Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) uses the Request to Shorten Time for two purposes: getting a hearing scheduled ahead of the Board's ordinary queue, and letting an above-guideline rent increase (AGI) application in the door when it was filed with fewer than 90 days to go before the first increase. A landlord should reach for it only where the wait itself would cause genuine harm that can be shown with documents.
At a glance
| Filed by | Any party (landlord, tenant or other) whose application, request or motion is going to a hearing |
| Timing | After filing the application (for an earlier hearing), or together with a late AGI application |
| Time limit | None set; earlier is better |
| Filing route | The Portal, LTB@ontario.ca, ServiceOntario, mail or courier |
| Fee | The LTB fee schedule lists none |
| What follows | Nothing to file; a granted request produces a new Notice of Hearing |
Two things the request can do
Section 190 of the RTA and Rule 16 allow the Board to shorten time requirements in its proceedings, other than prescribed ones. The form gives you a choice between two requests.
An earlier hearing. You ask the Board to shorten the time to schedule a hearing on your application. If the request succeeds, your hearing comes up sooner than it would have; if it fails, scheduling follows the normal timeline.
Accepting a late AGI. An L5 has to be filed 90 days or more before the first effective date it claims. A granted request means a late L5 is accepted; a refused one means it is not.
The Member applies the factors in Rule 16.4: the prejudice to you, and to the other side, of granting or refusing the request; whether that prejudice can be cured; whether the request is made in good faith; and anything else relevant.
Situations that justify it, and ones that do not
The official instructions describe landlord examples, and they show how serious the circumstances need to be:
- Arrears (L1): the tenant has paid nothing for many months and the landlord is suffering significant personal or financial hardship as a result, explained in detail and backed by documents.
- Illegal acts (L2 on an N6): the tenant's illegal conduct endangers the health and safety of another tenant.
- Purchaser's own use (L2 on an N12): a sale could fall through if the tenant has not left. The supporting material would show the closing date, proof that an extension is improbable, and the buyer's housing circumstances.
- A late AGI (L5): a personal emergency kept the landlord from filing 90 days ahead.
The request is the wrong tool when you want to:
- cut a notice period. The periods in termination notices are fixed by regulation and beyond the Board's power to shorten (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56). For any N4 served from September 21, 2026, the 7-day minimum in RTA s. 59(1) covers every tenancy type, weekly or monthly, and cannot be trimmed;
- change a hearing date that has already been fixed. That needs a rescheduling request;
- file something after its deadline. That calls for an extension request.
Timing considerations
- Nothing fixes a deadline for asking for an earlier hearing, but an early request leaves more room for an earlier date to help.
- The AGI option is relevant only when you are already inside the 90 days before the first effective date. For instance, with a first effective date of July 1, 2027, the normal filing deadline is April 2, 2027; an L5 filed on April 20, 2027 would need this request.
- You get one try. After a refusal, a repeat request about that hearing or that AGI deadline is barred, absent a significant change in circumstances (Rule 16.6, and the form).
- The Board may hand service to you. Where it shortens the time for service, Rule 5.2 lets it make the application and Notice of Hearing your responsibility to serve. Read the decision closely and, if required, prove service on a certificate.
Filling in the request
The form currently in use is the 2025/10 version.
File Number. Write it at the top. If the same reasons apply to more than one file, list them all and upload the form to each file separately on the Portal.
Language and accommodation. Fill in only if they apply.
Requesting Party's Information. Indicate whether you are a landlord, landlord's representative, tenant, tenant's representative or other. Add your name, company, address, phone numbers, email and how you want the Board to send you documents.
The unit, building or complex. Give its complete address.
What you want shortened. Pick one: an earlier hearing, or acceptance of a late AGI.
Reasons. Connect each reason to this application, because the form warns that unrelated reasons will be disregarded. Put numbers on the harm: arrears so far, the mortgage payment or closing date at risk, each safety incident with its date. Address what the tenant would lose with an earlier date and why that is outweighed or can be managed. For a late AGI, say what stopped you from filing on time.
Attachments. The form cautions that missing supporting documents can lead to a refusal. A medical note should describe the condition, how it affects you and when recovery is expected.
Signature. Indicate your role, then sign and date. A legal representative adds a Law Society number and contact details.
Submitting it
You can upload it to the file through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, email it to LTB@ontario.ca, mail or courier it to the Board (15 Grosvenor Street, Ground Floor, Toronto, ON M7A 2G6), or file it through a ServiceOntario centre. When a licensed lawyer or paralegal files this request by itself, with nothing else attached, the Portal is mandatory. According to the instructions, a letter or email can stand in for the form so long as it names the file, says which time requirement is in issue and gives the reasons, though the form is the recommended route.
Why these requests are refused
- Assertions without proof. Saying you are suffering hardship, with no bank records, purchase agreement or incident reports to back it, is the leading cause of refusals.
- Reasons unconnected to the application. Frustration with how long the LTB takes in general is not a reason; the form says such reasons will be ignored.
- Silence about the tenant's side. Rule 16.4 looks at prejudice to both parties, and a request that never addresses the tenant's is easier to deny.
- Asking to shorten a prescribed period. Notice periods and other prescribed times are off-limits (s. 190(2); O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56).
- Uploading to only one of several files. The form calls for a separate upload on each file it covers.
- Spending your only request on a weak case. A poor first attempt bars a stronger second one, unless there is a significant change in circumstances.
After the decision
A Member rules on it, often on your material alone without input from the other side (Rule 16.5), and records the outcome and the reasons.
- Hearing request granted: the Board issues a fresh Notice of Hearing showing the earlier date. Check whether the decision requires you to serve it.
- AGI request granted: the L5 goes ahead to processing.
- Denied: the hearing is scheduled in the ordinary course, and your preparation should assume that timeline.
Frequently asked questions
If granted, how much earlier will the hearing be?
The Board publishes no set timeline. The form says only that the hearing will take place sooner than it otherwise would.
Does it cost anything to ask for an earlier hearing?
No fee for a Request to Shorten Time appears on the LTB fee schedule, though the underlying application still carries its usual fee.
What evidence should support an L1 request?
The instructions ask for specifics on how the arrears are affecting you, with supporting documents. Letters from your lender, a rent ledger and proof of mortgage or property tax payments you could not make are the sort of records that show hardship.
My L5 went in late. Can it still proceed?
Possibly. File a Request to Shorten Time that explains why filing 90 days before the first effective date was not possible and sets out the prejudice to each party. If the request is refused, the L5 will not be accepted.