Do not use an old form, old timeline or remembered rule after September 21

The Residential Tenancies Act is procedural. Dates, notice requirements and the exact legal route being used can matter.

Tribunals Ontario has already posted an updated N4 form for reference and says that version cannot be used to give notice before September 21.

The N4 minimum termination timeline changes

An N4 is the Landlord and Tenant Board notice used when rent is lawfully owing and a landlord is seeking to end the tenancy early for non-payment.

Before September 21, the Residential Tenancies Act uses two different minimum termination timelines:

• seven days for a daily or weekly tenancy; and
• 14 days in other cases.

Starting September 21, that distinction disappears. The amended section says the termination date can be no earlier than the seventh day after the notice is given.

You can check the current forms directly on the Landlord and Tenant Board forms page .

Ontario adds a defined example, but it is not an automatic eviction rule

Starting September 21, Ontario Regulation 241/26 sets out one specific example of persistent failure to pay rent when it is due.

The word includes is important. The regulation expressly says persistent late payment can also exist in circumstances outside this example.

Keep better records

If late payment is becoming a recurring issue, both sides benefit from clear records showing:

• when rent was due;
• when payment was actually made or received;
• the amount paid; and
• how the payment was applied.

If an application based on persistent late payment is being considered or challenged, the actual facts should be reviewed by a lawyer or licensed paralegal.

A new 120-day exception can change the compensation requirement in some section 48 cases

This is one of the changes most likely to be oversimplified online.

Section 48 of the Residential Tenancies Act deals with certain situations where a landlord requires a rental unit for residential occupation by the landlord or another qualifying person.

Under the existing section 48.1 framework, a landlord giving this type of notice generally has to compensate the tenant with one month's rent or offer another acceptable rental unit.

Starting September 21, a new exception can apply when all of these conditions are met:

• the section 48 notice is given on or after the amendment takes effect;
• the termination date is at least 120 days after the notice is given; and
• the termination date is the end of a rental period or, for a fixed-term tenancy, the end of the term.

If a landlord, tenant, buyer or seller is relying on an owner-use or purchaser-use notice as part of a transaction, the legal distinction matters enough that it should be confirmed by the lawyer or licensed paralegal handling the issue.

The renovation right-of-first-refusal process gets clearer notice requirements

Ontario law already allows a tenant who receives a qualifying termination notice for repairs or renovations to preserve a right of first refusal to return to the unit when the work is completed, if the statutory requirements are followed.

Starting September 21, the law adds more specific notice obligations where the new provisions apply.

The landlord must:

• provide written notice of the estimated date the unit is expected to be ready;
• provide an updated estimate if that date changes;
• notify the tenant when the unit is actually ready; and
• give the tenant at least 60 days after the unit is ready to exercise the right of first refusal.

For landlords planning major work and tenants trying to preserve their return rights, this creates a more structured communication timeline around when the unit will actually be ready.

This is a practical summary, not a full rewrite of Ontario landlord-and-tenant law

Other Residential Tenancies Act amendments and procedural changes also take effect on September 21.

I have kept this article focused on changes that can be explained clearly to ordinary housing consumers without turning a real-estate page into a substitute for legal advice.

If you're involved in an actual notice, dispute, eviction or Landlord and Tenant Board application, start with the current official material and get qualified legal or paralegal advice.

What landlords and tenants should do differently

A sale does not erase the existing tenancy

This is where the September changes connect directly with a real-estate transaction.

If vacant possession, purchaser occupancy or an existing landlord notice affects a purchase or sale, the agreement cannot be built around the assumption that a tenant simply has to leave because the property is changing hands.

The correct process depends on the tenancy, property, intended occupancy, notice and timing.

September 21 is more than a form update

Ontario is changing timelines and procedures that landlords, tenants and people buying or selling rental property may have relied on for years.

The safest approach is simple: start with the current official form and current law instead of memory.

Where the September 21 rental-rule information comes from

The legal and procedural points in this article were checked against Ontario's current legislation, regulation and Landlord and Tenant Board material.

Sources checked September 17, 2026. This article provides general Ontario real-estate information and a high-level summary of selected Residential Tenancies Act changes. It is not legal advice and is not a complete statement of Ontario landlord-and-tenant law. Landlords, tenants, buyers and sellers should confirm the current legislation and Landlord and Tenant Board forms and obtain advice from an Ontario lawyer, licensed paralegal or appropriate legal service for their specific situation.