Ontario L4 Form: Enforcing an LTB Order or Mediated Settlement the Tenant Has Breached

Ontario's L4 is the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application for the moment a tenant fails to honour a term of an earlier LTB order or a settlement the LTB mediated, where that order or settlement expressly lets the landlord seek eviction on default. It is decided ex parte, in the same way as the L3: in the ordinary course the LTB issues the eviction order with no hearing and without telling the tenant first. Whether it is available at all depends on how the earlier order or settlement was worded.

At a glance

The legal test behind the L4

Section 78(1) of the RTA lets a landlord seek an eviction order, with no notice going to the tenant, when every one of these conditions is satisfied:

1. You had already applied to the LTB to evict the tenant or end the tenancy.
2. That earlier application ended in either an LTB order or a settlement the LTB mediated under s. 194, and the order or settlement: - placed conditions on the tenant, and breaking them would create the same termination grounds you relied on the first time, and - stated that a breach of one or more of them would entitle you to make an s. 78 application.
3. The tenant has failed to meet at least one of those conditions.

A s. 206 consent order made on a Payment Agreement cannot end the tenancy on its own, though s. 206(3.1) allows it to include a term that opens the door to s. 78 on default.

Claiming money as well as possession

Section 78(3) and (7) let you add a money claim in two cases:

• Reason 2 applies when the first application was an L1 and the outcome obliged the tenant to pay rent or arrears. You may claim the settlement amounts still unpaid, rent that has come due since the settlement or order, daily compensation, and any fresh NSF charges.
• Reason 3 applies when the first application was an L2 that claimed damages and the outcome obliged the tenant to pay for that damage. You may claim the damage amounts still unpaid and associated charges.

The Board deducts any rent deposit and the interest on it (s. 78(8)). It can also cancel the earlier order and require payment of whatever remains owing under it (s. 78(7.1)).

Is the L4 the right application?

The L4 fits only when two things are both true: a condition in a Board order or Board-mediated settlement has been broken, and that document contains a term allowing an s. 78 application.

It is the wrong route in these situations:

• You and the tenant reached a private deal. Section 78 reaches settlements "agreed to under section 194", meaning those mediated by the LTB, and LTB orders. An arrangement worked out by text message or in a side letter does not count, so you would need to serve a new notice.
• The order or settlement lacks an s. 78 term. No term, no L4. Where the document is a s. 206 payment-agreement order missing that clause, the fallback is a request to reopen, which must be filed no more than 30 days after the default (s. 206(4), (6)).
• The condition broken has nothing to do with the original grounds. A breach has to produce the same grounds the first application relied on.
• You want money the first application never sought. Reason 2 depends on an earlier L1 claiming arrears; Reason 3 depends on an earlier L2 claiming damage.

Time limits

• Filing: no more than 30 days after the default (RTA s. 78(5)). Because the statute fixes this deadline, the Board cannot lengthen it (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56). The instructions frame it as a condition the tenant did not meet "within the past 30 days". Count from the day the missed payment or step fell due. If an instalment was due March 15, 2026 and was not paid, the application should be in by April 14, 2026 at the latest.
• A second default after one you let pass: s. 78(5) speaks of "a failure", but the LTB has issued no guidance on whether a later missed payment starts a new 30-day period when you ignored an earlier one. Treat the first default as the one that starts the clock.
• Portal uploads: the order or settlement and the declaration go in with the application or no more than 5 calendar days later (Rules 4.4–4.5).
• The tenant's window to move to set aside: 10 days from the date the order issues (s. 78(9)).

Completing the L4

The current PDF is v. 01/04/2022: an eight-page application with the Declaration built in. It was not one of the forms replaced on September 21, 2026, although its instructions were revised on that date.

Part 1: General Information

Give the address of the rental unit, the landlord's details and the tenants' names, all consistent with the earlier order. Under Related Applications, list the file number of any related application that has not been resolved.

Part 2: Information about your previous application

Record the date and the file number of the order or mediated settlement that disposed of the earlier application.

Part 3: Choosing your reasons

You choose either Reason 1 by itself, or Reason 2, Reason 3, or both.

• Reason 1 asks for eviction only.
• Reason 2 asks for eviction plus rent and charges, and is open only where the first application was an L1.
• Reason 3 asks for eviction plus damages and charges, and is open only where the first application was an L2 that claimed damages.

For Reasons 2 and 3, the Calculation of Amount Owing works like this:

1. Begin with the full sum the tenant was obliged to pay.
2. Deduct what the tenant has paid towards that amount.
3. Add NSF charges that arose since then; the administration charge on each cheque is limited to $20 (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 17).
4. Under Reason 2 only, add unpaid rent that has fallen due since.
5. Total the figures.

The Board's monetary limit is $50,000.

Under current rent, state the amount and how often it is payable. If Reason 3 is your only reason, also say whether the tenant has paid the full rent for the month in which you are filing.

Part 4: Signature

The application is signed and dated by you or by your legal representative. A representative includes a Law Society number and contact information.

The Declaration (pages 5 to 8)

Everything turns on the Declaration. Strike out and initial any section you are not using.

• Section A is always completed: your name and municipality, followed by each condition the tenant failed to meet in the last 30 days and precisely how it was not met. For instance: "Term 3 required $650 by March 15, 2026; the tenant paid $300 on March 15 and has paid nothing more."
• Section B, used for Reasons 2 and 3, lists each rental period's new rent owing, plus new NSF and administration charges. Write N/A if nothing is owing.
• Section C (Reasons 2 and 3) records the rent deposit you hold, when you collected it, and the last period for which interest was paid. Write N/A if there is no deposit.
• Section D (Reasons 2 and 3) covers the settlement or order date; the arrears it required and the date that arrears period ended; the damages, NSF and filing-fee sums it imposed; and a table of every payment made since, with its date, amount and purpose.
• Section E is always completed: you sign and date, confirming the contents are complete and accurate and acknowledging that RTA s. 234 makes it an offence to give false information.

With Reason 1 alone, only Sections A and E are needed. With Reason 2 or 3, every section is completed.

Filing on the Portal

The Portal collects the same information and the same uploads. Review everything before you reach the "Ready to Submit" page, because the draft cannot be changed after that point. Tribunals Ontario has not published the Portal screens step by step, so rely on the prompts as they appear.

Filing the application

Under RTA s. 78(2), Rule 6.10 and Section E of the L4 Instructions, the application is refused unless it includes:

• the completed L4 form;
• a copy of the order or the mediated settlement; and
• the signed Declaration (or a sworn affidavit) stating which conditions were broken and how, with the further information s. 78(4) requires if you are claiming money.

The LTB's fee table shows the L4 as free on the Portal, which licensed lawyers and paralegals must use.

Where L4 applications go wrong

1. Missing the 30-day window. There is no extension. Wait too long after the default and the only route left may be a new notice and a fresh application.
2. No s. 78 term in the order or settlement. The LTB cannot grant an L4 without one, and if the tenant moves to set aside, a missing s. 78(1) requirement obliges the Board to cancel the order (s. 78(11)(a)).
3. A settlement the LTB did not mediate. A private agreement, written or not, fails s. 78(1).
4. A thin declaration. Saying the tenant "did not comply" will not do. Section 78(2) requires the affidavit to identify the conditions not met and how they were not met, so quote the term, give the due date and say precisely what happened instead.
5. Leaving a payment off the Section D chart. Leaving one out inflates the balance, weakens the declaration if the tenant brings a set-aside motion, and may amount to filing misleading information.
6. Selecting the wrong reason. Reason 2 belongs only to L1 outcomes and Reason 3 only to L2 damage claims; arrears cannot be added to an L4 that rests on a settlement of an L2 based on an N5.
7. Incomplete filing. If the order or settlement or the declaration is missing, the application is refused; on the Portal, failing to file them within 5 days invites administrative dismissal (Rule 4.5).
8. Taking money after the default without a plan. The LTB has published no guidance on whether accepting part-payments after a default affects an L4. Record each one in Section D, and take advice first if you plan to accept money without treating it as curing the default.

After the L4 is filed

In the usual case the LTB issues an eviction order with no hearing (s. 78(6)), and if you claimed money it may add a payment order under s. 78(7). The eviction order has to be filed with the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) no later than six months after its effective date (RTA s. 81).

If the tenant moves to set the order aside

A tenant has 10 days from issue to bring a motion setting aside the L4 order and any accompanying payment order (s. 78(9)). Filing it stays both (s. 78(10)). The tenant must deliver the motion and stay to the Court Enforcement Office (Rule 25.1) and serve it no later than 48 hours before the motion is heard (Rule 5.11). Following the hearing, s. 78(11) requires the LTB to choose one of three outcomes:

• (a) set the order aside where any criterion in s. 78(1) is not met;
• (b) set the order aside where it is satisfied, considering all the circumstances, that doing so "would not be unfair"; or
• (c) end the stay, either at once or as of a later date.

When the order is set aside under (b), s. 78(12) allows the LTB to vary the original settlement or order, such as by setting a fresh payment schedule. For a landlord, this is the hearing that decides whether the L4 holds, so the record you built in the declaration matters.

The 2026 set-aside rule does not apply here

Section 8.2 of O. Reg. 516/06, which stops the LTB from considering a tenant's change in circumstances after an agreement or notice, governs L3 orders under s. 77. It does not govern L4 orders. An L4 set-aside motion still turns on whether setting aside is fair in all the circumstances (s. 78(11)(b)), so come prepared with the full payment history and the reasons it would be unfair to you.

Recent changes

• September 21, 2026. New L4 instructions took effect, but the form (v. 01/04/2022) kept its existing version; because it was not among the replaced forms, the November 30, 2026 cut-off for superseded versions has no bearing on it.
• July 1, 2026. s. 206 repayment plans now have to use the LTB's Payment Agreement form, and the time to request a review of an order issued on or after that date dropped from 30 days to 15. If you want an L4 to be available after a payment agreement, confirm that both the agreement and the consent order contain the s. 78 term.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline for an L4?

Thirty days from the default, at the latest. The LTB cannot give you more time.

Will there be a hearing?

Usually not. The order issues without notice to the tenant, and a hearing is held only if the tenant moves to set it aside within 10 days.

What is the filing fee?

According to the LTB fee table, there is none when the L4 is filed through the Tribunals Ontario Portal.

The tenant and I worked out our own agreement. Can I file an L4 when they break it?

No. Section 78 covers only LTB orders and settlements mediated by the LTB, and only where they include a term allowing an s. 78 application if the tenant defaults.

Can I recover the unpaid amounts through the L4?

Yes. If the first application was an L1 claiming arrears (Reason 2) or an L2 claiming damage (Reason 3), and the outcome required the tenant to pay, fill in the amount-owing calculation and declaration Sections B, C and D.

Official sources

• Form L4 and L4 Instructions
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 78, 81, 192.1, 194, 206
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 8.2, 17, 56
• LTB Rules of Procedure
• LTB Forms, filing and fees
• LTB Operational Update, July 1, 2026