Ontario's New Landlord and Tenant Rules: What Changed on September 21, 2026

 

If you're a landlord, tenant, or investor here in Vaughan and York Region, there's a good chance these changes will touch you at some point. On September 21, 2026, a set of amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 took effect, updating how the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) handles some of the most common notices landlords file and the most common disputes tenants raise. The changes come from two pieces of legislation, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act (Bill 60) and the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 (Bill 97), and they're outlined in detail in the LTB's official operational update.

Below is a plain-English breakdown of what actually changed, organized by notice type.

N12 Notices: When a Landlord, Purchaser, or Family Member Needs the Unit

The N12 is the notice a landlord uses to end a tenancy because they, a purchaser, or a qualifying family member intends to move into the unit. Two things changed here.

Compensation is no longer automatic with 120+ days' notice. If a landlord gives at least 120 days' notice, they're no longer required to pay the tenant compensation or offer them another acceptable unit. Give less than 120 days, and the existing compensation rules still apply. Importantly, this change does not apply to N12 notices served for a purchaser's own use — those still follow the old compensation rules.

There's now a real occupancy deadline. The landlord, or the family member/caregiver named on the notice, must normally move in within 60 days of the date specified on the N12. If they don't, it's presumed the notice was given in bad faith if the tenant files a T5 Application, though the landlord gets a chance to rebut that presumption at the hearing. Like the compensation change, this doesn't apply to purchaser's-own-use N12s.

Full detail: Interpretation Guideline 12 — Eviction for Personal Use, Demolition, Repairs and Conversion

N13 Notices: Demolition, Repairs, and Renovations

The N13 covers evictions for demolishing, repairing, or converting a rental unit. If a landlord files one for renovations or repairs, the tenant has always had the right to move back in once the work is done, at a rent no higher than what they'd otherwise have been charged. What's new is how that right is enforced.

If a tenant gives written notice on or after September 21, 2026 that they intend to move back in, the landlord must now: tell the tenant, without delay, the estimated completion date for the work; update them if that date changes; confirm in writing once the unit is ready; and give the tenant 60 days' notice to reoccupy.

The deadline to dispute a denied right of first refusal is longer. Tenants filing a T5 Application over this now have until two years after the date they moved out, or six months after the renovations are finished — whichever date is later. And if a landlord doesn't provide the required completion information or the 60 days' notice, it's now presumed the landlord failed to honour the tenant's right of first refusal (again, rebuttable at the hearing).

Full detail: Interpretation Guideline 10 — Procedural Issues Regarding Eviction Applications

N4 Notices: Non-Payment of Rent

This is likely the change most landlords and tenants will notice first.

The notice period is shorter. For notices given on or after September 21, 2026, the N4 notice period drops from 14 days to 7. An updated N4 form is now available through the Tribunals Ontario Portal.

"Persistent late payment" now has a specific definition. A tenant is considered to have persistently paid rent late if it's received more than 7 days after the due date, at least 3 times within a 6-month period. Payments the landlord applies to arrears don't count toward this.

Raising other issues at a non-payment hearing now comes with a condition. If a tenant wants to raise other issues at their N4 hearing — maintenance concerns or tenant rights issues, for example — they must pay the landlord half of the rent arrears claimed at least 7 days before the hearing. This applies to applications filed on or after September 21, 2026. The payment has to go directly to the landlord, not held in trust by the LTB, and tenants should keep a receipt. The existing rule that tenants must also give written notice of what issues they intend to raise, at least 7 days ahead of the hearing, still applies.

Full detail: Interpretation Guideline 11 — Rent Arrears and the Issues a Tenant Can Raise at a Rent Arrears Hearing form

Two Other Procedural Changes Worth Knowing

The update also tightened the standards the LTB uses when deciding whether to cancel or delay an eviction order. As of September 21, 2026, the Board can only cancel an eviction order issued without a hearing (based on a mutual agreement or a tenant's own notice to end tenancy) if doing so wouldn't be unfair, and it can't consider changes in a tenant's circumstances that happened after that agreement or notice was given. Similarly, delaying an eviction now requires either the landlord's consent, or the Board being satisfied that a delay wouldn't be unfair to the landlord or other tenants and that there are compelling reasons to grant it.

What This Means If You're a Landlord

The shorter N4 timeline and the clearer "persistent late payment" standard both give landlords a faster, more defined path when rent isn't being paid on time. If you're planning to use an N12 for personal or family use, the removal of compensation requirements with 120+ days' notice is a meaningful cost saving, but the 60-day occupancy clock is real; missing it puts you on the wrong side of a bad-faith presumption. And if you're taking a unit offline for renovations, the new N13 notice obligations mean more paperwork discipline is required to stay onside.

What This Means If You're a Tenant

The N4 notice period is shorter, so it's more important than ever to communicate with your landlord early if you're behind on rent. If you want to fight a non-payment eviction on other grounds, budget for the half-arrears payment requirement well before your hearing date. And if you've been displaced for renovations, your right to move back in now comes with clearer landlord obligations and a longer window to enforce it if things go sideways.

Questions About How This Affects You?

Whether you're a landlord navigating a notice, a tenant trying to understand your options, or an investor weighing how these changes affect a property you're considering, it's worth getting the specifics right. This post is meant to give you the lay of the land, not legal advice — for your specific situation, connect with a paralegal or lawyer experienced with LTB matters. If you have questions about how any of this fits into your real estate plans in Vaughan or York Region, feel free to reach out.

Source: LTB Operational Update — Legislative Changes at the Landlord and Tenant Board, Effective September 21, 2026, Tribunals Ontario.