The N4 is the notice landlords use most often — and, because of how frequently it's used, it's also where small procedural mistakes most often derail an otherwise legitimate case at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Here's how to get it right.

What an N4 Actually Is

An N4 (Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent) is the formal notice a landlord serves when a tenant hasn't paid rent in full. It's the required first step before you can apply to the LTB for an eviction order based on non-payment — you cannot skip straight to an LTB application without first serving a valid N4.

Step 1: Confirm the Rent Is Actually in Arrears

Before serving an N4, confirm the exact amount owing and the exact date it became due. Partial payments complicate this — if a tenant has paid part of the rent, your N4 needs to reflect the actual outstanding balance, not the full rent amount, or it risks being challenged as inaccurate.

Step 2: Complete the Form Accurately

The N4 requires specific, accurate information: the tenant's name, the rental unit address, the exact amount owing, the date range it covers, and the termination date. Using an outdated version of the form, or making an error in the amount owing, is one of the most common reasons an N4 gets challenged successfully at a hearing.

Step 3: Understand the Notice Period

As of writing, the standard N4 termination period is 14 days from the date of service for most tenancies — but this is scheduled to change to 7 days for N4 notices served on or after September 21, 2026, under recent amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. Confirm which timeline applies based on your actual service date, not the date the rent became overdue — this distinction matters and is easy to get wrong during the transition period.

Step 4: Serve the Notice Properly

Proper service matters as much as proper content. Acceptable methods generally include handing it directly to the tenant, leaving it in the mailbox or mail slot, sliding it under the door, or mailing it — each method has specific rules about when service is considered "deemed" to have occurred, which affects your calculation of the termination date. Keep clear records of how and when you served the notice.

Step 5: What Happens If the Tenant Pays

If the tenant pays the full amount owing before the termination date on the notice, the N4 is void — you cannot proceed with an eviction application based on that notice. This is a common misconception: an N4 isn't a permanent black mark once served; full payment during the notice period resolves it.

Step 6: If the Termination Date Passes Without Payment

Once the termination date passes and the tenant hasn't paid or moved out, you can file an application with the LTB (an L1 application) to formally request an eviction order and, if applicable, an order for the arrears owed. This is a separate step from serving the N4 — the notice alone doesn't end the tenancy.

Common Mistakes That Get N4 Applications Challenged

• Using an outdated form version. Always confirm you're using the current LTB-approved N4 form.

• Miscalculating the amount owing, especially where partial payments were made.

• Incorrect termination date calculation, particularly during the transition period around the September 21, 2026 notice period change.

• Poor documentation of service, leaving you unable to prove when and how the tenant actually received the notice if it's challenged.

Why Getting This Right Matters

An N4 that gets challenged successfully at a hearing doesn't just delay your case — it can mean starting the entire notice process over, adding weeks or months to an already lengthy LTB timeline. Getting the form, the math, and the service right the first time is significantly faster than fixing it after a failed hearing.

The Bottom Line

The N4 looks simple on its face, but the details — accurate arrears calculation, correct notice period, proper service, and careful documentation — are exactly where cases most often go wrong. Treating this as a routine form rather than a legal document that needs to be right the first time is a mistake that costs landlords real time and money.

Want help making sure your N4 process is airtight before you serve one? Contact our team — we help GTA landlords get this right from the start.

This article summarizes general Residential Tenancies Act principles and is not legal advice. Consult a paralegal or lawyer for guidance specific to your situation.

Declining an applicant for the wrong reason — even unintentionally — can expose you to a human rights complaint. Here's exactly what Ontario's Human Rights Code allows you to consider, and what it explicitly doesn't.

The Full List of Protected Grounds

Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, you cannot refuse a rental applicant based on: race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed (religion), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or receipt of public assistance (source of income). This protection also extends to someone facing discrimination because they're a friend or relative of a person identified by one of these grounds.

What This Means in Practice

You cannot refuse a family with children. Under the "family status" ground, denying housing because an applicant has children is discrimination — adult-only buildings aren't permitted in Ontario except for specific exemptions like subsidized seniors' housing.

You cannot refuse someone because their income comes from social assistance. "Receipt of public assistance" is a protected ground — you can still assess whether their total income supports the rent, but you cannot reject an applicant simply because of where that income comes from.

You cannot apply different standards to different applicants. If you require a guarantor, you must require one under the same conditions for every applicant — not just for applicants identified by a Code ground, such as recent immigrants or people receiving social assistance.

What You're Allowed to Ask and Consider

Ontario's Regulation 290/98 under the Human Rights Code permits landlords to request:

• Income information — but only if you also request credit references, rental history, and a credit check from every applicant, and you must consider all of this information together, not income alone.

• Credit checks and credit references.

• Rental history, including previous landlord references.

• A guarantor, applied consistently to every applicant under the same criteria.

The key principle: these tools must be used in a genuine, consistent, non-discriminatory way — not selectively applied to screen out applicants based on a Code ground.

What "Genuine and Non-Discriminatory" Actually Means

If your income, credit, or reference criteria end up creating a systemic barrier for people identified by a Code ground, you may be required to show the criteria is a genuine business requirement — one that couldn't reasonably be applied in a more accommodating way. Applying your criteria inconsistently between applicants (different rent for different people, requiring a deposit from some but not others, requesting "direct payment" only from certain applicants) can itself be evidence of discrimination.

What About Criminal Record Checks?

There's no law preventing a landlord from asking about a criminal record, but the Ontario Human Rights Commission recommends against it — a criminal record unrelated to the tenancy generally shouldn't be grounds for refusal, and using it as a screening factor carries real discrimination risk depending on how it's applied.

What Legitimate Reasons to Decline Actually Look Like

• Income that genuinely doesn't support the rent, based on a consistent standard applied to every applicant.

• A poor credit history or concerning references, evaluated consistently across all applicants.

• A previous landlord reference indicating genuine tenancy issues (property damage, consistent late payment), not vague or unsubstantiated concerns.

Documentation Is Your Best Protection

If you decline an applicant, keep a clear record of the specific, legitimate reason — tied to income, credit, or references, applied consistently with how you evaluate every applicant. If a declined applicant later claims discrimination, your ability to show a documented, consistent, non-discriminatory reason is your primary defence.

The Bottom Line

Ontario's Human Rights Code gives landlords real, legitimate tools to screen applicants — income verification, credit checks, references — but requires those tools be applied consistently and never used as a proxy to screen out someone based on a protected ground. Getting this right protects both your business and the applicants you're evaluating.

Want help building a screening and decline process that's both thorough and compliant? Our 12-step verification process is built with exactly this consistency in mind — contact our team to learn more.

This article summarizes general Ontario Human Rights Code principles and is not legal advice. Consult a paralegal or lawyer for guidance specific to your situation.