This is the first question every landlord asks — and the honest answer is: longer than most people expect. Ontario evictions must go through the Landlord and Tenant Board, and the Board's scheduling timelines add weeks to every step. Here is what the process actually looks like.
The short answer
From serving an N4 notice to the sheriff carrying out an eviction, expect three to five months for a non-payment of rent matter under current LTB scheduling. Complex cause-based or own-use evictions take longer, sometimes significantly so.
Step-by-step timeline for a non-payment eviction (N4 / L1)
Step 1: Serve the N4 notice — Day 1
The eviction process starts when you serve the Form N4 notice on the tenant. The notice must give the tenant at least 14 days to pay. The clock starts on the day after service.
Time at this step: 14 days (mandatory notice period)
Step 2: Wait for the notice period to run — Days 2–15
If the tenant pays all rent owing within 14 days, the notice is void and the tenancy continues. If not, you can proceed to the L1 application.
What adds time: Improper service — if you can't prove valid service later, the Board may dismiss the application, and you start over.
Step 3: File the L1 application — Day 15 or after
Once the 14-day period expires without payment, you file the L1 application online through the LTB portal, pay the fee ($201 for most non-payment applications), and serve the tenant with the application.
Time at this step: 1–3 days to prepare and file
Step 4: LTB schedules the hearing — weeks pass here
This is where the calendar takes over. The LTB schedules hearings based on its availability, and non-payment matters in major urban centres — Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Hamilton — currently take 6 to 12 weeks from the date of filing to a scheduled hearing. Rural areas may be faster.
Time at this step: 6–12 weeks (or more in some areas)
Step 5: The hearing
Most hearings are now held by video on Zoom. A Board member hears from both sides. Many L1 hearings resolve that day through a payment plan — the member makes the agreement an enforceable order (called a "conditional order"). If the tenant pays as agreed, no eviction happens. If they don't comply with the payment plan, you can file the order for sheriff enforcement without returning to the Board.
If the matter doesn't resolve, the member makes an eviction order on the spot or releases it in writing within a few days.
Time at this step: hearing day itself
Step 6: The enforcement period
Even after an eviction order is issued, the tenant gets 11 days (or until the termination date, whichever is later) before the order can be filed with the sheriff. The sheriff then schedules the actual enforcement — which can add another 2–4 weeks depending on the region.
Time at this step: 2–5 weeks
Total realistic timeline: 3 to 5 months
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| N4 notice period | 14 days |
| File L1 | 1–3 days |
| Wait for hearing | 6–12 weeks |
| Hearing to order | 1–3 days |
| Post-order void period | 11 days |
| Sheriff scheduling | 2–4 weeks |
| Total | ~3–5 months |
What makes it take longer?
A defective notice. If the N4 has the wrong arrears amount, an incorrect termination date, or can't be proven to have been properly served, the Board dismisses the L1 and you start over from the notice. This is the single biggest source of landlord delays — and it's entirely avoidable with help up front.
Adjournments. If the tenant requests an adjournment at the hearing and the Board grants it, the matter is pushed to a new hearing date — adding months.
Tenant T6 or T2 applications filed at the same time. A tenant who files their own application for repairs or harassment can have it heard together with the L1, which changes the nature of the hearing and often adds complexity.
Sheriff wait times. In larger cities, sheriff enforcement wait times can run 3–6 weeks after the file is received.
The one thing that shortens the timeline
Getting the N4 served correctly, the arrears calculated to the dollar, and the L1 filed without errors. A complete, accurate application gets scheduled, heard, and decided. An incomplete or defective one gets dismissed and restarted. That restart is almost always the landlord's most expensive outcome.
The first consultation at Point Duty is free. Bring the lease and the rent ledger — we'll tell you exactly where you stand and how to move fastest.
The first call is free. Call 1-866-647-6468 or book a consultation at pointdutytraffic.com.
This article is general information about Ontario residential tenancy law, not legal advice, and it does not create a paralegal-client relationship. LTB scheduling and sheriff wait times change over time — confirm current timelines and your own circumstances before relying on them.