The full step by step Ontario eviction process under the Residential Tenancies Act 2006, from the day rent goes unpaid to the day the Sheriff posts an order to vacate.
Every eviction starts with a ground under the RTA. The most common are non payment of rent (N4), substantial interference (N5), illegal act (N6), serious impairment (N7), persistent late payment (N8), landlord own use (N12), and demolition or repair (N13). The ground determines the notice form, the notice period, and whether the notice is voidable.
Serve the N notice with the correct termination date and the right service method. Personal service or mail with affidavit is the safest. Email is permitted only where the lease authorizes electronic service.
Notice periods range from 7 days (N5 first instance) to 120 days (N13). Track the cure period precisely. A tenant who cures a voidable notice cancels the notice.
If the tenant does not cure or vacate, file the corresponding L application: L1 for arrears, L2 for cause, L3 for tenant agreement to terminate, L4 for breach of conditional order. Most filings now go through the LTB portal.
Hearings are primarily by videoconference. Assemble the hearing brief: notice, application, rent ledger, incident log, photographs, and contractor invoices where applicable. Prepare the landlord and any witnesses.
Most LTB hearings run 30 to 90 minutes per file. The adjudicator hears the landlord first, then the tenant, then renders the decision orally or reserves for written reasons.
Eviction orders are issued in writing days to weeks after the hearing. Standard orders give the tenant 11 days to vacate before the Sheriff can be requested.
If the tenant does not vacate, file the order with the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff). The Sheriff schedules the eviction, attends with the landlord, and gives possession back to the landlord.
Money components of the order can be enforced through Small Claims Court or through wage garnishment and bank seizure where applicable.