Ontario Form L1: Eviction for Unpaid Rent
Plain-English instructions: when to use this form, how to fill it in, important deadlines and what happens next.
Form L1 asks the Landlord and Tenant Board to evict a current tenant for unpaid rent and order payment of rent owing. You must first serve a valid N4, wait until after the N4 termination date, and confirm the tenant still occupies the unit.
Use this guide to fill out the official form. You still need to send it to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Use L1 only for the N4 unpaid-rent route
L1 combines a request to terminate the tenancy with a claim for unpaid rent. If you only want a rent-payment order without eviction, consider L9. If the tenant has already moved out, look at L10 instead. For N4 notices given on or after September 21, 2026, the ordinary minimum notice period is seven days; the actual N4 must still be validly served and dated.
Complete L1 in the right order
- Part 1: enter the complete rental-unit address, including suite number.
- Part 3: list every landlord and tenant, with additional-party sheets if needed.
- Part 4: confirm the tenant still lives there, rental frequency, and any last-month’s-rent deposit.
- Part 5: list rent charged, payments made, and rent still owing for each rental period. Add qualifying NSF charges separately—never count a returned cheque twice.
- Part 6: add rent arrears, valid NSF charges and filing fee, then copy this total into Part 2 with the filing date.
- Part 7: sign and date the application.
Assume $1,200 rent was due and the tenant paid $500. Arrears are $700. If no other rent or fees are owing, adding the $186 portal filing fee produces an illustrative L1 total of $886. The application may be filed only after the valid N4 end date, while the tenant is still there.
What must you file?
Include the completed L1, a copy of the N4, the Certificate of Service showing how and when N4 was given, and the application fee or accepted waiver. The official instructions warn that missing required items can lead to refusal.
What happens next?
File through the Tribunals Ontario Portal or an accepted alternate method. The Board—not the landlord—decides whether an eviction or money order is justified. Paying the amount required to void the N4 before L1 filing prevents filing on that N4. Tenants may have other defences and hearing rights, including updated September 2026 procedural requirements.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not file L1 before the N4 termination date has passed, or after the tenant has moved out. A notice alone never authorizes changing locks.
Related Ontario resources
Official sources
Official sources
- Tribunals Ontario — official Form L1 PDF
- Tribunals Ontario — Form L1 instructions
- LTB — application and hearing process
- Tribunals Ontario — filing methods and fees
- Ontario — Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
Key form instructions and fees checked October 13, 2026. General legal information only; deadlines, filing requirements and exceptions depend on the facts.