Ontario T7 Suite Meter Claims: Defending Electricity and Utility-Sharing Disputes

Ontario tenants use the T7 to tell the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) that their landlord broke the rules on suite meters or on passing a share of utility costs on to tenants. The typical case is a landlord who handed the hydro bill to the tenant, or who charges each household in a small building a set percentage of a shared utility. Because the rules are technical and depend on paperwork, the outcome usually turns on the landlord's consent forms, notices and rent calculations.

At a glance

The rules a T7 enforces

Installing a suite meter (RTA s. 137)

Where you supply electricity under the tenancy agreement, you may cut the supply briefly to put in a suite meter, but only on three conditions: a suite meter provider does the installation, the outage is kept as short as possible, and the tenant is properly notified (s. 137(2)). O. Reg. 394/10 requires that notice to be written, given 24 hours or more in advance, and to fix the work for daytime hours, no earlier than 8 a.m. and no later than 6 p.m.

Moving electricity costs onto the tenant

Before the tenant starts paying for electricity directly, four things must happen:

1. you provide the prescribed information before seeking consent (s. 137(4));
2. the tenant signs the Board's prescribed consent form for paying electricity directly;
3. you give 30 days' written notice or more; and
4. the rent comes down in line with the prescribed rules (s. 137(3)).

Extra conditions apply where the unit is heated mainly by electricity (s. 137(5)). Any fridge you supply must have been made on or after January 1, 1994, and replacements must date from December 31, 2002 or later (s. 10 of the regulation).

Sharing utility costs in small buildings (RTA s. 138)

In a building of six units or fewer, apportioning a utility to a tenant requires three things: the tenant's written agreement, a written notice period of at least 30 days, and a corresponding cut in rent. A prospective tenant must be told, before the tenancy begins, what percentage the unit bears and what the utility cost in total over the most recent available 12-month period (s. 138(4)). Once you use apportionment, unpaid utility amounts cannot ground an N4, an L1 or an L9 (s. 138(3)).

What the Board can order

Under s. 137(12), the remedies include:

• an abatement of rent;
• repairs or replacements, or repayment of their cost;
• a rent reduction with a rebate;
• any other order the Board considers appropriate.

Where the breach concerns consent, the required information or the electric-heat conditions, s. 137(13) adds two more: ending the tenancy, or requiring you to take the electricity costs back and fixing a new rent.

What the T7 does not cover

The T7 is confined to the suite meter and apportionment rules. Disrepair in general goes on a T6, and money unlawfully collected outside these rules is claimed through the T1. Under s. 137(16), what a tenant pays for electricity supply (charges, fees, deposits) is not rent, which takes it outside ss. 134 and 135. The information you must give before consent includes Ontario Energy Board contact details, because the OEB handles disputes with the distributor or the suite meter provider.

Time limits

Under s. 137(19), the pre-2020 version of the section can still govern tenancies formed before those amendments.

As an illustration: if electricity was transferred to a tenant on May 1, 2025 without the LTB consent form, a T7 filed on June 15, 2026 is out of time on that ground, but a complaint that the fridge you supplied was made before January 1, 1994 could still proceed.

What the tenant fills in

The current version is dated 01/04/2022.

Part 1, General Information covers the unit address, the tenants and landlord, when the tenant moved in, whether they still live there, and any related files.

Part 2, Reasons groups the grounds by situation:

• Electricity transferred after the tenant moved in (Reasons 1–5): problems with the installation notice, the outage length or the installer; missing pre-consent information; a missing consent form, missing 30-day notice or a wrong rent reduction; electric-heat conditions not met; a non-compliant fridge.
• A meter already in place when the tenant moved in (Reasons 6–7): earlier consumption and fridge information not provided; a non-compliant fridge.
• Apportioned costs in buildings of six units or fewer (Reasons 8–10): the total cost or percentage not disclosed; non-compliant fridges; no consent, no 30-day notice or an incorrect rent reduction.

Part 3, Remedies lists eight options:

1. a rent abatement;
2. repayment for work the tenant did;
3. permission for the tenant to do work at your expense;
4. an order that you do the work;
5. lower rent plus a rebate;
6. any other remedy;
7. termination of the tenancy;
8. an order that you resume paying the utility, with a new rent set.

Options 7 and 8 can be sought only with Reason 2, 3, 4 or 10.

Part 4 is the signature, followed by the payment page.

How the tenant files

The Portal does not take the T7. Tenants send it by mail or courier to the Board's Toronto address (15 Grosvenor Street), take it to a ServiceOntario location handling LTB filings, or email ltbpayments@ontario.ca and pay via a secure link valid for three calendar days. The fee is $53.

Responding as the landlord

Gather the paperwork. You will want:

• the tenant's signed LTB consent form;
• the information you provided before asking for consent;
• your notice giving 30 days or more;
• your installation notice (24 hours or more); and
• how you calculated the rent reduction.

In an apportioned building, add the disclosure you gave before the tenancy of the percentage share and the 12-month total.

Check the dates. Claims about consent, notice and disclosure are barred one year after the breach first happened; claims under the fridge and conservation rules are not time-limited.

Fridges. Know the manufacture date of every fridge you supplied. In an apportioned building, that means every fridge in the building.

Electric heat. For an electrically heated unit, be prepared to show that you met the additional s. 137(5) conditions.

Lease clauses. Section 137(18) voids any lease term by which the tenant agrees ahead of time to assume electricity costs, so it is no defence.

Disclose on time. Your evidence is due 7 days or more before the hearing, or 5 days or more if you are replying (Rules 19.1–19.2).

Where T7 claims fail

1. Too late. Once a year has passed from the first breach, consent, notice and disclosure claims are statute-barred.
2. The building is too big for an apportionment claim. Section 138 covers only buildings of six units or fewer.
3. Remedy 7 or 8 sought on the wrong reason. Termination and resumption of the utility attach only to Reason 2, 3, 4 or 10.
4. The complaint is really about the utility or the meter company, such as its own fees or deposits, rather than anything you did.
5. Wrong filing route or unpaid fee. The T7 must go in by mail, courier, ServiceOntario or email, and the fee must be paid.

After the hearing

Once the Board rules, a dissatisfied party has 15 days to request a review (orders dated July 1, 2026 or later) or 30 days to take a question of law to the Divisional Court (s. 210).

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch a tenant to paying their own hydro when the lease includes it?

Only if a meter or suite meter is in place, you gave the prescribed information first, the tenant consented in writing on the LTB form, you gave 30 days' written notice, and you reduced the rent properly (s. 137(3)–(4)). The tenant is free to refuse.

If a tenant does not pay apportioned utility charges, can I evict?

No. Section 138(3) rules out termination notices and arrears applications (N4, L1, L9) for unpaid shares of a utility.

What age limits apply to fridges?

A fridge you supply must have been made on or after January 1, 1994, and any replacement on or after December 31, 2002.

How long does a tenant have to bring a T7?

Usually one year from the first occurrence of the breach. Claims under the conservation and efficiency rules carry no time limit.

Official sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 137, 138, 207, 210
• O. Reg. 394/10, Suite Meters and Apportionment of Utility Costs
• T7 Instructions
• T7 – Tenant Application about Suite Meters (PDF)
• Tenant Agreement to Pay Directly for Electricity Costs (PDF)
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 19, 26
• LTB Forms, filing and fees