Most residential tenancies in Ontario are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), and every landlord application to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) is decided under it. Much of the detail that the Act describes as "prescribed" lives in its principal regulation, O. Reg. 516/06. What follows is a topic-by-topic map of the sections landlords reach for most often, each linked to the official consolidation. Use it to find the right provision quickly, then read the provision itself; the map is not a replacement for the text.
At a glance
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| The Act | Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17 |
| Principal regulation | O. Reg. 516/06 (General) |
| Other regulations | Standard lease: O. Reg. 9/18. Suite meters: O. Reg. 394/10. Maintenance standards: O. Reg. 517/06 |
| Consolidation in force | Since September 21, 2026; most recent amendment S.O. 2025, c. 14, Sched. 12 |
| Decision-maker | The LTB, with appeals on questions of law going to the Divisional Court |
| Procedural sources | The LTB Rules of Procedure, RTA Part XII and the Statutory Powers Procedure Act |
Part I: what the Act covers
- s. 3 makes the Act apply to rental units in residential complexes, overriding any other Act or any agreement that says otherwise.
- s. 4 voids any lease term inconsistent with the Act; contracting out is not possible.
- s. 5 lists the exemptions, among them housing where the occupant must share a kitchen or bathroom with an owner, or the owner's immediate family, living in the building.
- s. 6.1 exempts post-November 15, 2018 units (measured by first residential occupancy) from the guideline and connected rules; the rent increase guideline guide has more.
- s. 9 lets either side seek a ruling, on Form A1, about whether the Act applies.
Part II: the lease
- s. 12.1 requires the standard form of lease for prescribed tenancies, with the classes set out in O. Reg. 9/18.
- s. 14 and s. 15 void "no pets" clauses and acceleration clauses.
- s. 16 obliges a landlord claiming money for a breach to take reasonable steps to keep its losses down.
Parts III and IV: who must do what
The landlord's side.
- s. 20: maintain the complex in good repair and comply with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards.
- ss. 21 to 24: do not withhold vital services, interfere with reasonable enjoyment or harass, and do not change the locks without handing the tenant new keys.
- ss. 26 and 27: rules on entry. Entry on notice requires 24 or more hours' written notice that states why, which day, and a time from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- s. 29: the tenant applications a landlord ends up defending, such as the T2 and T6.
The tenant's side.
- ss. 33 and 34: the tenant must keep the unit ordinarily clean and repair undue damage they cause.
- s. 36.1: since July 1, 2026, where the landlord does not provide air conditioning, a tenant can install a portable or window unit, subject to conditions and to the landlord's power to forbid it in prescribed situations.
Part V: ending a tenancy
Ground rules
- ss. 37 and 39: tenancies end only as the Act allows. Short of the tenant leaving under a notice or an agreement, a landlord gets possession back only through an LTB order enforced by the sheriff.
- s. 38: a fixed term that is neither renewed nor terminated rolls into a month-to-month tenancy.
- s. 41: once an eviction has been enforced, the tenant's belongings must remain available to them for 72 hours, during the hours set by O. Reg. 516/06, s. 46 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).
- s. 43: every termination notice needs the approved form, a signature, the unit and the termination date, and a landlord's notice must add reasons and details.
- s. 44: the minimum notice for ending at the close of a period or a term.
- s. 46: a notice is void 30 days after its termination date if the tenant is still there and no application has been filed. Non-payment notices are excepted.
No-fault grounds
- ss. 48 and 48.1: the landlord's own use (N12), with one month's rent in compensation, subject to the 120-day exception from September 21, 2026 described further down.
- ss. 49 and 49.1: a purchaser's own use, limited to a condominium unit or a complex of three residential units or fewer.
- ss. 50, 52, 53 and 54: demolition, conversion, repairs and renovation (N13), together with compensation and the tenant's right of first refusal.
- ss. 57 and 57.1: a former tenant's T5 claim of bad faith, the bad-faith presumptions written into s. 57, and s. 57.1(1.1), which deems a landlord to have failed to honour a first-refusal right. This is where a landlord's exposure after the tenant has left is defined.
- s. 58: end-of-term grounds, persistent late payment (N8) among them. One definition of persistent lateness now comes from s. 8.1 of O. Reg. 516/06.
Fault grounds
- s. 59: unpaid rent (N4). The termination date must be 7 or more days after the notice is given, and payment before the landlord files voids the notice.
- ss. 60 to 68: damage, overcrowding, illegal acts, impaired safety, misrepresented income and interference with reasonable enjoyment, together with the second-notice rules (N5, N6, N7).
Going to the LTB
- s. 69: a landlord's eviction application rests on a notice of termination and, unless the ground is unpaid rent, must be filed no later than 30 days after the termination date.
- s. 70: no application may be filed while a remedy period is running.
- ss. 71.1 to 73.1: what own-use applications require: the affidavit, proof of compensation, and disclosure of earlier notices.
- s. 74: L1 mechanics, covering when you may file, how payment by the tenant voids the order, and the single motion to set aside once the order is enforceable.
- ss. 77 and 78: L3 and L4 applications, which proceed without a hearing, and the tenant's right to move to set aside the resulting orders.
- s. 81: unless filed with the sheriff, an eviction order lapses six months after it takes effect (more in the Enforcement Office guide).
- s. 82: what a tenant has to do before bringing up their own complaints in an arrears case.
- s. 83: when the Board may decline or postpone an eviction, and when it has no choice but to refuse.
- ss. 86 to 89: money claims (L1, L2, L9, L10) covering arrears, damage, unpaid utilities, interference, and compensation for use and occupation.
Part VII: rent
- ss. 105 and 106: a rent deposit is the only deposit permitted, capped at one month's (or one period's) rent and earning yearly interest at the guideline rate.
- ss. 108 and 109: post-dated cheques and automatic debits cannot be required, and receipts must be given free on request; their contents are set by O. Reg. 516/06, s. 9.
- ss. 116, 119 and 120: increases need written notice on the approved form 90 days ahead, may happen only once in 12 months, and are limited by the guideline, which itself cannot exceed 2.5%.
- s. 121: an agreed above-guideline increase (N10), no higher than the guideline plus 3%.
- s. 126: applications for an above-guideline increase (L5).
- s. 134: prohibited extra charges such as key money. The permitted charges appear in O. Reg. 516/06, s. 17, including an NSF administration charge of no more than $20.
- s. 136: rent, or an increase, becomes lawful by default if nobody challenges it within a year.
Parts XI and XII: how the Board works
- ss. 181, 181.1 and 182: fees, fee waivers for people on low incomes, and a refund of the review fee where the order is cancelled, suspended or varied; see LTB filing fees.
- ss. 183 and 184: the LTB must adopt the quickest method that is fair, with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act also governing.
- s. 185: an application has to be on the approved form and come with the required fee.
- s. 190: power to lengthen or shorten time, restricted by O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56 so that notice periods for ending a tenancy cannot be altered.
- s. 191: the permitted ways of giving notices and documents.
- s. 202: the Board decides on the real substance of a transaction.
- s. 206: settling arrears cases by agreement, which from July 1, 2026 requires the LTB's Payment Agreement form.
- s. 207: the Board may order payment up to $10,000 or the Small Claims Court's monetary limit, whichever is higher.
- ss. 209 and 210: orders are final. Where the order is dated July 1, 2026 or later, the review request is due within 15 days, and an appeal on a question of law lies to the Divisional Court within 30 days. For a landlord weighing whether a result can be challenged, these two sections set the outer limits.
- s. 212: substantial compliance with a form requirement is enough.
Part XVI: offences
Offences appear in ss. 233 to 238. They include illegal lockouts, cutting off vital services and serving a termination notice in bad faith. As of July 1, 2026, an individual faces a maximum fine of $100,000 and a corporation $500,000. Those fines are imposed by a court after prosecution and are distinct from the administrative fines the LTB can levy.
O. Reg. 516/06: the provisions that come up most
| Provision | Effect |
|---|---|
| s. 8.1 | Persistent late payment includes three or more occasions within any six months where rent was not paid within 7 days of falling due, disregarding payments the landlord applied to other amounts owing. Other facts can still qualify. |
| s. 8.2 | An L3 order can be set aside only where that would not be unfair, without regard to changes in the tenant's situation after the notice or agreement. |
| s. 8.3 | Sets the deadline for the s. 82 half-arrears payment: 7 days or more before the hearing. |
| s. 8.4 | Delaying an eviction over the landlord's objection requires compelling grounds and no unfairness; for ss. 48, 49 and 50 notices (the N12 and N13 grounds), only the "not unfair" test applies. |
| s. 9 | What a rent receipt must contain at a minimum. |
| s. 17 | Charges that escape the s. 134 ban, for example key costs and a $20 NSF administration charge. |
| s. 46 | An evicted tenant's property must be accessible from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| s. 56 | Time limits the LTB has no power to extend or shorten. |
| Part III | The rules governing L5 above-guideline applications. |
The 2026 amendments
Two statutes are behind the changes, which Tribunals Ontario has phased in over two dates: Schedule 7 of the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 (Bill 97) and Schedule 12 of the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 (Bill 60).
Stage one: July 1, 2026
- Review requests: 15 days for orders issued from July 1, 2026 (earlier orders keep 30 days) (s. 209(3)), with review grounds now prescribed by O. Reg. 178/26.
- Section 206 repayment agreements must use the LTB Payment Agreement form.
- Under s. 36.1, tenants may put in a portable or window air conditioner, and where electricity is in the rent, a seasonal rent increase may apply.
- Maximum fines for offences were doubled (s. 238).
Stage two: September 21, 2026
- N4: 7 days' notice instead of 14 for any N4 given from September 21, 2026 (s. 59).
- Half-arrears rule: on L1, L9 and L10 applications filed from that date, a tenant wishing to raise other issues must first pay the landlord directly half of the arrears claimed, a week or more ahead of the hearing (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8.3; ss. 82 and 87(2)).
- Persistent lateness now has a regulatory definition (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8.1).
- L3 set-asides and eviction delays face stricter tests under ss. 8.2 and 8.4 of the regulation.
- Own-use N12 compensation: none, and no alternative unit, where the notice is served from September 21, 2026, gives 120 or more days and ends when a period or term ends (s. 48.1(2)). Purchaser's-own-use notices do not benefit.
- Moving in after an N12: on a T5 filed from September 21, 2026, bad faith is presumed unless the landlord or relative moved in within 60 days, counted from the termination date or from the tenant's later move-out (O. Reg. 240/26; s. 57(6.1), (7)). It is a rebuttable presumption that does not reach purchaser's-own-use notices.
- N13 first refusal: a 60-day window to move back, new duties to notify in writing, and more time to file a T5.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I read the official RTA?
Ontario publishes the authoritative text on e-Laws: ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17. Its consolidation in force dates from September 21, 2026, so check that date on anything printed before relying on it.
Is a room rented in my own home covered?
Not where the occupant shares a bathroom or kitchen with you as owner, or with a parent, child or spouse of yours (or a spouse's parent or child) living in the building (s. 5, clause (i)). When in doubt, either party can bring an A1.
Can the lease contract out of the RTA?
No. Under s. 4 a conflicting term is void, and s. 3 applies the Act regardless of any contrary agreement.
How does the RTA differ from the LTB Rules?
The RTA is legislation. The LTB's own documents (Interpretation Guidelines, Practice Directions and the Rules of Procedure) address procedure and interpretation. Each has its own guide: Interpretation Guidelines and Rules of Procedure.