The N4: Ontario's notice to end a tenancy for non-payment of rent

The N4 is the first step in the non-payment process under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act. It tells the tenant how much rent is owed and sets a termination date. Serving it costs nothing; it is a notice, not an application, and the LTB charges no fee for N-series notices.

On its own, the N4 changes nothing about who lives in the unit. It opens a window in which the tenant can pay and the tenancy simply continues, or the landlord can later apply to the Board if the rent stays unpaid.

In the current form's own words, "The date that the landlord gives you in this notice to pay or move out must be at least 7 days after the landlord gives you the notice." That one minimum applies to every tenancy, whether you rent by the month, the year, the week or the day, for notices given on or after September 21, 2026.

The current form is Form N4, version 2026/09.

Paying the amount owed by the termination date voids the N4; the landlord cannot apply to the LTB on that notice, and the tenancy continues as if nothing happened.

Ontario's guidance goes a step further: even after the termination date, a tenant can still void the notice before the day the landlord applies to the Board, by paying all the rent owed plus any new rent that has come due since. Once the landlord has applied, this particular way of voiding no longer applies.

"The earliest date that the landlord can apply to the Board is the day after the termination date in this notice." If the rent is still unpaid, the landlord can then file an L1 application, which leads to a hearing and, if granted, an order.

Even at that stage, no one is removed by the notice or the order alone. Only the LTB can order an eviction, and only the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) can enforce it. If you are the tenant, that means you keep your rights and any hearing date until the process runs its course.