General information about Ontario law as of the date above, not legal advice. The law and the Board's forms change; check the sources at the end of the page.
An N4 is the notice you give a tenant who has not paid the rent in full. It states the rent owing and a termination date at least 7 days after the notice is given, not counting the day you give it, and five days later if you mail it. If the tenant does not pay, you can file an L1 application from the day after the termination date.
This page is general information about the law as of 15 October 2026, not legal advice.
What is the N4 for?
The N4 is the first step to end a tenancy because rent has not been paid. Its full title is Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent.
You can give it once rent is due and unpaid, and only while the tenant still lives in the unit. The tenant has until midnight on the day rent is due. So if rent is due on 1 December, the earliest day to give the N4 is 2 December.
If you want an order for the rent but not an eviction, the Board’s L9 application does that. If the tenant has already moved out, the L10 is used instead. See a former tenant who owes money.
Which version of the N4 must you use?
For an N4 given on or after 21 September 2026, use version 1 of the form from the Landlord and Tenant Board’s website. A regulation now requires that version (O. Reg. 308/26). Download a fresh copy from the Board’s forms page rather than reusing a saved one.
What goes on the N4?
- To: the name of every tenant living in the unit. Name any subtenant or assignee too. You do not need to name children or guests.
- From: your name. If there is more than one landlord, name every landlord.
- Address of the rental unit: the full address, with the unit number and postal code.
- The amount owing: on page 1. It must be the same as the Total Rent Owing in the table on page 3. Fill in the table first.
- The termination date: a specific calendar date.
- The table on page 3: each rental period in which rent was not paid in full, with the rent charged, the rent paid and the rent owing.
- Signature: you sign and date it, or your representative does.
The table has three rows. If rent is owed for more than three periods, you can combine earlier periods in the first or second row. The last row must show the last period for which rent is owed. You can also attach a page that lists every period, as long as you give it to the tenant with the notice.
What can you claim as rent on an N4?
Only rent lawfully owing. Rent includes the basic rent and amounts the tenant pays you separately for services, such as parking. A flat monthly amount the tenant pays you for a utility also counts as rent.
| Can go on the N4 | Cannot go on the N4 |
|---|---|
| Basic rent not paid | NSF bank charges and your administration charge |
| Parking or other services paid to you | A rent deposit the tenant never paid |
| A flat monthly utility charge paid to you | Utility bills paid to the utility company, or a share of a bill that changes each month |
| Damage, repairs or other costs |
The Board’s guideline says that including NSF charges, an unpaid deposit or utility costs that are not rent will likely invalidate the notice. Those amounts are claimed elsewhere. NSF bank charges, plus an administration charge of up to $20 per cheque, can go in the L1 application. Utility costs and damage can be claimed with an L2 while the tenant lives there, or an L10 after they leave.
Do not subtract a rent deposit you hold. It can only be applied to the last month of the tenancy. An N4 is not invalid just because the deposit is more than the rent owing.
Use the lawful rent. The Board has found N4s invalid where the arrears were worked out on a rent that was not lawful, for example after a rent increase that was not validly given.
How do you count the termination date?
The termination date must be at least 7 days after the notice is given. Do not count the day the notice is given, and do count the termination date. Days are calendar days.
The date can fall on a weekend or a holiday, and it is not moved. It does not have to be the last day of a rental period. A later date is allowed. An earlier one is not, and a wrong termination date cannot be corrected once the notice is given.
Before 21 September 2026, a monthly or yearly tenancy needed 14 days. The 7-day period applies to every N4 given on or after that date, whatever the tenancy type.
The day the N4 counts as given depends on how you give it:
| How you give the N4 | When it counts as given |
|---|---|
| Handed to the tenant, or to an apparently adult person in the unit | The same day |
| Left in the mailbox or where mail is delivered, slid under the door or put through a mail slot | The day you leave it (the N4 instructions add no days) |
| Mail, registered mail or Xpresspost | The fifth day after mailing |
| Courier | The day after you give it to the courier, or the next day that is not a weekend or a day the Board’s offices are closed |
| Fax | The date on the fax confirmation |
You cannot give an N4 by posting it on the door of the unit. The N4 instructions do not list email. The Board’s Rules allow email only if the tenant has agreed in writing to service by email.
Each tenant must get a copy. If you give the copies on different days or in different ways, use a termination date that works for the copy given last.
The N4 date calculator does this count for you and shows the rule it used.
Worked example: rent unpaid in November 2026
Your tenant’s rent is $2,000, due on the 1st of each month. They paid $1,500 for October 2026 and nothing on 1 November 2026. The table on page 3 looks like this:
| Rent period from | Rent period to | Rent charged | Rent paid | Rent owing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/10/2026 | 31/10/2026 | 2,000.00 | 1,500.00 | 500.00 |
| 01/11/2026 | 30/11/2026 | 2,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,000.00 |
| Total rent owing | 2,500.00 |
Each row runs from the first day to the last day of the rental period. The amount on page 1 is $2,500.00.
- Handed to the tenant on Monday 2 November 2026. The earliest termination date is Monday 9 November 2026. You can file the L1 from Tuesday 10 November.
- Mailed on Monday 2 November 2026. It counts as given on Saturday 7 November. The earliest termination date is Saturday 14 November 2026. You can file the L1 from Sunday 15 November.
If the tenant pays $2,500 before you file and before 1 December, the N4 is void. If they pay on or after 1 December, December’s rent has also come due, so they must pay $4,500.
Can the tenant cancel the N4 by paying?
Yes. The N4 is void if, before you file the L1, the tenant pays the arrears plus any rent that has come due by the date they pay. The form tells the tenant to pay by the termination date, but the Act allows payment up to the day you apply.
A partial payment does not void the N4. Accepting one does not waive the notice or start a new tenancy, unless you and the tenant agree otherwise. After you file, paying can still end the application or void an eviction order. See non-payment of rent.
When can you file the L1, and is there a deadline?
You can file the L1 from the day after the termination date. The Board does not accept it on or before that date.
There is no deadline for an application based on unpaid rent. Other notices of termination become void 30 days after their termination date if no application is made, but that rule does not apply to an N4. The tenant must still be in possession of the unit when you file.
File the L1 with a copy of the N4, a Certificate of Service showing how and when you gave it, and the fee. The application is refused if any of these is missing. On the L1, include all the rent owing up to the date you file.
Which mistakes can make an N4 invalid?
- A termination date that is too early. Counting the day you give the notice, or leaving out the five days for mail, makes the date too early. It cannot be fixed later.
- Amounts that are not rent. NSF charges, an unpaid deposit and utility costs that are not rent will likely invalidate the notice.
- The wrong lawful rent. Arrears worked out on a rent that was not lawful can make the notice invalid.
- Totals that do not match. The amount on page 1 must equal the total in the table on page 3.
- Missing tenants. Every tenant in possession must be named and given a copy.
- Giving it too soon. Rent is not late until the day after it is due.
- Posting it on the door. Use a method the Act or the Board’s Rules allow.
- An old version of the form. For notices given from 21 September 2026, use version 1.
For the other 2026 changes in one place, see Bill 60: what changed for Ontario landlords in 2026.