Ontario L6 Form: Asking the LTB to Review a Provincial Maintenance Work Order

When a municipal inspector issues a work order under the provincial maintenance standards, an Ontario landlord who disagrees with it can ask the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to review it by filing Form L6. Two features define this application. Its scope is tight, since it does not reach orders made under a municipality's own property standards by-law. And its deadline is short: 20 days, running from the order's issue date.

At a glance

Where the L6 fits

Ontario's provincial maintenance standards are found in O. Reg. 517/06. Under s. 224 of the RTA, they govern a residential complex when it is subject to no municipal property standards by-law, or when a by-law does apply but prescribed circumstances bring the provincial standards in regardless. A common case: a by-law that deals only with the outside of buildings leaves the provincial interior standards in force (O. Reg. 517/06, s. 4).

The process runs like this. Tenants complain to the municipality, which sends an inspector (s. 224.1). An inspector who finds a breach can issue a work order, and under s. 225 that order has to state the address, give reasonable particulars of the required work, set the compliance period and say how long you have to apply to the Board for review.

A landlord "not satisfied with its terms" may apply under s. 226 within 20 days. The Board's options are to:

1. confirm or vary the order, for instance by narrowing the work or allowing more time to comply;
2. rescind the order where you have already complied; or
3. quash it.

Choosing the L6 (and recognizing the wrong case)

The L6 is the right application when the order relies on the provincial maintenance standards and you challenge the need for the work, its extent or the realism of the deadline. It is also the route to have an order rescinded once the work is finished.

It is the wrong application for a property standards order that rests on a municipal by-law. The L6 instructions state plainly that no other kind of work order can be reviewed with it. Here is a simple way to tell them apart. Section 225(2)(d) requires a provincial-standards order to state the deadline for seeking LTB review. If yours sends you instead to a municipal committee or some other appeal, the LTB is the wrong place. For comparison, where a municipal property standards order is served on an owner, s. 15.3(1) of the Building Code Act, 1992 allows an appeal by registered mail to the municipality's property standards committee within 14 days after service.

Nor is the L6 a way to answer a tenant's maintenance application (T6) or an AGI dispute. Those proceed separately, although an unresolved work order can have an effect on an AGI (RTA s. 126(12)).

The clock

The core deadline. Section 226(1) gives you 20 days after the day of issue, measured from the issue date shown on the order rather than the day it reached you. Take an order issued on March 2, 2027: the last day to file is March 22, 2027, regardless of when the envelope arrived.

What counts is when the LTB receives it. Under Rule 4.8, an emailed filing is made on the day of receipt, a couriered one on the next business day, and a mailed one on the fifth day after mailing that is not a holiday. Putting an L6 in the mail close to day 20 invites a late filing.

Late filings. Under RTA s. 190(1), the Board has power to give more time to bring a s. 226 application. The Request to Extend Time, however, must accompany the late L6, filed together with it (Rule 16.2). In deciding, the Board considers how long the delay was, why it happened and whether anyone is prejudiced (Rule 16.4).

Serving the municipality. Service must happen at least 15 days ahead of the hearing, and a Certificate of Service is due within five days after you serve (Rules 5.10, 5.15).

Does filing pause the order? Nothing in the RTA says an L6 stays the work order or stretches its compliance period, and the LTB has issued no guidance on the point. The safe assumption is that the compliance period continues to run. If the deadline itself is your problem, ask the Board to vary it (s. 226(2)(a)) and raise it with the municipality.

Completing the L6, part by part

Version 01/04/2022 is current. Type, or print in capital letters; fill the circles completely and leave inapplicable boxes empty. Each field is explained in the L6 instructions.

Part 1: General Information

• Address of the Rental Unit Covered by This Application: give the full address, including unit number and postal code; abbreviate long directions to NE, NW, SE or SW.
• Landlord's Name and Address: your name, any company name, mailing address, telephone numbers and email. Co-landlords go on a Schedule of Parties.
• Tenant Names and Address: list whichever tenants are in possession. The form holds two; any others go on a Schedule of Parties. Supply a mailing address only if it is different from the unit.
• Related Applications: the file number of any unresolved application concerning the unit, a tenant's T6 for example.

Part 2: Reason for Your Application

Most L6s succeed or fail on this box. Open with the work order number and the date it was issued. Then be exact about three things. First, which items you dispute and on what basis: the work has been completed, the condition meets the standard, or the method the order requires is wrong. Second, the outcome you want: quashing, rescinding, a narrower scope or more time. Third, where the deadline is the dispute, why the compliance period cannot realistically be met and how much time you need, with reasons such as permit requirements, contractor availability or work that depends on the season. Add pages if you run out of room.

Part 3: Signature

Mark whether you are the "Landlord" or a "Legal Representative" and add your signature and the date. Representatives must also include their name, contact information and Law Society number.

Payment Information Form

Indicate the payment method, and if you paid online, write in the receipt number.

Filing the L6

The L6 must go in together with a copy of the work order; the instructions warn that an application without one will be refused. Filing options:

• Email. First pay the $201 fee online on the Online Payment for Tribunal Applications page, using a Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit). No more than 24 hours later, send LTBpayments@ontario.ca three things: the application, the work order and the payment receipt. The subject line should carry the unit address and receipt number.
• Mail or courier. Enclose a money order or certified cheque payable to the "Minister of Finance", or complete the Credit Card Payment Form.
• ServiceOntario. File in person at a location that takes LTB filings.

No fee is refunded; the LTB fees page has the details, and a Fee Waiver Request can be made.

Errors that end an L6 early

1. Missing day 20 with no extension request attached. The application is late, and a separate, after-the-fact request runs against Rule 16.2.
2. Bringing a by-law property standards order to the LTB. Section 226 gives the Board no power to review it, so the L6 will be dismissed.
3. Leaving out the work order. It is a required attachment, and its absence leads to refusal.
4. A Part 2 that says too little. A general statement of disagreement gives the Board nothing to vary. Link every disputed item to proof such as photographs, contractor reports and quotes, or permit timelines.
5. Failing to serve the municipality. Rule 5.10 says the municipality must be served no later than 15 days ahead of the hearing; if that is not done, the Board can adjourn or dismiss (Rule 5.17).
6. Ignoring the compliance date. Under RTA s. 234, non-compliance with a work order is an offence. An unresolved order can also be held against you in an AGI or a tenant's maintenance case.

After you file

The LTB sends out a Notice of Hearing; you then serve the municipality and file your Certificate of Service. At the hearing, bring proof of the state of the premises and whatever work has been done. The resulting order will confirm the work order, vary it, rescind it or quash it. If the outcome is not what you expected, any party can request a review within 15 days for any order dated July 1, 2026 or later (Rule 26.5).

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline to challenge a maintenance work order at the LTB?

You get twenty days, counted from the day after the order's issue date. The Board does have power to extend that time, but your request for an extension has to be filed together with the L6.

Can I use the L6 against a municipal property standards order?

No. Only orders made under O. Reg. 517/06, the provincial maintenance standards, can be reviewed on an L6. A by-law property standards order is challenged through the route that the by-law and the order itself describe.

What outcomes are possible on an L6?

The Board can confirm the order, vary it (by changing the work required or the time allowed, for example), rescind it if the work is already done, or quash it.

How much does an L6 cost to file?

The filing fee is $201 and it is not refundable, though you may submit a Fee Waiver Request.

Official sources

• Form L6 – Application for Review of a Work Order about Provincial Maintenance Standards (PDF)
• L6 Instructions
• LTB Forms, filing and fees
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 126, 190, 224–226 and 234
• Building Code Act, 1992, s. 15.3
• O. Reg. 517/06 (Maintenance Standards), s. 4
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 4.8, 5.10, 5.15, 5.17, 16.2, 16.4 and 26.5