N4 Notice Ontario: Seven Days to Pay, the New 50% Rule and What to Do Now (2026 Guide)

If you are a landlord, an unpaid month of rent is stressful and expensive. If you are a tenant, an N4 can land on your door at the worst possible moment. Either way, the rules changed in the fall of 2026, and a lot of articles online (including older versions of this one) still describe the 14-day system. This guide explains the current rules in plain language, shows exactly how the seven days are counted, and walks both sides through what to do next.

What changed on September 21, 2026

Amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) from the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act (Bill 60) came into force on September 21, 2026, and the LTB updated its forms and procedures the same day. Two changes matter most for unpaid rent. You can read the Board’s own summary in its operational update.

Topic	Before September 21, 2026	From September 21, 2026
Minimum N4 notice period	14 days	7 days, for N4 notices given on or after Sept 21
Raising other issues at an arrears hearing	Written description of the issues given to the landlord and the LTB at least 7 days before the hearing	Same written description, plus the tenant must pay the landlord half of the arrears claimed at least 7 days before the hearing (applications filed on or after Sept 21)
The form	Previous N4	Updated N4 on the Tribunals Ontario website and Portal. Use the current version only.

A shorter notice period does not mean a landlord can get a tenant out in a week. It only shortens the first step. The L1 application, the hearing, the order and the enforcement still take time. For realistic timelines, see our guide on how long evictions take in Ontario.

What is an N4 notice?

The N4 (Notice to End your Tenancy for Non-payment of Rent) is the only notice a landlord can use to start an eviction for rent that is currently unpaid. A few points are worth knowing before you serve or respond to one:

• Rent only. The N4 can include rent owing under the lease. Late fees, NSF charges, utilities billed separately and damage claims do not belong on it.
• Any day after the due date. A landlord can serve an N4 the day after rent is missed. There is no waiting period before the notice itself.
• Any tenancy type. It applies to month-to-month and fixed-term tenancies, because non-payment is a breach that the termination date does not need to line up with the end of a term.
• Accuracy matters. The notice must name the right rental unit, state the correct termination date and show the rent owing for the correct periods. Errors can lead the LTB to dismiss the application.

If the problem is not unpaid rent but repeated lateness, a different notice applies. Read our guide to the N8 notice for persistent late rent. If the issue is damage or disturbance, see N5.

How the 7-day clock works

The termination date on the N4 must be at least 7 days after the tenant is considered to have received it. How the notice is delivered changes the date, so the delivery method is not a small detail. Hand delivery is treated as served that day. Mail is deemed served on the fifth day after it is mailed. Email counts only where the tenant has agreed in writing to receive notices that way.

Example: $1,850 rent due October 1, unpaid	Hand-delivered	Sent by regular mail
N4 given or mailed	Friday, October 2	Friday, October 2
Deemed served	October 2	October 7 (5th day after mailing)
Earliest termination date	October 9	October 14
Earliest L1 filing	October 10	October 15

Illustration only. Count carefully and confirm dates against the current RTA and the notice form before serving.

Landlords: serve in a way you can prove. Keep a witness, a signed acknowledgement or a signed Certificate of Service. Tenants: write down the date and method by which you actually received the notice, because the termination date can be wrong if the landlord ignored the deemed-service rules.

What a tenant should do after receiving an N4

Do not ignore it. The seven days go quickly, and what you do in them shapes everything that follows.

1. Check the notice. Confirm your name, the address, the amount, the rent period and the termination date. Compare the amount to your payment records.
2. Pay, if you can, before the termination date. Paying the full amount claimed in the notice before the termination date cancels the N4. Pay in a traceable way (e-transfer, certified cheque, receipt) and keep proof.
3. If the amount is wrong, say so in writing. Send the landlord your records and pay what you agree is owing so the arrears are as small as possible.
4. Talk to the landlord. A payment plan agreed in writing can avoid an application. Be careful: a verbal promise is hard to prove later.
5. Do not move out in a panic. You do not have to leave when the termination date arrives. The landlord must still apply to the LTB and obtain an order.
6. Get advice early. A paralegal can review the notice, check it for errors and prepare you for a hearing. Our tenant paralegal team helps tenants across the GTA.

What a landlord should do after serving an N4

7. Use the current N4 form. Older versions, or the 14-day timeline on an old form, invite a challenge.
8. Keep a clean rent ledger. The LTB will want to see dates, amounts and any partial payments. Do not mix late fees into the arrears figure.
9. Do not accept payments casually after the termination date. Some payments can affect your position. Take advice before accepting money or signing anything.
10. File the L1 promptly once the termination date has passed. Our guide to LTB L-forms explains which application to file and when.
11. Plan for the whole timeline. Between filing, the hearing date, the order and enforcement, an arrears case takes much longer than the notice period.
12. Think about collecting the debt as well. An eviction order ends the tenancy. A money judgment is how you recover arrears. See our collection services.

Our landlord paralegal service prepares N4 notices, files L1 applications and appears at the LTB on landlords’ behalf.

What happens after the termination date

If the rent is still unpaid on the termination date, the landlord may file an L1 application. The LTB then sends a notice of hearing to both sides. At the hearing, the member looks at whether the N4 was valid, how much is owing, and whether there is any reason to delay or refuse eviction.

• Tenant pays everything before the order is issued. A tenant can still pay the arrears, the LTB filing fee and rent due up to that point, and the application can end there.
• Payment plan. Where arrears can be cleared over a short, realistic period, the LTB may order a repayment schedule and put the eviction on conditions.
• Eviction order. If the tenant does not pay or does not attend, the LTB can order eviction and a money judgment. The order is not the end: only the Court Enforcement Office can physically enforce it. See what happens if a tenant does not move out.
• Delay requests. Tenants can ask for more time, but the 2026 amendments tightened what delay the LTB may grant. Ask a paralegal about current limits.

The new 50% rule explained

Many arrears hearings are not only about money. A tenant may want to raise a repair problem, harassment or another issue under the RTA as a defence or to ask for a rent reduction. Under the 2026 changes, for L1 applications filed on or after September 21, the tenant who wants to raise those issues must meet two conditions: give the landlord and the LTB a written description of the issues at least 7 days before the hearing, and pay the landlord half of the arrears the landlord is claiming, also at least 7 days before the hearing.

Worked example. The landlord claims three months of unpaid rent at $1,850, which is $5,550. To raise other issues at the hearing, the tenant must pay the landlord $2,775 at least seven days before the hearing, and deliver the written description of the issues by the same deadline. The tenant does not lose the right to dispute the arrears themselves. The rule governs whether additional issues get heard.

Two practical consequences: tenants with real maintenance complaints should still document them and give written notice early, and landlords should expect hearings to focus more tightly on the rent. If you are thinking about holding back rent because of a repair problem, read Can you withhold rent in Ontario? first. It is rarely the safe move.

N4 versus N8: which notice fits?

	N4	N8
Problem	Rent is unpaid right now	Rent keeps being paid late, even if it is paid eventually
Can the tenant cancel it by paying?	Yes, by paying the full amount before the termination date	No. The question is the pattern of lateness
Minimum notice	7 days (from Sept 21, 2026)	60 days, ending at the end of a term or period
Application	L1	L2
Best when	Rent is currently owing	The tenant has a documented history of late payments

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using an old N4 or counting 14 days out of habit.
• Adding late fees or other charges to the amount owing.
• Counting 7 days from the date of mailing without the five-day deemed-service rule.
• Serving a notice that is vague about the rental unit or the rent periods.
• Accepting partial payment without understanding the effect on the case.
• Tenants: treating the termination date as a move-out date, or skipping the hearing.
• Landlords: changing locks or removing belongings. Only the Court Enforcement Office can enforce an eviction order. See abandoned belongings for the rules that do apply.

When to bring in a paralegal

You can handle an N4 yourself, but the new deadlines leave less room for error. A licensed paralegal can check the notice before it is served, file the L1, prepare payment evidence, negotiate a payment plan and represent you at the hearing. Legal Edge Paralegal helps both landlords and tenants across Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and Markham. Learn more about the Landlord and Tenant Board or contact us for a consultation.

Frequently asked questions about the N4 notice

How many days does a tenant have to pay after an N4 in Ontario?

For N4 notices given on or after September 21, 2026, the termination date must be at least 7 days after the notice is served. Paying the full amount owing before that date cancels the notice.

Can a landlord evict me 7 days after an N4?

No. After the termination date the landlord must file an L1 application, wait for a hearing and get an LTB order. Only the Court Enforcement Office can enforce it.

Can a landlord include late fees on an N4?

No. An N4 is for rent owing. Late fees and other charges are not rent and should not be added to the amount.

Can I stop the eviction after the L1 is filed?

Often yes. A tenant can pay the arrears, filing fee and any rent that has come due before the LTB issues an order, and the LTB may also order a payment plan.

What is the 50% rule?

For L1 applications filed on or after September 21, 2026, a tenant who wants to raise other issues at the hearing must pay the landlord half of the claimed arrears at least 7 days before the hearing, along with giving the required written description of the issues.

What if my rent is paid late but not missing?

An N4 is for unpaid rent. A pattern of late payment is dealt with by an N8 notice, which works differently.

Do I need a paralegal for an N4?

It is not required, but the notice must be exact and the deadlines are short. A paralegal can review the notice, prepare the L1 and represent you at the LTB.

Need help with an N4 notice?

Whether you have just served an N4 or just received one, speak to a licensed paralegal before the seven days run out. Call Legal Edge Paralegal at 416-371-5365, email info@legaledgeinc.com or book a consultation. Also see our frequently asked questions and other blogs.