N4 Notice Ontario: The 7 Steps to Serve It Right

Written By Founding Partner:

Liam Walker

Last Updated:

May 12, 2026

| 19 Minutes To Read

If you are an Ontario landlord whose tenant has stopped paying rent, the N4 is the document that starts everything. You cannot skip it. You cannot go straight to the Landlord and Tenant Board. You cannot change the locks. The Residential Tenancies Act requires a properly completed and properly served N4 as the first formal step before the LTB will even consider your eviction application. Get the N4 right, and the rest of your non-payment eviction in Ontario proceeds on a clean foundation. Get it wrong; wrong date, wrong amount, wrong name, missing field and the LTB will dismiss your L1 application after you have already waited months for a hearing. You then start over from the beginning.

This guide walks through every step of the N4 process: when to serve it, what to include, how to calculate the termination date, how to deliver it legally, what happens next, the most common mistakes that get cases thrown out, and how upcoming changes under Bill 60 will affect the process once the legislation comes into force. Sturino Walker Legal Services is a landlord-only paralegal firm based in Etobicoke. We represent landlords across the GTA and the rest of Ontario at the LTB. Call 905-738-7171 for a case review.

What Is an N4 Notice in Ontario?

The N4 is the Landlord and Tenant Board’s official form titled ‘Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent.’ Its full purpose is in the title: it is a written, formal notice to the tenant that they owe rent and that the landlord intends to end the tenancy if the rent is not paid by a specified date.

Three things the N4 is not, that landlords sometimes assume:

• It is not an eviction order. Only the LTB can order an eviction. The N4 is the document that allows you to apply to the LTB for that order.

• It is not optional. You cannot apply for an L1 eviction without a valid N4. If you serve a defective N4 or skip it entirely, your L1 application will be dismissed.

• It is not a final notice. The tenant has the right to void the N4 by paying the full arrears before the termination date. There is no limit on how many times a tenant can do this, which is one of the procedural realities that makes chronic non-payment hard to resolve.

The form itself consists of two pages of fillable fields, plus an instructional checklist provided by Tribunals Ontario. It is free, available as a PDF on the Tribunals Ontario Website. Using an outdated version of the form is a common reason notices get rejected, so always download the current version directly from the official site immediately before serving.

When You Can Serve an N4 Notice

You can serve an N4 the day after rent was due and unpaid.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, the tenant has until midnight on the rent due date to pay. If rent is due on the 1st of the month and the tenant has not paid by midnight on the 1st, you can serve the N4 starting on the 2nd. There is no minimum number of days you must wait, no grace period required, and no minimum dollar amount of arrears. One day late and one dollar short technically qualifies.

In practice, most landlords wait two to five days into the month before serving; partly because partial payments and bank delays sometimes resolve themselves, and partly because the landlord wants to give the tenant the benefit of the doubt. That is a judgment call. The legal point is that you do not have to wait. Every day you delay is a day longer until you can file with the LTB.

One important note: you cannot serve an N4 before rent is technically due. If you can see the tenant is going to be late (they have told you, or they have been late every month for the past six months), you still must wait until the day after the due date. Serving early invalidates the notice.

How to Fill Out an N4 Form (Step by Step)

The current N4 form has six sections that need to be completed before you serve it. Each one has a common failure mode. Here is what goes in each, and the mistakes to avoid.

Tenant names (the ‘To’ section):

Enter the full legal name of every tenant who is named on the lease, exactly as it appears on the lease. If you have three tenants on the lease, list all three. Missing one tenant from the N4 can void the notice as to that tenant, which can be enough to derail the eviction. Common mistake: using a nickname or short form of the name. If the lease says ‘Jonathan Smith,’ do not write ‘John Smith’ on the N4.

Landlord name (the ‘From’ section):

Enter the landlord’s full name as it appears on the lease and ownership documents. If the property is owned by a numbered corporation, the corporation name is the landlord, not the individual director. If there are multiple owners, list all of them.

Rental unit address:

Provide the full address, including unit number, suite number, basement designation, or apartment number. Include the postal code. A missing unit number or a typo in the address is one of the most common reasons N4s are rejected, because the LTB cannot determine which rental unit the notice applies to.

Amount of rent owed:

On page 2 of the form, there is a table where you list each rent period that is unpaid. Each unpaid period is its own line: the period from and to, the amount that was due, the amount paid, and the amount still owing. Add the lines up to get the Total Rent Owing, which goes back on page 1. If the tenant made any partial payments, you must reflect them; overstating the arrears by including a payment the tenant made will get the N4 dismissed at the hearing.

Termination date:

The date by which the tenant must pay the full amount or move out. The calculation depends on the rent cycle and the service method; see the dedicated paragraph below for the full math. The single most common reason N4s get dismissed is an incorrect termination date that does not give the tenant the required notice period.

Signature and date:

The landlord (or the landlord’s representative, usually a paralegal) signs and dates the N4. If a representative signs, they must indicate that they are signing as a representative, not as a landlord. An unsigned or undated N4 is invalid.

How to Calculate the N4 Termination Date

The termination date is the deadline by which the tenant must pay or move out. It is calculated from the date you serve the notice, plus the required notice period, plus any service-method adjustment.

Step 1 – Base notice period.

• Monthly or yearly tenancies: 14 days.

• Daily or weekly tenancies: 7 days.

Step 2 – Service-method adjustment.

Add additional days depending on how the notice is delivered.

• Personal service (handed to the tenant or an adult in the unit): no additional days.

• Sliding under the door or placing in mailbox/mail slot: no additional days.

• Courier service: add 1 business day.

• Mail or Xpresspost: add 5 business days.

• Fax: no additional days.

Step 3 – Counting the days.

Do not count the day you serve the notice as day one. The first day of the notice period is the day after service.

Worked examples for monthly tenancies:

• Hand-delivered on March 3rd: count from March 4th (day one) through March 17th (day fourteen). The earliest valid termination date is March 17th.

• Mailed on March 3rd: add 5 business days first, then count 14 days. Earliest valid termination date is March 22nd.

• Couriered on March 3rd: add 1 business day, then count 14 days. Earliest valid termination date is March 18th.

You can always pick a termination date later than the minimum. You cannot pick one earlier. If you are unsure whether a date is valid, pick a date several days beyond the minimum — the LTB will not dismiss for giving the tenant more time, only for giving them less.

What You Can and Cannot Include as Rent

The N4 is strictly for unpaid rent. Including non-rent items is one of the top three reasons N4s get dismissed at the LTB.

What counts as rent on an N4:

• The base monthly rent for the unit.

What does not count as rent and cannot be on the N4:

• Utility bills the tenant pays directly to a utility company.

• Variable utility costs even if the landlord pays the bill and is reimbursed (because the amount changes month to month, it is not ‘rent’ as defined in the Act).

• Late fees, NSF fees, or administrative charges of any kind.

• Damage costs, repair costs, or cleaning costs.

• Key replacement fees, lockout fees, or any one-time charges.

If you have a tenant who owes both rent and other money (utilities, damages), the N4 includes only the rent. The other amounts are collected through different LTB applications.

How to Serve the N4 to Your Tenant

The RTA recognizes a specific list of valid service methods for an N4. Using any other method invalidates the notice.

Allowed service methods:

• Handing the N4 directly to the tenant.

• Handing the N4 to another adult in the rental unit (for example, an adult roommate or spouse).

• Placing the N4 in the tenant’s mailbox or where mail is normally delivered.

• Sliding the N4 under the door of the rental unit or through a mail slot in the door.

• Sending the N4 by courier.

• Sending the N4 by fax (only if the tenant has provided a fax number for service).

• Sending the N4 by regular mail or Xpresspost to the tenant at the rental unit address.

Not allowed:

• Taping or posting the N4 to the outside of the door. This is the most common service error and the LTB will dismiss the application.

• Email – unless the tenant has agreed in writing to accept legal notices by email at a specific address. This section is commonly found in the int he lease agreement. Verbal agreement is not enough; without written consent, the email service is invalid.

• Text message. Never valid for an N4.

After you serve the N4, you must complete a Certificate of Service. The Certificate of Service is a one-page form that records exactly who served the notice, when it was served, where it was served, and which method was used. The LTB will require this Certificate at the L1 hearing. Without it, the LTB cannot confirm the notice was served correctly, and the application can be dismissed. Keep the Certificate with your other LTB paperwork from the moment you serve the notice.

What Happens After You Serve the N4

Once the N4 is served, there are three possible paths.

Path 1 – The tenant pays in full before the termination date. The N4 is automatically voided. The tenancy continues as if nothing happened. You cannot use this N4 as the basis for any future eviction application. If the tenant misses rent again next month, you serve a fresh N4 and start the process over.

Path 2 – The tenant pays a partial amount before the termination date. The N4 is not voided by a partial payment. The full amount listed on the notice must be paid (plus any new rent that has become due in the interim). You must accept the partial payment if offered. Refusing it is not permitted under the Act, but the notice remains valid as long as the full amount is not paid. Document the partial payment carefully, including the date and amount, because the LTB will want a complete reconciliation at the hearing.

Path 3 – The tenant pays nothing, or pays partial only, and the termination date passes. The day after the termination date, you can file an L1 Application with the Landlord and Tenant Board to seek an order evicting the tenant and recovering the rent owed. The L1 is filed online through the Tribunals Ontario Portal. You will need a scanned copy of the served N4, your completed Certificate of Service, and payment of the L1 filing fee. Once the L1 is filed, you wait. The LTB schedules a hearing; current wait times are two to three months, sometimes longer. During that wait, the tenant remains in the unit, and any new rent that becomes due is added to the arrears claimable at the hearing. This is why prompt N4 service matters: every week the N4 is delayed, it pushes the eventual order back by the same amount.

The 5 Most Common N4 Mistakes That Get Cases Dismissed

After thousands of LTB hearings in Ontario, the same five mistakes account for the majority of dismissed L1 applications. Most of them are catchable with a careful review before the N4 is served, but only if you know what to look for.

1. The termination date does not allow the required notice period

By far the most common reason for dismissal. The landlord serves by mail but does not add the 5 business days. Or counts the day of service as day one. Every termination date should be double-checked by counting forward from the day after service, using the correct notice period for the tenancy type and adding the correct number of days for the service method.

2. Non-rent charges included in the arrears total

Utilities, NSF fees, late fees, damage costs, and key replacement fees. Any of these on an N4 will get the entire notice voided. The N4 is for rent only. Everything else lives in a different application or in Small Claims Court.

3. Tenant or landlord names that don’t match the lease

Using a nickname. Omitting a co-tenant. Listing the property manager as the landlord when the lease is between the owner and the tenant. Misspelling the tenant’s surname. Each of these can be enough for a tenant’s paralegal to challenge service or argue that the N4 was not properly given to the named tenant.

4. Partial payments not reflected in the arrears total

The tenant paid $500 mid-month against a $2,000 monthly rent. The landlord serves the N4 listing the full $2,000 as owed. At the hearing, the tenant produces the e-transfer receipt for the $500. The LTB sees that the notice overstates the actual arrears, the notice is void, and the application is dismissed. Every payment received from the tenant, no matter how small, must be applied against the arrears before the N4 is served.

5. Missing or defective Certificate of Service

The N4 was served correctly, but the Certificate of Service was never completed or was completed incorrectly, with the wrong date, the wrong service method, or no signature. Without a valid Certificate, the LTB cannot confirm the N4 was properly served, and the application can be dismissed even if the underlying notice was perfect.

Bill 60: What’s Changing Soon

Ontario’s Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, passed Royal Assent on November 24, 2025 and includes major amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. As of the publication of this guide, those amendments are not yet in force. Tribunals Ontario has confirmed they are awaiting proclamation by the provincial Cabinet.

When the changes do take effect, three things will affect every N4 in Ontario:

• The termination notice period for monthly tenancies will be reduced from 14 days to 7 days.

• Tenants raising section 82 maintenance or interference issues at a non-payment hearing will be required to deposit 50% of the claimed arrears with the LTB before those issues can be heard.

• The window to request a review of an LTB order will be shortened from 30 days to 15 days. Until the proclamation, the existing 14-day rule continues to apply. We will update this guide when the changes come into force.

When to Hire a Paralegal

The LTB allows landlords to prepare and serve their own N4s and represent themselves at the resulting L1 hearing. Many landlords do. The forms are free, the LTB online portal walks through the basics, and most hearings are conducted over Zoom.

But the N4 is the document the entire eviction depends on. If it has a defect, everything downstream collapses. Here is what is at stake when a landlord prepares one alone:

• A single procedural error gets the L1 dismissed at the hearing. You then start over from the beginning. Another N4, another L1, another months-long wait for a hearing, while the arrears keep growing.

• Tenants represented by paralegals or duty counsel will challenge every line of the N4. Names. Dates. Calculations. Service method. Certificate of Service. Any weakness gets attacked. Self-represented landlords routinely walk into hearings unaware of which lines they are exposed to.

• Section 82 defences; maintenance issues, harassment claims, interference allegations get raised at the hearing itself. The landlord arrives expecting to talk about rent and ends up defending against allegations they have never seen before. Preparation for a contested non-payment hearing is its own skill.

Paralegal fees for an N4 plus L1 representation in Ontario vary by complexity. At Sturino Walker Legal Services, we prepare N4s, file L1s, and represent landlords at the hearing. We provide a written fee estimate covering the hearing itself, adjournments, and any required motion work at the outset, so you know what you are committing to. Call 905-738-7171 for a case review.

FAQ: N4 Notice Ontario

What is an N4 notice in Ontario?

An N4 is the Landlord and Tenant Board’s official form titled ‘Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent.’ It is the mandatory first legal step a landlord must take before applying to the LTB to evict a tenant for unpaid rent. The N4 tells the tenant they owe a specific amount, gives them a deadline to pay or move out, and starts the formal eviction process.

How soon after rent is missed can I serve an N4?

You can serve an N4 the very next day after rent was due and unpaid. If rent is due on the 1st of the month and the tenant has not paid by midnight on the 1st, you can serve the N4 on the 2nd. There is no waiting period or grace period required by the Residential Tenancies Act. Serving promptly protects the maximum amount of arrears.

What is the termination date on an N4?

The termination date is the deadline by which the tenant must either pay the full amount owed or move out. For monthly or yearly tenancies, it must be at least 14 days after the tenant receives the notice. For daily or weekly tenancies, it must be at least 7 days. If you serve by mail or courier, additional days must be added before the 14- or 7-day count begins to account for delivery.

What can I include on an N4?

Only unpaid rent. You can include base rent. You cannot include late fees, utility bills the tenant pays directly, damage costs, NSF fees, or any non-rent charges. Including non-rent items is one of the most common reasons N4 notices are dismissed at the LTB hearing.

How do I serve an N4 to the tenant?

Acceptable methods include handing the N4 directly to the tenant, leaving it with another adult in the rental unit, placing it in the tenant’s mailbox or mail slot, sliding it under the door, sending it by courier, sending it by fax, or sending it by regular or Xpresspost mail. Posting or taping it to the door is not a valid method of service. You must complete a Certificate of Service documenting how and when you served the notice.

What happens if the tenant pays after I serve the N4?

If the tenant pays the full amount of rent owed (the arrears plus any new rent that has come due) on or before the termination date on the N4, the notice is automatically voided, and the tenancy continues. If they pay only after you have filed an L1 application with the LTB, they must also pay the LTB filing fee to fully void the proceedings. Partial payments do not void the N4.

Can a tenant void an N4 notice?

Yes. An N4 is what is called a voidable notice. If the tenant pays the full amount of arrears listed on the N4 plus any new rent that has become due by the termination date, the notice is void, and the landlord cannot use it as the basis for an eviction application. There is no limit on the number of times a tenant can void an N4, which is one of the procedural difficulties professional tenants exploit.

What are the most common N4 mistakes that get dismissed?

The five most common errors are: an incorrect termination date that does not give the required notice period; including non-rent charges like utilities or damages; tenant or landlord names that do not match the lease; partial payments that are not reflected in the arrears total; and missing the landlord’s signature or service date. Any one of these can result in the LTB dismissing the L1 application and forcing the landlord to start the process over.

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