Fixed-term leases in Ontario: what Bill 60 actually changed — and what it didn't

Bill 60 floated ending the automatic conversion of fixed-term leases to month-to-month. That proposal was pulled, and deemed renewal is still the law. What really changes in 2026, what happens at the end of a term, and what to put in a new lease.

Published August 2, 2026·3 min read

A fixed-term residential lease in Ontario still converts automatically to a month-to-month tenancy when the term ends. That is worth stating plainly, because 2026 has produced a remarkable amount of confusion — including published claims that automatic conversion ends in September 2026. It does not. Section 38 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 deems the tenancy renewed on the same terms, and neither of the two amending bills now coming into force — Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025) and Bill 97 (Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023) — touches it.

The proposal that was pulled

When Bill 60 was introduced in the fall of 2025, the government proposed consulting on ending the "evergreen" framework — letting a fixed-term lease simply expire, with the tenant required to leave or re-sign. After heavy pushback from tenant groups and opposition parties, the government announced it would not proceed, and Bill 60 received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025 without any change to security of tenure or deemed renewal. If you see a source asserting that conversion ends on September 21, 2026, it is confusing that date — which belongs to other changes — with a proposal that never became law.

What the end of a fixed term means now

Nothing needs to be signed and nobody needs to move:

The tenancy continues month-to-month on the same terms, including rent.
The landlord cannot end the tenancy because the term expired. Eviction still requires a lawful ground — an N-series notice plus, if contested, an LTB order.
The tenant can leave at the end of the term (or after it, month to month) by giving 60 days' written notice on form N9, timed to the end of a rental period.
Rent increases for most units remain bound by the annual guideline, with 90 days' notice on form N1 and at least 12 months between increases.

What actually changes in 2026

In force	Change
July 1, 2026	Tenants may install a window or portable air conditioner where the landlord does not provide A/C, if conditions (including safe and secure installation) are met; where electricity is included in rent, the landlord may charge a seasonal amount capped at the actual or reasonably estimated electricity cost (Bill 97)
July 1, 2026	The window to request a review of an LTB order drops from 30 days to 15; repayment plans under s. 206 must use the mandatory LTB Payment Agreement Form; maximum RTA fines double to $100,000 (individuals) / $500,000 (corporations)
September 21, 2026	The N4 termination period for non-payment drops from 14 days to 7; N12/N13 own-use compensation is waived where the termination date is at least 120 days after notice

Source: Tribunals Ontario's operational update of June 30, 2026, and the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association's Bill 60/97 factsheet. A further change — requiring tenants to pay 50% of arrears before raising maintenance issues at a non-payment hearing — has no announced in-force date.

What to put in a new lease

For most private residential tenancies, Ontario mandates the government standard form of lease — a private agreement cannot replace it, though additional terms can be attached provided they do not conflict with the RTA. Draft the parts you control deliberately:

Term and renewal. State the fixed term and acknowledge the month-to-month continuation; do not include a clause requiring the tenant to leave or re-sign at expiry — it is void.
Utilities and services. Say who pays for electricity; that now determines whether a seasonal A/C charge is even possible.
Additional terms on pets (no-pet clauses are generally void in Ontario), insurance, and maintenance responsibilities that are consistent with the Act.

Our residential lease template covers fixed-term and periodic tenancies across the common-law provinces, and flags where Ontario's standard form is mandatory so the additional terms attach to it correctly.

→ Residential Lease Agreement