How do I evict a tenant for not paying rent in Ontario?

Serve the N4 (Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent) first. If the tenant doesn't comply by the termination date, file the L1 (Application to Evict a Tenant for Non-payment of Rent and to Collect Rent the Tenant Owes) with the Landlord and Tenant Board.

The N4 termination date must be at least 14 days after the notice is given for monthly/yearly tenancies (7 days for daily/weekly). You may file the L1 the day after the termination date passes. Confirm the exact date on the N4 form.

1. Serve the tenant an N4 stating the exact rent owed and a termination date. Keep proof of how and when you served it. 2. Give the tenant the chance to void the notice: if they pay everything owing on or before the termination date, the N4 is cancelled and the tenancy continues. 3. If it is still unpaid after the termination date, file an L1 with the LTB (online via the Tribunals Ontario Portal, or by email) and pay the filing fee. 4. The LTB schedules a hearing. Prepare your evidence: the lease, a rent ledger showing every charge and payment, and proof you served the N4. 5. At the hearing, present what is owed. The tenant may raise issues (e.g. maintenance) that can affect the outcome. 6. If you succeed, the LTB issues an eviction/payment order. Only the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) can physically evict — you cannot.

Never change the locks, remove belongings, or shut off utilities — only the Sheriff can enforce an eviction. The tenant can pay to void the N4 up to the termination date, and can usually pay the full amount to cancel the eviction any time before the Sheriff enforces it.

No. Only the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) can enforce an eviction order. Changing the locks or removing a tenant yourself is an illegal lockout and can expose you to a tenant T2 application.