Eviction in Ontario is a legal process, not something a landlord can carry out on their own decision. It requires a valid written notice on the correct form, and if the tenant doesn’t leave voluntarily, an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board, enforced only by the Sheriff. Whether you’re a tenant who just received a notice, or a landlord, including a first-time landlord who just bought a rental property, trying to understand what the process actually requires, the mechanics are the same for everyone. This guide walks through the grounds, the notice periods, and the protections that apply on both sides. For everything else that comes with a Toronto real estate transaction, see our complete Toronto real estate guide, which touches on eviction and tenant notice rules briefly as part of buying or selling a tenanted property.
What legally ends a tenancy in Ontario
A landlord needs a specific, legally valid reason to end a tenancy, and Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act names each one on its own form. Non-payment of rent is the most common ground, using Form N4. Damage to the unit or serious interference with other tenants or the landlord uses Form N5. A landlord, a purchaser buying the property, or an eligible family member needing the unit for their own residence uses Form N12. Demolition, conversion to a non-residential use, or repairs and renovations extensive enough to require the unit be vacant uses Form N13. Each ground has its own form because each carries its own notice period and its own rules, and using the wrong form, or citing a reason the Act doesn’t actually recognize, is a common way an eviction application gets thrown out at the board.
None of these grounds let a landlord skip the process even when the reason is genuine. A landlord who has a real, urgent need to move into their own property still has to serve the correct notice, wait out the required period, and get a Board order if the tenant doesn’t leave voluntarily. There’s no emergency exception that lets a landlord act faster than the Act allows.
The eviction process, step by step
Ending a tenancy starts with the landlord serving written notice on the correct form for the actual ground being relied on. If the tenant disputes the notice, or simply doesn’t move out by the date on it, nothing else happens automatically. The landlord has to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board, which schedules a hearing and notifies both sides. At the hearing, either party can present their case, and the tenant can dispute the grounds, the notice’s validity, or raise their own issues about the tenancy.
If the Board issues an eviction order and the tenant still doesn’t leave, the landlord cannot enforce it themselves. Only the Sheriff can carry out an eviction in Ontario. A landlord who changes the locks, shuts off utilities, or removes a tenant’s belongings without a Sheriff-enforced order is committing an illegal lockout, which carries real financial penalties under the Act regardless of how clearly the landlord believes they were in the right. Once the Sheriff does enforce an order, the evicted tenant is entitled to 72 hours of safe access afterward to retrieve their remaining belongings, during which the landlord can’t sell, discard, or keep anything.
How long this whole sequence takes varies by the ground and by how backed up the Board is at the time. Independent trackers who follow the Board’s own reported scheduling times put non-payment applications at roughly 3 to 6 months to reach a hearing as of 2026, down from 8 to 10 months in early 2023, while applications based on personal use or tenant fault generally run longer, roughly 6 to 9 months. Tribunal Watch Ontario, an independent watchdog that reviews the Board’s own annual reports, has put the Board’s active case backlog at roughly 41,000 in 2026, down from a peak of roughly 53,000. None of these figures predict how long any specific case will take, since scheduling depends on the region, the ground, and how contested the hearing turns out to be.
How much notice a tenant is legally owed
The required notice period depends entirely on the ground. Non-payment of rent under Form N4 requires 14 days’ notice for a monthly tenancy, or 7 days for a weekly or daily one, and paying the full amount owed before that deadline stops the eviction process outright. Form N12, used when a landlord, a purchaser, or an eligible family member needs the unit, requires 60 days’ notice tied to the end of a rental period. Form N13, used for demolition, conversion, or major repairs requiring vacant possession, requires 120 days’ notice, and in some renovation cases the tenant has a right to move back into the unit once the work is finished.
These are minimums set by the Act, not suggestions a landlord can shorten based on their own timeline. A notice served with too little time on it, or missing required information, can be found invalid at a hearing regardless of how legitimate the underlying reason for ending the tenancy actually is.
What protects a tenant during this process
A tenant served with a notice isn’t required to simply accept it. They can dispute the application at the Board hearing, challenge whether the ground cited is genuine, and raise their own concerns about the tenancy at the same time. Nothing about receiving a notice, even one that’s correctly filled out, ends the tenancy on its own; only a Board order, or the tenant choosing to leave voluntarily, actually does that.
Throughout the entire process, a landlord cannot change the locks, cut off utilities, or remove a tenant’s belongings without a Sheriff enforcing an actual Board order. This holds even after a notice period has expired and even after the Board has issued an order but before the Sheriff has carried it out. An illegal lockout is a real offence under the Residential Tenancies Act, with financial penalties that apply regardless of whether the landlord had a valid underlying reason to want the tenant out.
When a landlord sells or moves in: the N12 rules
This scenario comes up often around a real estate transaction: a landlord sells a tenanted property and the buyer wants to move in themselves, or the landlord themselves wants to reclaim the unit. Both situations use Form N12, but they fall under different sections of the Act with different compensation rules. A landlord or an eligible family member reclaiming the unit under section 48 has to give at least 60 days’ notice tied to the end of a rental period, and, for any notice giving 60 to 119 days, has to pay the tenant compensation equal to one month’s rent, or offer another rental unit the tenant finds acceptable, before the termination date named on the notice. As of September 21, 2026, under Ontario’s Bill 60, that compensation isn’t owed at all where the landlord or family member gives at least 120 days’ notice under section 48. A purchaser taking vacant possession after a sale serves N12 under a separate section, section 49, and still owes the tenant one month’s compensation regardless of how much notice is given, per the Board’s own interpretation guideline on eviction for personal use. Paying compensation after the tenant has already moved out doesn’t satisfy the requirement, and the Board can dismiss the application entirely if compensation wasn’t provided on time.
Whoever moves in, whether that’s the landlord, the purchaser, or an eligible family member, has to actually occupy the unit for at least one year afterward. This requirement exists specifically to prevent an N12 from being used as a way around normal eviction rules when the real intention isn’t genuine occupancy. A seller or buyer relying on this ground should treat the notice, the timing, and the compensation as firm requirements, not formalities, since a mistake on any of them is exactly what gets an application dismissed at the Board.
Where to get real help
The Landlord and Tenant Board is the tribunal that actually hears these applications and issues orders, and its own published forms and guidelines are the primary reference for exactly what notice is required for a given ground. Tenants who can’t afford a lawyer or paralegal have access to community legal clinics, including tenant-specific ones such as the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, which provide free help to eligible tenants navigating a Board application or hearing. Landlords facing an unfamiliar process, especially a first-time landlord dealing with their first tenanted property, are often better served by a paralegal experienced specifically in landlord-tenant matters than by guessing at the forms alone.
Frequently asked questions
What are the legal grounds for eviction in Ontario?
Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act names specific grounds, each tied to its own notice form. Non-payment of rent uses Form N4. Damage to the unit or serious interference with other tenants or the landlord uses Form N5. A landlord, a purchaser, or an eligible family member needing the unit for their own residence uses Form N12. Demolition, conversion to a non-residential use, or major repairs and renovations requiring vacant possession use Form N13. A landlord can’t simply decide a tenancy is over and remove someone; the reason has to match one of these named grounds, and using the wrong form or citing a reason the Act doesn’t recognize is a common way an application gets dismissed at a hearing.
How long does the eviction process take in Ontario?
There’s no fixed timeline, since it depends on the ground and how backed up the Landlord and Tenant Board is at the time. Independent trackers following the Board’s own reported scheduling times put non-payment applications at roughly 3 to 6 months to reach a hearing as of 2026, an improvement from 8 to 10 months in early 2023, while applications based on personal use or tenant fault tend to run longer, roughly 6 to 9 months. An independent watchdog that reviews the Board’s own annual reports has put its active case backlog at roughly 41,000 in 2026. These are general ranges, not a prediction for any specific case, since a contested hearing, a dispute over the ground, or regional scheduling differences can all extend the timeline further.
How much notice does a landlord have to give before an eviction?
It depends on the ground. Non-payment of rent under Form N4 requires 14 days’ notice for a monthly tenancy, or 7 days for a weekly or daily one, and paying what’s owed before that deadline stops the process. Form N12, for a landlord’s, purchaser’s, or family member’s own use, requires at least 60 days tied to the end of a rental period. A landlord or family member reclaiming the unit under section 48 also owes the tenant compensation equal to one month’s rent, or another acceptable unit, before the termination date, unless the notice gives at least 120 days, an exemption from compensation that starts under Ontario’s Bill 60 on September 21, 2026; a purchaser taking vacant possession under section 49 still owes that one month’s compensation regardless of the notice length. Form N13, for demolition, conversion, or major repairs, requires 120 days. These are legal minimums the landlord can’t shorten, and a notice that falls short of the required period can be found invalid at a hearing regardless of how genuine the underlying reason is.
Can a landlord change the locks after an eviction order?
No, not without the Sheriff. Only the Sheriff can actually enforce an eviction order in Ontario, and a landlord who changes the locks, shuts off utilities, or removes a tenant’s belongings themselves, even after the Board has issued an order, is committing an illegal lockout. This carries real financial penalties under the Residential Tenancies Act regardless of how valid the underlying eviction order was. Once the Sheriff does carry out an eviction, the tenant is entitled to 72 hours of safe access afterward to retrieve any belongings left behind, and the landlord can’t sell, discard, or keep anything during that window.
What happens if a landlord sells a rental property with a tenant living in it?
If the new owner wants the unit for their own residence, they serve Form N12 as a purchaser under section 49, giving at least 60 days’ notice and paying the tenant compensation equal to one month’s rent, or another acceptable unit, before the termination date, regardless of how much notice they give. If it’s the current landlord, rather than the buyer, who wants to reclaim the unit, they serve N12 under section 48 instead, and as of September 21, 2026, owe no compensation if they give at least 120 days’ notice; anything less than 120 days still requires the one month’s compensation. Whoever ultimately moves in has to actually occupy the unit for at least one year afterward, a rule specifically meant to prevent this ground from being used when there’s no genuine intention to live there. A sale on its own doesn’t end a tenancy; the new owner takes over as landlord under the existing lease unless they follow this specific process to end it.
If you’re weighing buying or renting in Toronto, the rest of what a tenancy or a purchase involves is covered across our guide to rent prices in Toronto, our guide to Ontario’s annual rent increase guideline, and our step-by-step guide to renting an apartment in Toronto. Browse current Toronto rentals or explore the rest of our guides for more.