Several changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (the RTA) will come into effect on September 21, 2026. The changes were introduced by Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, and the regulations made under it.

Here are three of the changes that landlords and non-profit housing co-operatives should be aware of.

1. Less time to pay after a non-payment notice is givenA Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent (N4) is given to a tenant who has not paid their rent. The notice gives the tenant an opportunity to pay the rent owing before the landlord applies to the Landlord and Tenant Board (the LTB) to end the tenancy.Currently, an N4 given to a tenant who pays rent monthly or yearly must have a termination date at least 14 days after the notice is given. Beginning September 21, 2026, this period will be reduced to seven days. This means that a landlord will be able to apply to the LTB sooner if the tenant does not pay the rent owing or move out by the termination date. A tenant will still be able to void the N4 by paying all the rent owing before the landlord files its application.The LTB has published a new N4 for use beginning September 21, 2026. The new form cannot be used before that date. An N4 given before September 21, 2026, will continue to be governed by the current requirements.

   The notice period for a Notice by the Co-op to End your Occupancy for Non-payment of Regular Monthly Housing Charges (N4C) is not changing.

   2. A new standard for persistent late payment
   
   A landlord may give a Notice to End your Tenancy at the End of the Term (N8) if a tenant has persistently failed to pay rent when it was due. The RTA has not previously set out a specific number of late payments needed to establish persistent late payment. Beginning September 21, 2026, persistent late payment will include circumstances where a tenant fails to pay rent within seven days after it becomes due on at least three occasions within a six-month period.

   A payment will not count under this standard if it was late only because the landlord applied the tenant’s payment to another amount owing, including earlier rent arrears.

   The same standard will apply to non-profit housing co-operatives where a member persistently fails to pay regular monthly housing charges when they are due. For co-operatives, this ground appears in the Notice by the Co-op to End your Occupancy for Persistent Late Payment or Ceasing to Qualify (N8C).

   3. Changes to compensation for landlord’s own use notices
   
   A Notice to End your Tenancy because the Landlord, a Purchaser or a Family Member Requires the Rental Unit (N12) may be given when a landlord or certain members of the landlord’s family genuinely require the rental unit for their own use.

   Normally, a landlord giving an N12 must pay the tenant an amount equal to one month’s rent or offer the tenant another rental unit that the tenant accepts.

   For an N12 given on or after September 21, 2026, this compensation will not be required if:

   • the termination date is at least 120 days after the N12 is given; and

   • the termination date is the last day of a rental period or the end of a fixed-term tenancy.

   This change applies only where the N12 is given for the landlord’s own use under section 48 of the RTA. It does not apply where an N12 is given for a purchaser’s own use.

   A landlord may still give the usual 60 days’ notice. If the landlord does so, the requirement to pay one month’s rent or offer another acceptable rental unit will continue to apply.

The September 21 changes shorten the N4 process, provide a clearer standard for persistent late payment and create an alternative to paying compensation in some landlord’s own use cases. The changes also affect the LTB forms used for these processes. Whether the existing or new requirements apply will generally depend on when the notice was given.

If you are a landlord or non-profit housing provider seeking assistance with a Landlord and Tenant Board matter, we would be pleased to assist and welcome you to contact our office.

Filed in: Housing