Ontario Rental Rules in 2026: On 21 September, a Tenant Behind on Rent Loses Half the Time to Fix It
Two waves of change this year, a guideline deadline on 3 October, and the fines behind all of it have doubled.
The dates that matter
1 July 2026 — already in force. Maximum fines under the Residential Tenancies Act doubled to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation. The window to ask the Landlord and Tenant Board to review an order fell from 30 days to 15. Tenants gained a statutory right to install a window or portable air conditioner on written notice.
21 September 2026 — the N4 for non-payment drops from 14 days to 7. A tenant behind on rent now has one week to pay it, not two. On the same date, the month of compensation owed on a personal-use eviction can be waived if the landlord gives 120 days’ notice or more.
3 October 2026 — the deadline nobody circles. The 2027 guideline is 1.9%. A rent increase needs 90 days’ written notice, so an N1 for 1 January 2027 has to be served by that day.
Every date on one page
Checked 17 September 2026. This page is kept current — the note at the end says what is still unproclaimed.
| Date | What happens | Who it hits hardest |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2026 | Maximum RTA fines double to $100,000 / $500,000 | Landlords taking shortcuts |
| 1 July 2026 | LTB order review window: 30 days → 15 days | Whoever lost the hearing |
| 1 July 2026 | AGI documents served in 7 days, certificate filed within 5 | Landlords filing above-guideline increases |
| 1 July 2026 | Repayment plans must use the LTB Payment Agreement Form | Both sides settling arrears |
| 1 July 2026 | Tenants may install a window or portable A/C on written notice | Tenants in buildings without cooling |
| 21 September 2026 | N4 termination period: 14 days → 7 days | Tenants behind on rent |
| 21 September 2026 | N12/N13 compensation waived with 120+ days’ notice | Tenants facing personal-use evictions |
| 21 September 2026 | Fixed-term leases stop auto-converting to month-to-month | Tenants at the end of a term |
| 3 October 2026 | Last day to serve an N1 for a 1 January 2027 increase | Landlords who want the increase in January |
The N4 change is the one to understand
An N4 is the notice a landlord serves when rent has not been paid. It is not an eviction — it is a deadline. Pay the arrears in full by the termination date and the notice is void, the tenancy continues, and nothing further happens.
Until 21 September that deadline is 14 days. From 21 September it is 7.
For anyone paid monthly or biweekly, that is the difference between catching a pay cheque inside the window and not. Half the rent arrears cases in this province are a timing problem rather than an affordability problem, and the timing just got half as forgiving.
Two practical consequences. For tenants: the day an N4 arrives, work out exactly what is owed and whether it can be paid within seven days — and if it cannot, get advice immediately rather than after the date passes, because once it does the landlord may apply to the Board. For landlords: an N4 served before 21 September must still carry the 14-day date. A seven-day N4 served early is void, and you start again.
The 2027 guideline, and the 3 October deadline
The rent increase guideline for 2027 is 1.9 per cent, announced on 23 June 2026. It covers increases taking effect between 1 January and 31 December 2027, and it is down from 2.1 per cent in 2026. The figure comes from the Ontario Consumer Price Index.
A rent increase requires 90 days’ written notice on Form N1, and rent may only rise once in any twelve-month period. Counting back 90 days from 1 January 2027 lands on 3 October 2026. A landlord who serves on 4 October has not lost the increase — they have moved it later into the year.
The exemption is the part tenants most often do not know. The guideline applies to units first occupied as rentals on or before 15 November 2018. A newer unit is exempt, which means no percentage cap. The 90 days’ notice and the once-in-twelve-months rule still apply — but the number on the notice is not limited to 1.9 per cent.
So the first question on receiving an N1 is not “is 1.9 per cent correct”. It is “when was this unit first rented”, because that determines whether the guideline applies at all.
What already changed on 1 July
What changes on 21 September
Three things, and one of them is genuinely unsettled.
On that last point, be careful with what you read. Sources disagree on how far the change goes: some describe the automatic conversion ending outright, while others report that the government stepped back from a broader proposal. What is consistent across them, and worth holding onto, is that a landlord cannot evict a tenant merely because a fixed term has ended. Ending a tenancy still requires a ground and a notice.
If your term ends soon, this is the moment to check the Landlord and Tenant Board’s current guidance or speak to a community legal clinic rather than act on a summary — including this one.
Renovation evictions now need a licence in some cities
This is municipal rather than provincial, and it is the strongest new constraint on renovictions in Ontario.
Toronto. Under the Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw, in force since 31 July 2025, a landlord who serves an N13 must apply for a licence within seven days. The application requires approved building permits, proof that vacant possession is genuinely needed, and either temporary housing or rent-gap compensation plus a moving allowance for the tenant. Missing the seven-day deadline carries a fine.
Hamilton. A comparable bylaw requires a building permit and an engineer’s report confirming the unit will be uninhabitable during the work, alongside a licence fee, with penalties calculated per unit per day for non-compliance.
The effect in both cities is the same: a renovation that genuinely requires the unit empty can be documented, and one that does not is much harder to dress up. A tenant who receives an N13 in Toronto now has a second question to ask — not only whether the work is real, but whether the licence application was filed.
If a notice turns out to be in bad faith
An N12 requires the landlord, purchaser or a close family member to genuinely intend to live in the unit — and to do so for at least a year. When that does not happen, there is a route.
What is announced but not yet law
Three further items have been legislated without a proclamation date: a threshold on the arrears a tenant must be within to raise counter-claims at a non-payment hearing, mandatory pre-hearing evidence disclosure, and a regulatory definition of persistently late rent.
Until they are proclaimed, existing Board procedure applies to all three. It is worth saying plainly because the internet is full of pages describing them as though they were in force. They are not, as of 17 September 2026.
What to do this week
If you rent:
If you rent property out:
Where to go from here
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and a tenancy turns on its own facts. The Landlord and Tenant Board decides these disputes; community legal clinics advise tenants free of charge; the Human Rights Legal Support Centre handles discrimination in housing.
New to renting in Ontario? Our guide to a first rental covers what a landlord may lawfully charge at signing and why no credit history is not bad credit. The pest control guide covers who pays when something is living in the unit, and your cancellation rights cover contracts signed at the door.
Looking after a property? Compare home services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact businesses directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone.
Frequently asked questions
1.9 per cent, announced on 23 June 2026 and applying to increases that take effect between 1 January and 31 December 2027. The 2026 guideline was 2.1 per cent. The guideline is set from the Ontario Consumer Price Index.
By 3 October 2026, because a rent increase requires 90 days’ written notice. Miss that date and the increase moves later in the year — the guideline does not change, but the start date does.
No. It generally applies to units first occupied as rentals on or before 15 November 2018. Newer units are exempt from the guideline, which means there is no percentage cap on the increase — although the 90 days’ written notice and the once-in-twelve-months rule still apply.
Five things. The deadline to request a review of an LTB order dropped from 30 days to 15. Documents supporting an above-guideline increase must be served within 7 days with a certificate of service filed within 5. Repayment plans filed with the Board must use its official Payment Agreement Form. Tenants gained a statutory right to install a window or portable air conditioner on written notice. And maximum fines for offences under the Act doubled.
The N4 termination period for non-payment drops from 14 days to 7. The one month of compensation on an N12 or N13 personal-use or renovation eviction can be waived where the landlord gives 120 days’ notice or more. And fixed-term leases stop automatically converting to month-to-month at the end of the term — although a landlord still cannot evict a tenant simply because a term has ended.
Since 1 July 2026, up to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation — double the previous maximums. Separately, the Landlord and Tenant Board may impose an administrative fine of up to $50,000 on a landlord.
In Toronto, a landlord who serves an N13 must also apply for a Rental Renovation Licence within seven days, with approved building permits, proof that vacant possession is genuinely required, and either temporary housing or rent-gap compensation plus a moving allowance for the tenant. Hamilton has a comparable bylaw with its own fee and engineer’s report requirement.
Sources and how current this is
Last checked 17 September 2026. This page is maintained rather than archived — rental rules in Ontario changed twice this year and will change again. The 2027 rent increase guideline of 1.9 per cent was announced on 23 June 2026 by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; the 2026 guideline was 2.1 per cent. The July and September 2026 amendments come from Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, and Bill 97, the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, with the two-stage rollout confirmed in a Tribunals Ontario operational update dated 30 June 2026. Compensation and administrative fines on bad-faith notices are set out in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and applied by the Landlord and Tenant Board. Toronto’s Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw has been in force since 31 July 2025; Hamilton operates a separate renovation licence bylaw. On the end of automatic month-to-month conversion, published accounts differ on how far the change goes, and this page says so rather than picking one — check the Board’s current guidance before acting. Nothing here is legal advice; for your own situation contact the Landlord and Tenant Board, a community legal clinic, or a licensed paralegal or lawyer. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not manage, rent or let property.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.