Ontario Form N7: Serious Safety or Property Problems
The official Ontario LTB notice, explained in everyday language: what it is for, how to fill it in, deadlines, service and next steps.
N7 is a serious, non-voidable termination notice for specific safety, wilful damage or other statutory grounds. It normally allows a termination date at least 10 days after valid service; receiving it does not itself mean eviction.
An N7 is a notice, not an LTB eviction order. The form and its instructions are controlled by Tribunals Ontario; this page explains the key steps but is not itself a fillable official form.
When N7 applies — four grounds
- Serious safety impairment: the tenant, occupant or guest seriously impaired someone’s safety in the complex.
- Wilful damage: property damage was deliberate, not just accidental or negligent. If wilfulness cannot be proved, the LTB directs landlords to consider N5 instead.
- Serious damage due to misuse: the unit or complex was used inconsistently with residential use and has caused, or is expected to cause, serious damage.
- Small, owner-occupied building: landlord lives in the same building, which has three or fewer residential units, and the tenant/guest/occupant substantially interfered with the landlord’s reasonable enjoyment or lawful rights.
How to fill in the notice
- Parties: put every tenant’s name, landlord’s name and the full address including unit number.
- Ground: mark the exact N7 reason. Describe each incident: who, what, when, where and effect. Add dated details rather than writing “unsafe behaviour” with no facts.
- Date: count at least 10 days after service. If handed over October 15, the earliest termination date is October 25. Add the relevant deemed-service time for mail or courier.
- Signature and copy: landlord/representative signs and dates it; give the tenant any attached detail sheets and keep a complete copy.
A landlord alleging deliberately smashed common-area windows would need evidence the damage was wilful, not simply proof that windows were damaged. Incident dates, repair records and witness statements can matter at an LTB hearing.
How to serve N7 and apply
Methods include personal delivery to the tenant or adult at the unit, mailbox, under-door delivery or approved mail/courier/fax. Do not tape it to the door.
- Landlord: the official instructions permit filing L2 after giving N7, with the notice and Certificate of Service. File no later than 30 days after the termination date.
- Tenant: unlike a first N5 there is no automatic seven-day cure that cancels an N7. But you may challenge the evidence and the chosen ground at the LTB hearing. The notice alone does not authorize lockout or removal.
N7’s official instructions available on the LTB site are an older PDF. The LTB still links to them; confirm you are using the current official notice itself.
Common mistake to avoid
Avoid using N7 for ordinary nuisance or negligent property damage that does not meet its stricter grounds; check whether N5 applies.