The L1 Application in Ontario: How to File for Unpaid Rent at the LTB

Checked against official Ontario sources on . General information, not legal advice.

The L1 is the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application a landlord uses to end a tenancy and evict a tenant who still lives in the unit and owes rent, and to collect the rent owed. You can file it only after serving an N4 notice, starting the day after the N4 termination date, and only if the tenant has not paid the amount needed to void the N4. Filing through the Tribunals Ontario Portal costs $186; filing on paper costs $201.

What is an L1 application?

Form L1, the Application to Evict a Tenant for Non-payment of Rent and to Collect Rent the Tenant Owes, asks the LTB for two things at once: an order ending the tenancy and evicting the tenant, and an order for the rent the tenant owes up to the date they move out. According to the LTB's L1 instructions, you can also include charges for NSF cheques.

The L1 is only for a tenant who is still living in the rental unit. If the tenant has already moved out, the LTB points landlords to Form L10 instead. If you only want to collect rent and do not want to end the tenancy, the instructions point to Form L9.

The LTB can order up to $50,000. The L1 instructions note that larger claims belong in court.

When can I file an L1?

The L1 always comes after an N4, the Notice to End your Tenancy for Non-payment of Rent. Three conditions must be met before you file:

  • You gave the tenant an N4 notice.
  • The termination date on the N4 has passed. The earliest day you can file is the day after that termination date.
  • The tenant has not paid the amount required to void the N4, and still lives in the unit.

For an N4 given on or after September 21, 2026, the LTB's N4 instructions say the termination date must be at least 7 days after you give the notice. Do not count the day you give it, and add extra days if you deliver by courier (one business day) or mail (five days).

The LTB's brochure How a Landlord Can End a Tenancy says there is no deadline to file the L1 after an N4.

If the tenant pays everything owed before you file, the N4 is void. The LTB says the tenant must pay the arrears listed in the N4 plus any rent that has come due since. Once the N4 is void, you cannot file an L1 based on it.

N4 vs L1: what's the difference?

The N4 is a notice you give to the tenant. The L1 is an application you file with the LTB. The N4 tells the tenant how much rent is owed and the date the tenancy will end if they do not pay. It does not, on its own, require the tenant to move out.

The L1 is the step that brings the matter before the LTB. Only the LTB can order an eviction, and only after the L1 is filed and decided. In short: the N4 starts the clock, and the L1 asks the LTB to act once the clock has run out and the rent is still unpaid.

How do I file an L1 with the LTB?

  1. Complete Form L1. The form has seven parts, including a Rent Owing table showing how you calculated the rent the tenant owes. The LTB will not accept an application that is not signed and dated.
  2. Gather the required attachments: a copy of the N4 you gave the tenant, and the Certificate of Service showing how and when you gave it.
  3. File and pay. The Tribunals Ontario Portal guides you through the application step by step and accepts Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard and Debit Mastercard. You need a Public Secure account to use it. You can also mail or courier the application to the nearest LTB office, or file in person at some ServiceOntario Centres.
  4. Wait for your Notice of Hearing. The LTB sends a notice of hearing with the hearing type, date and time.

The L1 instructions say your application will be refused if the form, the N4 copy, the Certificate of Service or the fee is missing.

How much is the L1 filing fee?

The LTB's Forms, filing and fees page lists the L1 fee as $201, or $186 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal. The fee must be paid when you file. By mail or courier you can pay by certified cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance, or by credit card using the Credit Card Payment Form. The LTB does not accept credit card payments by fax.

You can ask the LTB to waive the fee by filing its Fee Waiver Request Form.

What should I prepare before the L1 hearing?

Most LTB hearings are held by videoconference on Zoom. The LTB asks parties to log on at least 15 minutes early.

  • The L1/L9 Information Update form. LTB Rule 10 requires you to give it to the LTB and each tenant at least 5 days before the hearing. It records anything that changed since you filed: payments received, new rent that came due, deposit changes, new NSF charges and the updated total owed. If you skip it, the adjudicator may refuse to proceed until it is done, or may decline to award you the filing fee.
  • Your evidence. Under LTB Rule 19, documents and other evidence you plan to rely on must go to the other parties at least 7 days before the hearing. Evidence you do not disclose may not be allowed.
  • Clear payment records. The Information Update asks for the date and amount of every payment and every rent charge since filing, so a dated record of rent charged and rent received makes the form, and the hearing, much easier.

The LTB must also consider whether to delay or refuse the eviction, even when rent is owed, under section 83 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. The Information Update form asks you about any circumstances the LTB should know about.

Can the tenant still stop the eviction by paying?

Yes. LTB Interpretation Guideline 11 describes three ways a tenant can avoid eviction under section 74 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006:

  1. Before the order is issued, by paying the arrears, the application fee and any additional rent owing. The landlord's application is then discontinued.
  2. After the order is issued but before it becomes enforceable, by paying the amount set out in the order. The order then becomes void.
  3. After the order becomes enforceable but before it is enforced, by paying and bringing a motion to set the order aside. The guideline says this type of motion can only be made once during a tenancy.

A tenant can pay the landlord directly or pay into the LTB's trust account at CIBC using an LTB deposit slip.

For L1 applications filed on or after September 21, 2026, a tenant who wants to raise other issues at the hearing must pay the landlord at least half the claimed arrears at least 7 days before the hearing. Payments into the LTB trust account do not count toward this.

What happens after the LTB issues an eviction order?

The LTB does not enforce its own orders. If the tenant does not leave by the date in the order, you must file a copy of the order with the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff's Office). The Court Enforcement Office charges the landlord a fee to enforce it.

A landlord cannot personally enforce an eviction order. That means no removing the tenant and no changing the locks yourself.

If either side wants an LTB order reviewed, since July 1, 2026 the request must be made within 15 days of the date of the order, down from 30.

How Propmo helps

For a nonpayment issue, Propmo assembles a case file from your derived rent ledger (rent expected vs rent confirmed each period), linked documents and tenant interactions, and drafts N4 and L1 forms from those records for you to review. An export freezes a dated snapshot of the file. The forms are unsigned drafts: Propmo does not give legal advice or file forms for you, and its marketplace lists local paralegals if you want help. Propmo costs $35 CAD per unit per month, and the LTB case kit is $99 per case.

Try Propmo

Frequently asked questions

Can I file an L1 if the tenant has already moved out?
No. The L1 is only for tenants still living in the unit. For a former tenant, the LTB uses Form L10, which must be filed no more than one year after the tenant moved out.
Do I have to file the L1 right after the N4 termination date?
No. The day after the termination date is the earliest you can file, and the LTB's brochure How a Landlord Can End a Tenancy says there is no deadline for filing the L1 after an N4. The tenant can still void the N4 by paying everything owed before you file.
Can I get the filing fee back from the tenant?
You can ask for it. The L1/L9 Information Update form asks whether you want the LTB to order the tenant to pay the application fee. A tenant who pays to stop the eviction before an order is issued must include the application fee. The LTB may decline to award the fee if you do not submit the Information Update form on time.
Can I include NSF cheque charges in an L1?
Yes. The L1 can include NSF charges. The landlord's administration charge is capped at $20 per cheque, plus the bank's NSF charge.
Is the security deposit deducted from what the tenant owes?
According to LTB Interpretation Guideline 11, the last month's rent deposit can only be applied to the last month of the tenancy. Do not subtract it on the Information Update form. If the tenancy has ended, the LTB deducts the deposit from the arrears it awards.

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