A tenant who rekeys the unit, or a building entrance, without asking you first has broken the Ontario rules on locks, and the L8 is how you take that to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). The application asks for one of two orders: that the tenant hand you a key to the new lock, or that the tenant reimburse your reasonable cost of changing the lock system yourself. Eviction is not on the table with an L8.
Quick reference
| Who files | A landlord whose tenant, without consent, altered a lock on a door that gives entry to the unit or the complex |
| Possible orders | Keys delivered to the landlord, or payment of the landlord's reasonable out-of-pocket lock-change cost |
| Notice before filing | Not required |
| Time limit | None in s. 35 |
| Filing | Email to LTBpayments@ontario.ca once paid online, mail or courier, or ServiceOntario in person. Not through the Tribunals Ontario Portal |
| Fee | $201 |
| If the tenant keeps refusing | An N5 for substantial interference with your lawful rights may be the next step |
The rule behind the L8
Under s. 35(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), while occupying the unit a tenant may not change, or have someone else change, the lock system on any door that gives entry to the unit or the complex unless the landlord consents. Where that happens, s. 35(2) allows the landlord to apply for a determination to that effect. On such a finding, s. 35(3) lets the Board order the tenant to provide keys or to cover the landlord's reasonable out-of-pocket cost of changing the lock system.
Landlords are bound by a mirror-image rule. If you change the locks mid-tenancy, s. 24 obliges you to give the tenant new keys. Nothing about an L8 lets you lock a tenant out or skip the entry rules, which remain those in ss. 26 and 27.
Situations the L8 fits, and those it does not
It fits where the tenant has rekeyed or swapped a lock, or added one (a building entrance door counts), and won't give you a key. It also fits where you would prefer to put your own lock system back and have the tenant pay for it.
It does not end a tenancy. If changing the locks is one part of a wider pattern that substantially interferes with your lawful rights, such as repeatedly preventing lawful entry, termination runs through a notice like the N5 (RTA s. 64) and then an L2.
It is not a licence for self-help. Reversing the lock change yourself while the tenant lives there is only allowed if you immediately give them a key (s. 24). Keeping the new key from them invites a tenant application against you.
Emergencies are narrow. Section 26 lets you enter without written notice in an emergency; it does not let you take over the lock.
Timing
- Filing deadline. Section 35 imposes none. Even so, move quickly: facts get harder to prove over time, and if you need a key for lawful entry, you need it now.
- When it counts as filed. Under Rule 4.8, email is filed on the day it arrives, courier on the following business day, and mail on the fifth non-holiday day after it is sent.
- Service. Ordinarily the LTB serves the application and Notice of Hearing (Rule 5.1). If you are directed to serve them yourself, the deadline is 15 days or more before the hearing (Rule 5.9), and a Certificate of Service must follow within five days (Rule 5.15).
- Review. For an order issued on or after July 1, 2026, a review request must be made within 15 days (Rule 26.5).
Filling in the L8
Type, or print in capitals. Shade circles completely and leave blank any box that does not apply. Each field is explained in the L8 instructions.
Part 1 – General Information
- Address of the Rental Unit Covered by this Application: the full address, unit number and postal code included.
- Landlord's Name and Address: your name or company name, mailing address, phone numbers and email. Co-landlords are added on a Schedule of Parties.
- Tenant Names and Address: the form has room for two tenants; any more go on a Schedule of Parties. Give a separate mailing address only where it is not the unit.
- Related Applications: the file numbers of open applications about the same unit.
Part 2 – Reason for Your Application
The form already states the ground for you: that the tenant altered the lock system on the unit, the complex, or both, without your permission. Your job is to:
- Pick a single remedy. Shade either the option asking for a copy of the key, or the option asking for payment of a stated amount to change the lock system. If you want money, fill in the figure and be ready with a locksmith's invoice or written quote showing it is reasonable and that you actually paid it.
- Tell the story in detail, covering the four points the form prompts for: how you discovered the change; which lock system was affected (the unit door, the building entrance or something else); the date of the change if you know it; and the person who made it if you know. Add when you asked for a key and what the tenant said.
Part 3 – Signature
Mark "Landlord" or "Legal Representative", sign and date. A representative also lists contact details and a Law Society number.
Payment
Indicate how you are paying. When filing by email, include your online payment receipt number.
Sending in the application
| Route | Steps |
|---|---|
| Pay the $201 through the Online Payment for Tribunal Applications page by Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit). Within 24 hours, email the completed form and receipt to LTBpayments@ontario.ca, with the unit address and receipt number as the subject | |
| Mail or courier | Include a money order or certified cheque made out to the "Minister of Finance", or pay by card on the Credit Card Payment Form |
| ServiceOntario | Attend a location that takes LTB filings |
Although the August 2023 L8 instructions refer to the Tribunals Ontario Portal, the LTB's forms, filing and fees page lists only email, mail or courier, and ServiceOntario for the L8. The fee is non-refundable (see the LTB fees page), and a Fee Waiver Request can be made.
Where L8 applications go wrong
- You cannot show you objected. The whole of s. 35 depends on the absence of consent. A lease clause, an email or your own silence that looks like agreement can defeat the claim. Keep your written request for a key and whatever reply you got.
- Choosing both remedies, or none. The form requires one: a key or money. Decide which you want and back it up.
- Overreaching on cost. Only reasonable out-of-pocket expenses can be ordered. Without an invoice or quote, or if the bill includes upgrades the tenant did not make necessary, the award may be cut or refused.
- Expecting eviction. An L8 cannot end the tenancy; if possession is what you want, this application spends your fee and time on the wrong goal.
- Taking matters into your own hands. Putting the old lock back without giving the tenant a key breaches s. 24 and may make you the respondent.
- Fee not paid, or LTB fines outstanding. The application will not be processed (instructions; Rule 6.1).
After you file
A Notice of Hearing will arrive. At the hearing, have photos of the lock, the locksmith's invoice or quote, and your messages with the tenant. If the tenant ignores a payment order, the LTB does not collect it for you. Ontario's Guide to procedures in Small Claims Court explains that RTA orders can be filed in Small Claims Court, which then treats them as court orders for enforcement purposes. If the tenant goes on refusing access, that may ground an N5 for substantial interference with your lawful rights.
Landlord questions
Is a tenant in Ontario allowed to change the locks?
Only with the landlord's consent. Section 35 bars a tenant, during their occupancy, from altering the lock system on any door that gives entry to the unit or the building unless the landlord agrees.
What orders can come out of an L8?
Either an order that the tenant give you keys, or an order that the tenant pay your reasonable out-of-pocket cost of changing the lock system. Eviction is not available on an L8.
Why not simply change the lock back myself?
You can change the lock system while the tenant is in occupancy only if you give them replacement keys (s. 24). Changing it in order to keep them out is not allowed.
How long do I have to file?
Section 35 does not set a deadline. File while events are recent and you can still prove them.