start can lose income or stop paying rent.

You can still reduce your risk before the next tenancy begins. SingleKey's Tenant Screening report brings together an applicant's credit history, income sources, identity, employment, landlord references and available eviction history, so you have more context than the rental application alone gives you.

Screening can't protect you from something that changes later, though. For eligible tenancies, SingleKey's Rent Guarantee covers up to 12 months of missed rent, along with property damage protection and legal or eviction support. It can even support you throughout the eviction process.