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.

A fixed-term lease ending doesn't automatically mean a tenant has to move out — and if you're a landlord expecting your unit back on a specific date, that surprise catches a lot of people off guard. Here's what "overholding" actually means under Ontario law, and what your real options are.

The Rule That Surprises Most Landlords

In Ontario, when a fixed-term lease ends and the tenant simply keeps paying rent and stays in the unit, the tenancy automatically converts to a month-to-month tenancy under the same terms — unless you and the tenant sign a new agreement, or the tenant gives proper notice to vacate. This is sometimes called overholding, and it is entirely legal on the tenant's part unless you've taken specific legal steps to end the tenancy.

The key point: a fixed-term lease ending is not, by itself, grounds for eviction. You cannot simply tell a tenant "your lease is up, please leave" and expect that to have legal force.

Why This Happens So Often

Many landlords assume a 12-month lease means the tenant must leave (or sign a renewal) at the 12-month mark. In reality, most standard Ontario leases are silent on this, and the Residential Tenancies Act fills the gap by defaulting to month-to-month continuation. If you want the unit back at lease-end for a specific reason, you need to plan for that well before the date arrives — not after.

Your Legitimate Options If You Want the Tenant to Leave

1. Personal use or sale (N12). If you, an immediate family member, or a purchaser genuinely intends to move into the unit, you can serve an N12 notice with the legally required notice period. This has strict good-faith requirements — the Landlord and Tenant Board has cracked down on landlords using N12 improperly, so this must reflect a genuine intended use, not a pretext to remove a tenant you simply want gone.

2. Renovation or demolition (N13). If you have a genuine, permitted need to renovate extensively or demolish the unit, an N13 notice applies — again with specific documentation requirements.

3. Negotiate a mutual end (N11). If the tenant is also open to leaving, a mutually signed N11 agreement is the cleanest, fastest path — often paired with a "cash for keys" arrangement to incentivize a smooth, fast move-out.

What You Cannot Do

• You cannot change the locks, remove the tenant's belongings, or shut off utilities to force a move-out — these are illegal "self-help" evictions and expose you to serious liability, including potential LTB penalties against you.

• You cannot simply refuse to accept rent to try to force the issue — refused rent doesn't end a tenancy, and can actually complicate your position at the LTB.

• You cannot treat a fixed-term lease's end date as automatically enforceable without a valid notice and, if contested, an LTB order.

If the Tenant Won't Leave Even After a Valid Notice

If you've served a valid, good-faith N12, N13, or other applicable notice and the tenant still won't leave, your next step is an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an eviction order. Given current LTB processing timelines, this is exactly the kind of process where patience and correct paperwork from day one matter enormously — an improperly filed notice can send you back to the start of the timeline.

How to Avoid This Situation Going Forward

• Decide your intentions before the lease term ends, not after — if you want the unit back at a specific date, start the notice process with enough lead time to meet the required notice period.

• Put your renewal intentions in writing early. If you're open to a month-to-month continuation, confirming that in writing avoids ambiguity later.

• Screen thoroughly at the start of the tenancy. Careful tenant screening reduces the odds you'll ever be in an adversarial overholding situation in the first place.

The Bottom Line

Overholding isn't a loophole tenants are exploiting — it's simply how Ontario's tenancy law defaults when a fixed-term lease ends without a new agreement or proper notice. If you want your unit back at a specific date, plan for it well ahead of time and use the correct legal notice, not an informal conversation.

Facing an overholding situation, or want help planning your next lease renewal properly? Contact our team for guidance specific to your property.

This article summarizes general Residential Tenancies Act principles and is not legal advice. Consult a paralegal or lawyer experienced in Ontario landlord-tenant law for guidance specific to your situation.

A vacant unit costs you a month's rent. A bad tenant can cost you a year of stress, unpaid rent, and a Landlord and Tenant Board application. Here's the complete screening process we use before recommending any tenant to a landlord.

Step 1: Set Your Criteria Before You Advertise

Decide your minimum income-to-rent ratio (commonly 3x monthly rent in gross income), acceptable credit range, and required documentation before your first showing — not after an application lands on your desk. Deciding criteria case-by-case as applications arrive is exactly how landlords end up making inconsistent, defensible-in-hindsight decisions.

Step 2: The Rental Application

Every applicant should complete a full application covering: full legal name, current and previous address, employment details, previous landlord contact information, and written consent for a credit check. This is your foundation document — everything else in the process verifies what's on it.

Step 3: The Credit Check

A credit report shows payment history and existing debt load — one of the strongest available predictors of on-time rent payment. This is exactly why our screening process centres on proper documentation rather than gut feel.

Step 4: Employment and Income Verification

Request recent pay stubs or a signed employment letter, and don't skip a quick verification call if anything looks inconsistent with what's on the application. Self-employed applicants should provide recent tax documents (T1 General or Notice of Assessment) or bank statements as an alternative.

Step 5: Previous Landlord References

A current landlord sometimes has an incentive to give a rosy reference just to move a problem tenant along — a previous, not current, landlord tends to give a far more honest picture of payment history and how the unit was cared for.

Step 6: A Real Conversation Before You Sign

A short meeting or video call reveals things paperwork doesn't — how someone communicates, whether their story matches their application, and basic rapport that matters over a full lease term. This is a genuinely useful filter, not a formality.

Step 7: Know What You Legally Cannot Ask

Ontario's Human Rights Code prohibits screening decisions based on protected grounds — including family status and source of income, which specifically means you cannot reject an applicant simply because their income comes from social assistance or a subsidy program. Build your criteria strictly around ability to pay and rental history, not personal characteristics.

How This Maps to Our 12-Step Process

Everything above reflects the core of the 12-Step Verification Process we run on every tenant we place — the additional steps cover documentation depth, insurance verification, and move-in coordination that go beyond the basics outlined here.

The Cost of Skipping Steps

We've seen landlords skip the previous-landlord reference call to save a day, or accept a pay stub without verifying employment, only to end up with a tenant who stops paying within three months. Given current LTB processing timelines, a problem tenant can now cost you significantly more time and money to resolve than it would have taken to screen properly in the first place.

The Bottom Line

Thorough screening isn't about being difficult with applicants — it's about protecting an asset that likely represents a meaningful share of your net worth. A rigorous, consistent process protects you legally and financially in equal measure.

Want us to run the full screening process and find you a qualified tenant? Contact our team — or see our full verification process for the complete picture.

Every year, the Ontario government sets a rent increase guideline that caps how much you can raise rent on an existing tenancy without applying to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an above-guideline increase. For 2026, that guideline is 2.1% — the lowest cap in four years, down from 2.5% in each of the previous three years. Here's exactly what that means, and how to implement it correctly.

The 2.1% Number, in Real Terms

The guideline is calculated by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing based on Ontario's Consumer Price Index over a set 12-month window, and is capped by law at a maximum of 2.5% regardless of how high actual inflation runs. At $2,000 a month, a 2.1% increase works out to $42, bringing rent to $2,042. At $2,500, the maximum increase is $52.50. Multiply your tenant's current rent by 1.021 to get the maximum new rent you can legally charge.

What the Guideline Actually Governs

The rent increase guideline applies to most existing residential tenancies in Ontario — it does not apply to a new tenancy with a new tenant, where you're free to set the opening rent at whatever the market supports. It's specifically the cap on how much you can raise rent for a tenant who's already in place.

Buildings first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline entirely under current provincial rules — a detail landlords with newer purpose-built or condo rentals should confirm applies to their specific property before assuming the cap applies.

How Often You Can Raise Rent

Even within the guideline, you can only increase rent:

• Once every 12 months, at minimum, from the tenant's last increase (or from the start of the tenancy).

• With proper written notice — a minimum of 90 days before the increase takes effect, using the correct form.

The Correct Way to Notify Your Tenant

Use Form N1: Notice of Rent Increase for a standard guideline increase, or Form N2 if the increase is tied to specific circumstances outlined by the Board. Both must be given at least 90 days before the new rent takes effect, and must clearly state the new rent amount and the date it starts.

If you've read our breakdown of N4, N8, N12, and N11 forms, you know Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board is precise about which form applies to which situation — a rent increase notice is no exception, and using the wrong form can invalidate the increase entirely.

What If You Want to Raise Rent Above the Guideline?

You can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI) in specific circumstances — most commonly for significant capital expenditures (major renovations, system replacements) or a significant increase in municipal taxes. This requires a formal application and supporting documentation, and given current LTB timelines, landlords should expect this process to take meaningfully longer than a standard guideline increase.

Common Mistakes Landlords Make

• Forgetting the 90-day notice window and trying to implement an increase too soon.

• Applying the guideline increase to a brand-new tenant's opening rent — unnecessary, since new tenancies aren't capped.

• Increasing rent more than once in a 12-month period, even by a small amount, which invalidates the notice.

• Assuming a post-2018 building is automatically exempt without confirming the exact first-occupancy date against provincial records.

Why Getting This Right Matters

An improperly issued rent increase can be challenged and reversed at the Landlord and Tenant Board, potentially forcing you to refund the difference and start the notice period over — costing you months of the increase you were trying to implement in the first place. Given how backed up LTB timelines currently are, avoiding a dispute in the first place is far more valuable than winning one after the fact.

The Bottom Line

The rent increase guideline is one of the more mechanical parts of being a landlord in Ontario, but the paperwork details — correct form, correct notice period, correct exemption checks — are exactly where landlords most often trip themselves up.

Not sure whether your property is exempt, or want help applying a rent increase correctly? Contact our team or check our rental forms library for the current notice templates.