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Ontario's rental rules shifted in 2026, and two points in our January RTA Cheat Sheet now have a newer option or an extra step. Most changes come from Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, passed on November 24, 2025, alongside earlier amendments from Bill 97. Their stated aim is to cut delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

The cheat sheet is still a good starting point. Use this post alongside it for what's new.

1. N12 (personal use): a new way to avoid compensation

Since September 21, 2026, landlords using an N12 have two routes instead of one.

If you know months ahead that you or a family member will need the unit, planning for 120 days saves a full month's rent.

What hasn't changed: the move-in must still be genuine. The LTB can impose serious penalties if it finds an N12 was served in bad faith.

2. Unpaid rent: faster notices and fewer delays at hearings

The unpaid rent process is now faster at three points.

• N4 notice period: for N4s served on or after September 21, 2026, the tenant has 7 days to pay, down from 14, before you can apply to the LTB.

• Issues raised at the hearing: a tenant who wants to raise complaints about the landlord, such as repairs, at a non-payment hearing must first pay 50% of the rent owed, at least 7 days before the hearing.

• Reviews of LTB decisions: since July 1, 2026, a party has 15 days to request a review of an LTB decision, down from 30.

The new rules make a correct N4 even more important. Serving it with the wrong amount or the wrong termination date can still send you back to the start. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our N4 guide.

3. N13 (renovations): Toronto now requires a licence

In Toronto, serving an N13 is no longer enough on its own. Since July 31, 2025, landlords need a City of Toronto Rental Renovation Licence for any repairs or renovations that require the tenant to move out, even if the tenant plans to return.

1. Apply within 7 days of serving the N13. Include the building permit, a copy of the N13, the application fee, and a report from a qualified person confirming the unit must be vacant.

2. The City notifies your tenant. Once your application is complete, the City issues a Tenant Information Notice.

3. Support the tenant during the work. Either arrange temporary accommodation, pay monthly rent-gap payments if the tenant is returning, or pay compensation if the tenant chooses not to return.

The licence is required for each unit, and it doesn't apply to demolitions. Fines under the bylaw can be significant, so build this step into any renovation plan from the start. Details are on the City of Toronto's Rental Renovation Licence page.

4. Rent increases: the 2027 guideline is 1.9%

The rules in our cheat sheet still apply: wait at least 12 months, give 90 days' written notice on an N1 or N2, and note that units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the cap. What's new is the number.

The guideline applies to the date the increase takes effect. An increase taking effect in 2027 is capped at 1.9%, even if you serve the notice in 2026. Landlords can apply to the LTB for an above-guideline increase in some cases, such as major capital repairs.

5. Air conditioning: tenants can install their own

Since July 1, 2026, a tenant can install a window or portable air conditioner if the landlord doesn't provide A/C. This affects the lease terms covered in Section 1 of our cheat sheet: a "no air conditioning" clause no longer holds up.

• The tenant must give you written notice first, and the unit has to be installed safely and securely.

• If electricity is included in the rent, you can charge a seasonal increase to cover the extra cost. It can't exceed the actual or reasonably estimated cost, and it has to come off when the unit isn't in use.

• This seasonal charge doesn't follow the normal rent increase rules. It doesn't need the 12-month wait, 90 days' notice, or LTB approval.

If you own a unit without central air, set clear written expectations for safe installation now, before requests start coming in.

What hasn't changed

The rest of our cheat sheet still stands.

• The Ontario Standard Lease is still required for almost all private residential tenancies.

• Entry rules still require 24 hours' written notice, with entry between 8 AM and 8 PM, except in an emergency.

• Maintenance is still the landlord's responsibility, whatever the tenant agrees to.

• Leases still convert to month-to-month when a fixed term ends. Early drafts of Bill 60 floated ending this, but that proposal was dropped from the final law.

Stay ahead of the changes

The new rules reward landlords who plan ahead and get their paperwork right the first time. Whether you need help placing a reliable tenant or want full-service property management, contact our team and we'll help you rent with confidence.

Disclaimer: This post summarizes changes to Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act and Toronto bylaws as of October 2026, for information only. It is not legal advice. Some provisions may be subject to further regulation. For your specific situation, consult a licensed paralegal or lawyer.

Ontario's rental dispute system just became meaningfully more transparent. As of July 24, 2026, the Landlord and Tenant Board began publishing final orders through the Ontario Open Data Catalogue — a genuine shift in how landlords, tenants, and investors can access information about how the Board actually rules.

What Actually Changed

Starting with orders issued between January and May 2026, the LTB is now posting final decisions publicly through Ontario's Open Data Catalogue. This is a meaningful departure from how LTB outcomes have historically been accessed — previously limited largely to the parties directly involved in a given case, plus whatever made it into legal databases or media coverage of high-profile disputes.

This rollout follows a separate July 1, 2026 wave of procedural changes stemming from Bill 60 (the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act) and Bill 97 (the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act), with additional changes still scheduled for September 2026.

Why This Matters for Landlords

You can now research how the Board actually rules on situations like yours. Rather than relying entirely on a paralegal's general experience or secondhand accounts, landlords preparing for a hearing can look at real, decided cases with similar fact patterns — a genuinely useful research tool ahead of filing an application or preparing a defence.

Your own case outcomes become part of a public record. This cuts both ways — a landlord who follows proper process and wins a well-documented case now has that outcome contributing to a visible public record, while a poorly handled application (an improperly served notice, for instance) is similarly visible.

It raises the bar on getting notices and applications right the first time. With more scrutiny possible on how similar cases have been decided, the cost of an avoidable procedural mistake — like the kind we've covered in our breakdown of N4, N8, N12, and N13 forms — is arguably higher now than when outcomes were harder to research and compare.

Why This Matters for Tenants

Tenants gain the same research advantage landlords do — the ability to look at how the Board has actually ruled on situations resembling their own, rather than relying solely on secondhand advice. This is likely to make tenants somewhat better informed going into hearings, which landlords should factor into how thoroughly they prepare.

What This Means for the Broader Rental Market

More visibility into LTB outcomes could gradually influence behaviour on both sides — landlords may become more careful about notice accuracy and documentation, and tenants may have a clearer sense of realistic outcomes rather than relying on rumour or worst-case assumptions. Over time, that kind of transparency tends to reduce the number of disputes that end up needing a full hearing in the first place, since both sides can better predict how a case is likely to go.

What Landlords Should Do Now

• Review your current notice and documentation templates against what's now become a more visible standard of what the Board considers properly executed.

• Don't assume old habits are safe just because they worked before. With the added scrutiny that public data can bring over time, this is a reasonable moment to double-check your process against current LTB requirements rather than relying on how things worked a few years ago.

• Keep thorough records on every tenancy. Public outcome data raises the general bar on documentation quality across the board.

The Bottom Line

This isn't a change to the rules landlords and tenants operate under — it's a change to how visible the outcomes of those rules become. For landlords who already run a tight, well-documented process, this is a low-risk shift. For anyone cutting corners on notices or documentation, the case for tightening up just got a bit stronger.

Want to make sure your tenant screening and documentation process holds up to this kind of scrutiny? Our 12-step verification process is built with exactly this level of diligence in mind — contact our team to learn more.

This article summarizes general Tribunals Ontario policy and is not legal advice. Consult a paralegal or lawyer for guidance specific to your situation.