Ontario Landlord Guide › How to serve an N4 notice in Ontario in 2026 (the new 7-day rule)

How to serve an N4 notice in Ontario in 2026 (the new 7-day rule)

Last updated October 22, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Since September 21, 2026, an N4 for unpaid rent needs only 7 days' notice, down from 14. Get the date wrong and the notice can be invalid, which sends you back to the start. Here's how to do it right, using the LTB's own instructions.

Formula: termination date = the day you give the N4 + 7 days (don't count the day you give it) + 5 days if mailed (or Xpresspost) or + 1 business day if couriered. Earliest L1 filing date = the day after the termination date.

Step 1: Make sure you can use an N4

The tenant hasn't paid the full rent on the day it was due, and the tenant still lives in the unit.
The earliest you can give it is the day after rent was due (rent due on the 1st → earliest N4 on the 2nd).
The RTA must apply. If your renter shares a kitchen or bathroom with you (the owner) or certain family members living there, it usually doesn't. See renting rooms in your own home.
Use the current N4 from the LTB forms page, not a copy saved months ago.

Step 2: Fill in the rent owing table first (page 3)

List each rent period with unpaid rent: rent charged, rent paid and rent owing. Then copy the total to page 1. The two amounts must match. Only include rent. "Rent" includes amounts paid to you for services like parking, and a flat monthly utility charge paid to you, but not the last month's rent deposit, NSF fees or utility bills the tenant pays to the utility.

Step 3: Choose the termination date

How you give it	Example: prepared Friday Oct 23, 2026	Earliest termination date
Hand it to the tenant (or an adult in the unit), mailbox, or under the door	Given Oct 23	Fri Oct 30, 2026
Courier	Sent Oct 23, +1 business day	Mon Nov 2, 2026
Mail or Xpresspost	Mailed Oct 23, +5 days	Wed Nov 4, 2026

Giving a day or two of extra time is safer than cutting it close. The LTB's own example: a notice handed over on March 3 can say March 10; mailed on March 3, it must say March 15.

Step 4: Serve it the allowed way

Allowed: hand it to the tenant or an adult in the unit, leave it in the mailbox or where mail is normally delivered, slide it under the door or through a mail slot, fax, courier or mail. Not allowed: posting it on the door. Keep a copy and note exactly how and when you served it. You'll need that for the Certificate of Service.

Step 5: What happens next

If the tenant pays all the rent owing by the termination date, the notice is void.
If not, you can file an L1 starting the day after the termination date, with a copy of the N4 and a Certificate of Service.
If the tenant has already moved out, use an L10. To collect rent without evicting, use an L9.
For L1s filed on or after Sept 21, 2026, a tenant must pay you half the arrears claimed at least 7 days before the hearing to raise other issues. Give a receipt for anything you're paid.

Common N4 mistakes

Counting the day you serve as day 1.
Forgetting the 5 extra days for mail.
Including non-rent amounts (deposit, NSF fee, damages).
Using an old saved form.
Taping it to the door.
Page 1 and page 3 totals don't match.

The toolkit's N4 Date Calculator spreadsheet works out the termination date and earliest L1 date for hand delivery, courier or mail, and flags tenants who hit the new persistent-late test.

Official sources

Not legal advice. This site is general information written by a small Ontario landlord, based on official Ontario and Tribunals Ontario sources as of October 22, 2026. Laws and LTB forms change; check the linked official source before you act, and talk to a lawyer or licensed paralegal (or call the LTB at 1-888-332-3234) about your situation. Not affiliated with the Government of Ontario, Tribunals Ontario or the Landlord and Tenant Board. Full disclaimer.