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.
Updated for September 2026. Several eviction rules changed on September 21, 2026. The biggest for landlords: an N4 for non-payment now gives the tenant 7 days to pay, not 14, and a tenant who wants to raise repair or other issues at an arrears hearing must first pay half the arrears. Details are below.
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. The shorter N4 takes about a week off the front end, but most of the time is still spent waiting for a hearing and then for the sheriff. Complex cause-based or own-use evictions take longer, sometimes significantly so.
What changed on September 21, 2026
- N4 notice period cut to 7 days. For an N4 given on or after September 21, 2026, the termination date must be at least 7 days after you give it to the tenant. An N4 given before that date still needed 14 days (for monthly rent).
- New forms. The LTB replaced the N4, L1 and other forms on September 21. Older versions will not be accepted after November 30, 2026, so download a fresh copy rather than reusing an old one.
- Tenants must pay half the arrears to raise other issues. On an L1 filed on or after September 21, 2026, a tenant who wants to raise issues such as maintenance at the hearing must pay the landlord half of the arrears claimed, at least seven days before the hearing.
- "Persistent late payment" is now defined. Rent paid more than seven days after the due date, at least three times in six months, counts as persistently late.
- Delaying an eviction is harder. If the landlord does not agree, the Board can delay an eviction only where there are compelling reasons and the delay would not be unfair.
- Shorter window to ask for a review. Since July 1, 2026, a request to review an LTB order generally has to be made within 15 days of the order, down from 30.
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. For a notice given on or after September 21, 2026, the termination date must be at least 7 days after you give it. Use the current version of the form.
Time at this step: 7 days (mandatory notice period)
Step 2: Wait for the notice period to run — Days 2–8
If the tenant pays all rent owing before the termination date, 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 — the day after the termination date
The earliest day you can file is the day after the termination date in the N4, and only if the tenant is still living in the unit. You file the L1 application online through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, pay the fee ($186 through the Portal), 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. The September 2026 changes did not set a deadline for scheduling hearings.
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.
On an L1 filed on or after September 21, 2026, a tenant who wants to raise repair, maintenance or other issues has to have paid you half the arrears claimed at least seven days before the hearing. That makes it harder to turn an arrears hearing into a much longer one without some money changing hands first.
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 | 7 days (for notices given on or after Sept 21, 2026) |
| 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, is on an old version of the form, 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. With the notice period now 7 days, a termination date that still allows 14 days is not fatal, but one that allows fewer than 7 is.
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.
A review request. A tenant can ask the Board to review an eviction order, and the Board can stop enforcement while it considers the request. The window for asking is now generally 15 days, which shortens how long that risk hangs over the file.
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, on the current form, with 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.
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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.