The N4 notice in Ontario: the 14-day period drops to 7 on September 21, 2026

Bill 60 shortens the N4 termination period for non-payment of rent from 14 days to 7 for monthly and yearly tenancies. The change takes effect September 21, 2026 — here is how the notice works, and what both sides should do now.

Published August 2, 2026·3 min read

The N4 — Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent — is the first formal step in an Ontario arrears eviction. It is not an eviction order: it tells the tenant how much rent is owing and sets a termination date, and if the tenant pays everything owing before that date, the notice is void. What is changing is the clock. Under Bill 60 (the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, Royal Assent November 27, 2025), the termination period for monthly and yearly tenancies drops from 14 days to 7 days for N4 notices served on or after September 21, 2026. Tribunals Ontario confirmed the commencement dates in its operational update of June 30, 2026.

One thing before anything else: the N4 is a free official form. Every N-series notice is published by the Landlord and Tenant Board on the Tribunals Ontario website at no charge. Nobody should ever pay for an N4, and any site selling one is selling you a download of a free government form. What is worth your time is understanding the procedure around it — which is what this post is for.

How the N4 actually works

Rent must actually be overdue. Rent is late the day after it was due; the N4 can be served that day.
The notice states the arrears and a termination date. For monthly and yearly tenancies the termination date must currently be at least 14 days after the notice is given — 7 days once the change takes effect on September 21, 2026. Daily and weekly tenancies already use 7 days.
Paying voids it. If the tenant pays the full amount owing before the termination date, the N4 is void and cannot be used to evict.
The notice does not end the tenancy by itself. If the termination date passes unpaid, the landlord may file an L1 application with the LTB. There is a hearing, then an order, and only the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) can physically enforce an eviction. Changing the locks is illegal at every stage.

What the shorter period changes — and what it does not

The 7-day period halves the tenant's window to find the money before an L1 can be filed. It does not change anything downstream: the L1, the hearing, the order and enforcement all remain, and a tenant can still pay arrears (plus costs, once an application is filed) to void the process later. Bill 60 also shortened the window to request a review of an LTB order from 30 days to 15, effective July 1, 2026 — so the timelines are tightening on both ends.

A related change lands the same day: for N12 own-use evictions with a termination date at least 120 days after notice, the one-month compensation requirement is waived.

If you are a landlord

Serve the N4 the day rent becomes overdue if you intend to rely on it — a stale arrears problem is harder to manage than a fresh one.
Fill it in exactly: correct legal names, the rental period breakdown, arithmetic that adds up. N4s fail at hearings on defects more often than on the merits.
Before filing an L1, consider whether a repayment agreement gets you paid faster than a hearing date does. Since July 1, 2026, repayment plans use a mandatory LTB form — see our guide below.

If you are a tenant

An N4 is not an order to leave. Do not move out because one arrived.
Check the math and the dates. If the amount is wrong or the termination date is too soon, say so at the hearing.
Paying the full arrears before the termination date kills the notice entirely. If you cannot pay in full, propose a written repayment plan — from September 21, 2026 you will have 7 days instead of 14, so act on the first notice, not the second.
Community legal clinics and Tribunals Ontario's own guidance are free.