Unpaid Rent and the N4 Notice

What an N4 notice is

An N4, formally the "Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent," is the form a landlord uses in Ontario when a tenant has not paid rent in full. It is generally the first formal step in the process a landlord must follow before applying to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) over unpaid rent. The N4 must state the exact amount owing, the period it covers, and a termination date by which the tenant must pay the arrears in full or move out.

Receiving an N4 does not mean a tenant is being evicted immediately. It is a notice, not an eviction order — the tenancy continues, and the landlord cannot take any further action until the notice period passes and, generally, until the LTB has issued an order following a hearing. For the bigger picture of how this fits into the overall process, see our guide to evictions in Ontario.

Minimum notice periods

The RTA sets minimum notice periods for an N4 based on the type of tenancy:

• 14 days for a monthly or yearly tenancy — the most common situation for most renters.
• 7 days for a daily or weekly tenancy.

The termination date on the notice must be at least this many days after the notice is given, and it generally must correspond to the last day of a rental period (or, for a fixed-term lease, cannot be earlier than the end of that term in some cases). If the notice period or termination date is calculated incorrectly, the notice itself may be defective, which can affect a later LTB application.

Paying in full voids the notice

One of the most tenant-friendly features of the N4 process is that it is generally self-cancelling: if the tenant pays all the rent owing (the amount stated on the notice, plus any additional rent that has since come due) before the termination date on the notice, the N4 is void and the landlord cannot proceed with an eviction application based on that notice. This is different from some other notice types, where correcting the underlying issue does not automatically stop the process.

Even after the termination date has passed, many landlords will accept payment and choose not to proceed, though they are generally not required to — once the notice period has expired without full payment, the landlord may go ahead and file an application, and it is generally up to the LTB, not the landlord, to decide whether to grant relief if the tenant later pays some or all of what is owed.

If rent stays unpaid: the L1 application

If the tenant has not paid the full amount owing by the termination date, the landlord's next step is generally to file an L1 application with the LTB — the standard application for eviction based on unpaid rent, which also allows the landlord to claim the arrears owing. Filing the application does not immediately end the tenancy; it starts a formal process. The LTB will generally schedule a hearing, and both sides can attend, present evidence about what has and has not been paid, and raise anything relevant to the case. For what happens at this stage, see our LTB hearing guide.

If the LTB grants the eviction, the order becomes enforceable only through the Sheriff's office — never by the landlord directly. Our guide to evictions in Ontario explains this enforcement stage in more detail.

Tenant options after receiving an N4

A tenant who receives an N4 generally has several options:

• Pay the arrears in full before the termination date, which voids the notice entirely.
• Negotiate a payment plan directly with the landlord, ideally in writing, even though this does not legally void the notice unless the landlord agrees to withdraw it.
• Dispute the amount claimed if the tenant believes the notice is inaccurate — for example, if rent was actually paid, or if the amount includes charges that are not legally "rent" under the RTA.
• Raise relevant circumstances at a hearing, such as a temporary hardship, a history of otherwise reliable payment, or steps taken to pay what is owed. The LTB may consider these factors when deciding on an order or its terms, though it is never guaranteed to change the outcome.

Tenants facing an N4 they cannot immediately resolve may benefit from speaking with a paralegal, lawyer, or local tenant duty counsel service before the hearing date, especially if there is a dispute about the amount owed or a reasonable explanation for the delay.

Notes for landlords issuing an N4

Landlords should make sure the N4 is filled out accurately — the correct arrears amount, correct rental period, and a termination date that meets the minimum notice period and aligns with the tenancy type. An improperly completed N4 can be challenged at the LTB and may need to be reissued, which restarts the notice period and delays the process. Landlords should also keep clear records of rent owing and any partial payments received, since these details often matter at the hearing.

Related reading

Reviewed by Ryan J. Manilla, BA, JD

Legal Reviewer · Landlord Tenant Ontario