How Much Does It Cost to Evict a Tenant in Ontario? (2026 Breakdown)

Evicting a tenant in Ontario is not just time-consuming — it is expensive. And the biggest cost is not the filing fee or the Sheriff. It is the lost rent that accumulates while you wait 6 to 10 months for a Landlord and Tenant Board hearing. Understanding the full financial picture — every fee, every hidden cost, every scenario — is essential for making smart decisions about how to handle a problem tenancy.

This guide breaks down every cost associated with an Ontario eviction, from the first notice to the last lock change, and shows you how the total varies depending on whether you handle it yourself, use an eviction service, or hire a paralegal or lawyer.

Complete Eviction Cost Breakdown for Ontario (2026)

The Largest Cost: Lost Rent During the Eviction Process

The filing fees and Sheriff costs are manageable. What devastates landlords financially is the lost rental income during the months-long eviction process. With current LTB wait times of 6 to 10 months for a hearing, a non-paying tenant can accumulate massive arrears that may never be recovered.

These lost rent figures do not include carrying costs the landlord must continue paying: mortgage, property tax, insurance, and maintenance. The financial reality is stark — an eviction of a non-paying tenant renting at $2,500/month for 10 months costs the landlord approximately $25,000 in lost rent alone.

Total Cost Comparison: DIY vs. Professional Help vs. Paralegal

The key insight: the direct cost difference between DIY and professional help ($600-$2,800) is small compared to the cost of a single mistake that forces you to restart the process. One dismissed application can cost you $12,000-$24,000 in additional lost rent. Professional help is insurance against that outcome.

How to Minimize Your Eviction Costs

1. Act Immediately When Rent Is Missed

Every day you wait to serve the N4 notice is another day added to your total timeline — and another day of lost rent. Serve the N4 on day 2. Do not wait for the tenant to "figure it out."

2. Get the Paperwork Right the First Time

A dismissed application means serving a new notice, waiting for a new notice period, filing a new application, paying another $208 fee, and waiting another 6-10 months for a hearing. The cost of getting professional help ($500-$2,500) is a fraction of what a restart costs.

3. Consider Cash-for-Keys

The math is straightforward. If your rent is $2,000/month and you expect the eviction to take 8 months, that is $16,000 in lost rent. Offering the tenant $3,000-$5,000 to leave within 30 days saves you $11,000-$13,000 — plus the direct costs and stress of the formal process.

If you negotiate cash-for-keys, use a written agreement that specifies the payment amount, the vacancy date, the condition the unit must be left in, and a clause confirming the tenant will not file any LTB applications.

4. Screen Tenants Thoroughly

The cheapest eviction is the one you never have to do. Invest in proper tenant screening: credit checks, employment verification, previous landlord references, and income verification (rent should not exceed 30-35% of the tenant's gross income).

5. File the Sheriff Order Immediately

After the LTB issues the eviction order and the compliance period passes, file with the Sheriff the same day. Every week of delay is another week of lost rent and carrying costs.

6. Can You Recover Eviction Costs From the Tenant?

The LTB can order the tenant to reimburse the $208 filing fee and pay all rent arrears. However, collecting on these orders is often difficult. If the tenant does not pay voluntarily, you can:

• File the LTB order with Small Claims Court for enforcement
• Use a collection agency (they typically take 25-50% of amounts collected)
• Garnish wages if the tenant is employed (requires a court order)
• Register a lien against the tenant's property (rare, but possible for large amounts)

In practice, many landlords never recover the full amount owed. This makes prevention (tenant screening) and speed (acting fast, getting paperwork right) the most important cost-saving strategies.

N12 Eviction Costs: The Additional Expense of Personal Use

If you are evicting for landlord's own use (N12), there are additional mandatory costs:

• One month's rent compensation: You must pay the tenant compensation equal to one month's rent by the termination date. For a unit at $2,000/month, that is $2,000 you must pay regardless of whether the eviction is granted.
• Bad faith risk: If you do not actually move into the unit (or re-rent it within 12 months), the tenant can file a T5 Application. Penalties include fines up to $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for corporations, plus the tenant's moving costs and rent differential.

Learn more about your rights as a landlord when pursuing different types of evictions.

Hidden Costs Most Landlords Forget About

Beyond the direct fees and lost rent, several hidden costs can catch landlords off guard during an eviction:

Carrying Costs During Lost Rent Months

While you are waiting for the LTB hearing and not collecting rent, you still owe your mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and any condo fees. For a typical Ontario rental property, monthly carrying costs range from $1,500 to $3,500. Over an 8-month eviction, that is $12,000 to $28,000 in expenses with zero rental income to offset them.

Stress and Opportunity Cost

Self-managing landlords spend an estimated 40 to 80 hours on a single eviction: preparing documents, researching the RTA, attending the hearing, coordinating with the Sheriff, and managing the stress. At a reasonable opportunity cost of $50 to $100 per hour, that represents $2,000 to $8,000 in lost productivity — time that could be spent managing other properties, pursuing new investments, or working at your primary job.

Property Deterioration

Tenants who know they are being evicted sometimes reduce their care of the property. Maintenance issues may go unreported, appliances may suffer extra wear, and in worst cases, intentional damage occurs. While you can seek compensation through the LTB (L2 or L10 application), collecting on those orders is often difficult.

Insurance and Tax Implications

Extended periods of lost rent may affect your ability to claim rental income on your taxes and could impact your landlord insurance premiums if you file a claim related to the eviction. Consult with your accountant about the tax implications of large uncollectable arrears — you may be able to write off bad debt.

What Does It Cost if You Make a Mistake?

This is the cost landlords rarely think about — until it happens. Here is what a single error costs:

The Financial Case for Professional Eviction Services

Many landlords try to handle evictions themselves to save money. While DIY is the cheapest option in direct costs, it carries the highest risk of expensive mistakes. Consider the cost-risk analysis:

A professional eviction service costs $500 to $2,500. A dismissed application due to a notice error costs $208 (refiling) plus 6 to 10 months of lost rent. At $2,000/month rent, that is $12,208 to $20,208 in additional losses — a return on investment of 500% to 4,000% on the professional service fee.

Professional eviction services provide value at every stage:

• Notice preparation: Correct form selection, proper termination date calculation, accurate arrears itemization — eliminating the most common dismissal triggers.
• Proper service and documentation: Certificate of Service completed correctly, proof of delivery maintained, chain of documentation preserved.
• Application filing: Forms completed accurately, all supporting documents included, filed promptly after the notice period expires.
• Hearing preparation: Evidence organized, arrears calculations updated, case strategy developed, and professional presentation at the hearing.
• Post-order support: Immediate Sheriff filing, enforcement coordination, and lock change arrangements.

For landlords with multiple properties, the time savings alone justify professional help. A landlord managing 5 or 10 units cannot afford to spend 40 to 80 hours on a single eviction when that time could be spent on more productive activities.

The bottom line: every dollar spent on getting the eviction right the first time is a dollar well invested. The alternative — a dismissed application and 8 to 12 additional months of lost rent — is a cost that can fundamentally alter the economics of your rental investment.

For a full understanding of the eviction process and timeline, see our step-by-step eviction guide and eviction timeline breakdown.