For two years, discussion of Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board focused on one thing: how long cases took. Since September 21, there's a second topic. A set of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, from the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act (Bill 60) and the earlier Bill 97, took effect that day and changed several steps in the process.[1]

Here is what changed, what the Board's own numbers say about timelines, and what that means for rental operations.

What changed on September 21

The Board's operational update lists several changes that matter to landlords and tenants:[1]

  • Shorter N4 notice period. For notices given on or after September 21, a Notice to End Tenancy Early for Non-Payment of Rent (N4) has a 7-day period instead of 14.
  • Half-arrears rule for raising other issues. For arrears applications filed on or after September 21, a tenant who wants to raise other issues at the hearing, such as maintenance, must pay the landlord half of the arrears claimed at least seven days before the hearing. The existing requirement to disclose those issues in advance still applies.
  • Persistent late payment defined. A tenant is now considered to have persistently paid late if rent arrives more than seven days after the due date at least three times in six months, with some exceptions.
  • Landlord's own use (N12). If a landlord gives at least 120 days' notice to end a tenancy for their own use, they no longer have to pay compensation or offer another unit. This doesn't apply to notices for a purchaser's use. The landlord or other specified person must normally move in within 60 days, or bad faith is presumed if the tenant files a T5 application.
  • Renovation evictions (N13). Landlords now have more notice obligations to tenants who plan to move back in after renovations, including giving 60 days' notice to reoccupy once work is complete.

These followed earlier changes on July 1, including a shorter 15-day deadline to request a review of an order, a mandatory payment agreement form, new air conditioner rules, and higher maximum fines for offences under the Act.[2]

What the Board's numbers show

The changes arrive as the Board is still working through its backlog. Tribunals Ontario's 2024-25 annual report said the LTB had cut its active caseload to 41,465 by March 31, 2025, a 26% reduction from the December 2023 peak.[3]

The Board's key performance indicators for the first three quarters of the 2025-26 fiscal year, as posted in August 2026, show a mixed picture:[4]

  • Scheduling is close to target. About 78% to 81% of applications were scheduled for a first hearing within the target time, compared with a goal of 80%.
  • Decisions after hearings were issued on time in 83% to 89% of cases, above the 80% target.
  • Overall case completion lags. Only 51% to 53% of English-language cases finished within the Board's 90-day lifecycle target, against a goal of 80%.

Open data for April to June 2026, compiled in a September 1 analysis, shows big differences between application types. An L1 application for non-payment of rent averaged about 49.5 days to a first hearing. Above-guideline increase (L5) applications averaged about 306 days, and tenant T2 applications about 172.[5]

What it means for operations

Combined, the new rules and the performance data suggest a few practical effects for rental owners and managers:

  1. Arrears timelines are shorter at the front end. A 7-day N4 and first hearings in about seven weeks mean the early stages of a non-payment case move faster than they did in 2023.
  2. Hearings may be narrower. The half-arrears rule could reduce the number of arrears hearings that expand to other issues, though how often it applies will depend on tenants' circumstances.
  3. Not every application type has improved. Above-guideline increases still take most of a year. Projects that rely on recovering capital costs through an above-guideline increase need to account for that delay.
  4. Completion, not scheduling, is now the bottleneck. With only about half of cases closing within 90 days, cases that are adjourned or need more than one hearing still take time.

Balance and caution

The changes affect tenants and landlords differently, and their full effect won't show up in the data for several quarters. The Board's next performance reports will show whether faster notice periods lead to more applications, whether the half-arrears rule changes hearing outcomes, and whether lifecycle times improve.

For underwriting, the safest approach is to use the Board's published averages by application type rather than one headline number, and to update them as new data comes out. The process is faster than it was, but it isn't uniform.

Sources

[1] LTB: Operational Update: Legislative Changes at the Landlord and Tenant Board, Effective September 21, 2026, Tribunals Ontario (Sept. 21, 2026): https://tribunalsontario.ca/2026/09/21/ltb-operational-update-legislative-changes-at-the-landlord-and-tenant-board-effective-september-21-2026/

[2] LTB: Operational Update: Legislative Changes at the Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario (June 30, 2026): https://tribunalsontario.ca/2026/06/30/ltb-operational-update-legislative-changes-at-the-ltb/

[3] Tribunals Ontario 2024-25 Annual Report: https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/TO/Tribunals_Ontario_2024-2025_Annual_Report.html

[4] Landlord and Tenant Board Key Performance Indicators, Tribunals Ontario: https://tribunalsontario.ca/en/about/key-performance-indicators/ltb-key-performance-indicators/

[5] LTB Wait Times: What the Board's Own Numbers Show, Jatin Dua (Sept. 1, 2026): https://www.jatindua.com/ltb-wait-times-backlog-ontario-published-numbers/